Baby photography is an exciting and engaging subject. There's no doubt. You have seen hundreds of photos of babies that have moved you or aroused a smile and surely you have ever had to photograph one or have done to photograph it. There are many pages or articles in magazines that give us advice to get better photos, even so, there are a number of very common mistakes in baby photography. And what does a good photographer do with mistakes? Learn from them, always.
That is what we are going to do in today's article, break down those common mistakes when photographing the beautiful and innocent creatures that surround us to learn how to avoid them. Do you fancy the challenge? Well here we go.
20 MISTAKES IN PHOTOGRAPHY THAT YOUR BABY WILL NEVER FORGIVE
1. USE THE FLASH
The first and most frequent of errors. Using the flash with babies has two major drawbacks, it can be harmful to them as well as scare them, and a scared baby won't make a good role model. Yes, I know, we don't always have enough light to get a good image, so I recommend that you read this article or, if you use it, always do it bouncing and with diffusers. Don't get the flash too close, let alone focus it directly on his eyes.
2. CHOOSING THE WRONG BACKGROUND
You can screw up a beautiful photo with a totally inappropriate background. If you choose a background that is too flashy, it will take away the role of the baby, just like if there are too many distractors, tangles, furniture, people... In the first photo we see a clear example of elements that divert attention and spoil the image. Everything except the baby and the carpet… Compare it with the second image.
3. DRESSING THE BABY IN THE WRONG WAY
You may want to dress the creature in its best clothes, or with the pajamas that its godmother gave it, or with the most colorful items from its wardrobe. Mistake! If what you want is a memory of that garment, okay, we accept a boat, but if you want a beautiful image worthy of a good photographer, it is best that the clothes do not detract from the subject. Use smooth or soft colors that do not distract the viewer's attention.
4. NOT PICKING THE RIGHT TIME
As you are hungry, sleepy, cold or something hurts, do not try to shoot the best photograph even remotely. He's a baby and he won't understand that you only want five minutes to photograph him. Your photos will be blurred, the baby will appear crying or with unflattering gestures, you will end your nerves and the card with images that will be of no use except to throw it away. Wait until the baby has all her needs covered and return to the charge.
5. PUT HIM IN THE ARMS OF THE OLDER BROTHER
The snapshots with the brothers are a wonderful and really tender memory, but if what you want is to give prominence to the newcomer this is not the way, since in the arms of the eldest he will look so tiny that he will lose the main role. Try to put them face to face or in some funny gesture like in the following photos.
More tips for photographing a newborn, as it deserves, in this mega guide on newborn photography .
6. THE RUSH
That rushing is not good is not something new. In this case they are not good in two senses. When our baby is born we are eager to present it to society and we take pictures of it at the slightest opportunity. If you use that photo to notify the closest relatives that everything has gone well, fine, but if what you want is to show off your offspring, don't go to the trouble of spreading his photo fresh out of the delivery room to all his friends and relatives or even post it on social media!! It will be swollen, very wrinkled, and probably also very red or purple. Wait for her skin to take on its natural color and the swelling to go down to take her first "official" portrait, she'll thank you in the future ;).
On the other hand, take the time you need to do your photo session with a baby, if you do it hasty everything will go wrong, you will get nervous and the baby will end up noticing your mood. Better a relaxed session.
7. NOT TAKING CARE OF LIGHTING
This handsome baby would look even better if you could see his face. There is a lot of natural light around and yet the face is obscured by shadows. A reflector would have helped a lot.
