Ideas for Infant Photos

When taking pictures of very small babies (considered infants), it can be a bit of a challenge. This is the one stage of childhood that the little one is unable to do much of anything for him or herself. It's not impossible, though - and I'll offer up some ideas and examples of Infant Photography to show you all.

My good friend Jamie was kind enough to let me use her beautiful 4-week-old daughter for this photo shoot. Jamie, thanks so much for letting me photograph Baby Olivia!

The first thing I did was set up a little area to place little Olivia while I took pictures. This does not require much time or money on your part, especially if you do on-site photography like I do. Almost every baby is well equipped with a swing, boppy, or vibrating seat of some type (maybe all 3). A changing table or bassinet would also work pretty well; if nothing else, they surely have a car seat - that can even work in a pinch. I bought just a few yards of 2 or 3 different fabrics and just draped it over the baby-holder (a boppy in this case) and laid little munchkin right in it.
Unfortunately, this little baby was a very sleepy little baby! Though it's not ideal to only get pictures of a slumbering babe, they'll still be cherished for years to come.
If the baby's a very sound sleeper, you can even position her or her hands/arms in different ways. Adding a simple frame adds a little more spunk to the picture as well.

Luckily for us, baby Olivia did wake up...
Some babies have a particular way they like to lay (right side, left side, or even tummy). Use this to your advantage.

Be sure to mix it up with close-ups and full baby shots.

If baby's playing with her fingers, let her enjoy them. Who doesn't love little dimpled hands?

If you and the parent(s) are up for it, try doing a change of clothes - even no clothes.

I just love little unclothed babies...
even if they don't exactly want to cooperate...

Don't' worry. There are plenty of ways to fix up pictures that you may not initially care much for.

Like cropping them, turning them into black & white and adding in bits of color... I'll explain in an upcoming post in detail how to do the black & white with bits of color.

For now, back to some more baby picture ideas:

Catching the beginning or end of a big yawn is simply adorable...

And if you're super lucky, you'll even get the slightest bit of a grin.

It also works in black & white with bits of color.

Here are just a few other ideas:

• Placing baby on his or her tummy with head turned to the side
• A close-up of a favorite piece of jewelry (a baby ring, bracelet, or necklace)
• Little hair bows or shoes
• Hands and feet
• Include sibling(s) if possible on just a few shots - giving a kiss on the head or laying down beside baby are a couple of my favorite sibling shots
  

Finally, try to get some of baby & Mommy and/or Daddy. If they're completely insistent upon keeping their faces out of the photos, see if they'd like some hands & feet pictures...

Something they'll cherish forever...

It's just amazing to see how small that little baby's hands/feet are in comparison to you own - and that little one will grow so quickly. It's great to get these kind of shots when you can.
How it's done: Simply roll up Mom or Dad's sleeves, take baby's bottom half of clothing off (diaper and onesie/top can be left on). Have the parent(s) sit down with baby laying in their lap/on their legs so that the hands are free to place under baby's bare feet. I loosely wrapped some tulle around baby's legs & Mom's wrists - gave the picture a soft look and nice frame.

Luckily, Olivia's Mommy was a willing model:

A pretty good picture, but we can improve it...

By simply desaturating the image (turning it into black & white)

The black & white worked wonders on this picture.

Little Olivia was just a bit upset & was all red from working herself up. You can't tell at all without the color though.

And last but not least, a variation on a gradient fill that I developed into an action:

Mom & Baby - the most beautiful thing in the world.

For a shot like this, just ask Mom to wear a strapless tank top or (if she's comfortable enough) a strapless bra. Let her know that you'll be sure to edit out anything that is the least bit revealing of body parts. Though this picture is a lot of skin, what it shows isn't something risque - all I can see is pure and natural love.