Photographing Your Baby - Part II

By: Thea Menagh, OFAE

Go it alone.
The fewer distractions, the better.

Hint #8 - Having a relative or friend around isn’t always recommended. Naturally, depending on what types of shots you’re aiming for, having someone nearby to catch baby if he starts to wiggle to the edge of the couch or begins to lean over from a sitting position, is a good thing, but too many people around (often all trying to get baby to do something different) won’t be much help. You want baby to look at you and the camera ... not at 2-3 people standing beside you making various sounds and swinging colourful toys around making baby dizzy. An older sibling is often your best assistant. Borrow a 3-year old from the neighbours if you don’t have one of your own!

Size of print.
For your portrait image to be seriously impressive, do not consider a size smaller than 8"x10". To fill a large space, focus on the image with a wide matte and simple frame.

Hint #9 - There are now some wonderful frames which allow you to create a Story Board (several similar photos; various poses or facial expressions). These hold three or four 4"x6" or 5"x7" size prints ... which are perfect for smaller walls and a greater choice of placement within your home or when giving them as gifts. I also mount 5"x7" or 8"x10" prints onto wooden plaques, so the Story Board photos can be arranged and rearranged to the clients’ preferences, or hung individually in tiny spaces.

Asleep is good.
Don't wait until your baby's awake, all dressed and 'ready'. Your baby's beautiful while asleep, while awake, and every second in between. There's nothing quite like candid shots!

Hint #10 - When baby’s awake, you won't get any great shots if he’s suffering from HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired). You'll get better photos and have a more enjoyable time if baby's been fed, is comfortably dressed in something cozy ... or nothing at all, is getting hugs regularly and is picked up when seeming to get fussy, and not struggling to stay awake. Stop when your little one (or you) have had enough. Don’t try to cover everything in one session. Nobody's attention span lasts forever, and you can continue, often, within 10 minutes or so. Babies’ moods change rapidly. Where do they get that from?!

Hair.
If your baby has fly-away or curly hair ... how lucky can you get! However, once in awhile, you may want it neatly combed and in place. Either way, no matter how you put it, hair is something of which to be proud. After all, some babies are bald for the first year or so ... not that there’s anything wrong with that!

Hint #11 - If you want baby-fine hair neatly combed and in place, use a soft toothbrush to 'arrange' the strands. You can achieve a 'baby hairspray' effect by dipping the soft toothbrush (or baby hair brush) into warm water, and then brushing it gently across a bar of baby soap ... and then brushing the baby's hair. The soap will ever-so-slightly stiffen the hair as the water dries. This is a good trick for bushy eyebrows, as well. It darkens the hair at the same time and makes it appear fuller and brighter. Especially wonderful for red or dark blonde hair. If fly-away hair is what you're after ... set a small table fan several feet from where baby's propped and turn it on ‘low’ ... never within reach of tiny fingers and toes. This will do two things! Hair will do wonderfully wild things. And the closer you move the fan, the less baby will cry, if she’s arriving at that stage.

Skintones.
While baby's asleep, as in older children and bigger people, the colour in cheeks and feet and hands fades.

Hint #12 - If you can't add a little colour by means of digital imaging (isn't Photoshop fantastic), an effective way to bring the blood rushing to the skin is by applying a facecloth dipped in water. Sometimes very cold works best and quickest, but if taking the photo of a sleeping baby, you might miss your shot ... because you'll wake baby up! You’d wake up too, right? A cotton ball with a little blush is good, too. And a little lip gloss or plain Vaseline jelly on pouty lips gives that professional, added touch.

Keeping baby focused.
When baby’s a little older, you may need some special tricks to make sure he stays put and gives you a enough time to do your thing.

Hint #13 - I discovered a wonderful trick (some 30 years ago) ... which I still use ... only now while taking clients’ baby photos. I kept a Scotch tape dispenser next to the phone along with the note pad and pencils. When I needed to spend more than a minute on the phone while my 2 boys were playing on the kitchen floor nearby, and they eventually crawled over yanking at my legs for attention, I'd take a small piece of tape and wrap it around their index fingers. Trying to get that piece of tape off their fingers would guarantee to keep them quiet for at least 2 minutes 28 seconds. Of course, I'd have to be careful to help them and remove it before they got too frustrated, but this worked beautifully. NOW ... I wrap a piece of tape around a little one's finger to ensure concentration on the hands. You can do this with tiny toes, as well. And the best part ... the tape is clear and doesn't show up on the photographs unless the flash hits it directly. A similar trick is to use a clear plastic bracelet for baby to hold and play with while taking pictures. The bracelet won't show up prominently in the photos, and baby will seem to be playing peacefully with little hands or feet. Of course, a brightly coloured plastic bangle or drinking cup will also give you wonderful images!

Show a little restraint.
Your baby's bare bottom on a lambskin rug is cute as can be, but to a teenager, nothing’s more embarassing. I don’t normally take those types of photographs unless specifically asked to do so.

Hint #14 - Bare bottoms, bathtub antics and ‘first pee-pee’ shots won't be your 13-year-old's favourites. Be kind to your youngsters, married offspring, and grandchildren. Think ahead when planning your backdrops, set-ups and poses.

Look out for Part III of this article!

About the Author - Thea Menagh owns & operates A Fitting Image Family, Business & Event Photography in Toronto (a division of B&T Graphic Communications Inc., which she also owns). She specializes in maternity, baby, child & family portraits with the trademarked slogan, ® Mummy Tummy to Tiny Toes. She also photographs weddings and events, and before forming B&T, had an over 25-year career in marketing & advertising, during which she incorporated her photography in work produced for Canadian & international clients. In addition to her photography, she also has Use Agreements with Canadian & U.S. companies who use her photographs for greeting cards. She also designs & prints high end business cards & postcards. Visit her website at: www.afittingimage.com.