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Shooting babies is not an easy task. Parents are very kind to children during this period, because in our society there are still many prejudices: someone is afraid of the evil eye, someone believes in various signs. Not every family dares to take such a shot. And often a photo shoot is planned only if a trusting relationship has already developed between the parents and the photographer. Nikon Ambassador Lyalya Garbuz is one of those photographers who are trusted to shoot the smallest models. Some of them do not even have a month.

NIKON D4 / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATION: ISO 2500, F4.5, 1/80 S

NIKON D800 / Nikon AF-S 50mm f / 1.4G NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 2000, F2, 1/100 S

There are many beliefs in Russia. For example: only close relatives can see a child in the early days. In addition, immediately after giving birth to a woman, as a rule, there is no time for photo shoots at all. The kid needs a lot of attention, I want to get in shape. Therefore, usually the photographer is invited when the child is already 1-3 months old.

NIKON D3S / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 1250, F2.8, 1/125 S

Now the trend is frames where babies are touchingly curled up during sleep. The ideal age for such photos is 2-3 weeks. When shooting children under three weeks old, they are often placed in special baskets for newborns, wrapped in diapers or vests, and decorated with dressings with flowers. During the photo shoot, the baby tries on several different images, beyond which he is not visible. After three weeks of age, the children no longer sleep so tightly that they cannot be put in such poses. However, when shooting babies from 1 to 3 months old, the photos turn out to be more interesting: the babies begin to respond to sounds, smile at their mother, hold the toy in their hands and stay awake longer, which means that a little more subjects for shooting appear. Most customers turn to the photographer when newborns begin to hold their heads on their own.

There is another prejudice. He came from the Victorian era. Then the infants often died literally a few days or weeks after birth, and the parents did not have time to photograph the child during life, so posthumous photos were taken of as if sleeping children. From here came the belief that it is impossible to film a child in a dream. And therefore, many parents prefer frames that capture the moments of feeding a child or playing with him.

I shoot small participants in photo shoots with the AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f / 2.8 macro lens . He draws literally every eyelash and allows you to create very clear pictures. With it, you can take beautiful photos of the legs or arms of the baby, close-up to capture the mouth or eye with fluffy eyelashes. And later from these photos you can make a wonderful collage.

NIKON D4 / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 2000, F3.5, 1/60 S

The second lens that I need for such shootings is the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f / 1.4G . He is good for medium plans. I make a few frames with a wide-angle lens to capture the first room of the baby, his crib or to make a general portrait.

NIKON D4 / Nikon AF-S 50mm f / 1.4G NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 4000, F4, 1/80 S

Clear detailing is one of the main features of NIKKOR optics. Together with the Nikon D800 camera, the pictures on the AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f / 2.8 lens are sometimes so detailed that you can consider, for example, the structure of cosmetics on women's skin. Such optics are great for shooting children of any age, especially newborns, when you need to draw the smallest hairs and the thinnest eyelashes of a child. The lens focuses from a short distance, does not give distortions when shooting portraits, and carefully works out the details in the right light.

NIKON D4 / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 3200, F4.5, 1/100 S

I shoot exclusively in natural light. With such kids, approaching the light source - the window - is not a problem. NIKKOR optics perfectly copes with any task. For example, the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f / 1.4G fast lens allows you to extend the frame in the light even in the most difficult conditions. In addition, this glass is one of the sharpest and one of the most inexpensive at the same time, which makes it unique in its class. Regarding AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f / 2.8, then when using soft natural lighting, the picture quality is better than that of some classic portrait painters. And this despite the fact that macrooptics is not particularly suitable for portrait photography. It's all about the ultra-shallow depth of field and focusing from a longer distance, which is simply not enough in small apartments. Natural photographs always look more vibrant than production photographs. In addition, it is precisely such real moments in life that present real value for a family photo album. No need to get hung up on stage shots. Breastfeeding, the first toy, the first dress and walks - this is exactly what will take root in your album. It is not necessary to take photographs with newborns “a la still life”. Sometimes the plot is completely spontaneous. For example, in the photo with a blue blanket, the baby is just sleeping, and did not even have to resort to any special tricks. Photo processing can be natural and artistic. All kinds of skin problems associated with redness, allergies, are easily removed with natural color correction and easy retouching. During artistic processing, tinting is done, all excesses and imperfections are removed - the photo is brought to the ideal.

NIKON D4 / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 2000, F3.2, 1/100 S

I mainly shoot on Nikon D800 and D810 cameras . They are great for studio and interior photography. D810 - a new, improved model with a large number of pixels, it allows you to create huge pictures of excellent quality. Thanks to the Expeed 4 processor Nikon D810can take a third more pictures (1200 according to the CIPA standard) than the D800. Separately, it is worth noting that the D810 also has faster autofocus (the same as in the Nikon D4s). The D800 has one minor flaw, sometimes making life difficult for photographers: the focus points are very small, and sometimes the camera focuses on the background rather than the subject. The developers solved the problem by adding the Group Area Autofocus mode to the D810, as in D4s. In this mode, focusing is performed on five points: the point chosen by the photographer, and four neighboring ones. Moreover, they do not have to be located in the center of the viewfinder.

NIKON D4 / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 2000, F3.2, 1/80 S

In addition to the Nikon D800 and D810 models mentioned above, I also use Nikon D4 and D3s . The Nikon D800 cannot be set to high ISO, but this feature is, for example, the reporting D4. But when I shoot in the summer with a lot of light, on the D800 the frame is huge and in good quality, you can’t shoot such a picture on D4. And even despite the fact that I can’t set the D800 and D810 high ISO without the noise, the picture is still huge - much more than when shooting on the Nikon D4s.

NIKON D3S / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 1250, F2.8, 1/200 S

If you reduce the frame made on the Nikon D800 to the frame size available to the D4, then noises will not be visible. Sometimes I specifically set high ISO values on the D800: 2500, 3000, sometimes 4000. As a result, when the size is reduced, the noise goes away. And then, such problems only occur in low light. In spring or summer I get a huge picture of excellent quality with better detail.

NIKON D3S / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 1250, F3.5, 1/125 S

In addition, I participate in competitions and send portrait photographs there. Only D800 and D810 give me a high-quality picture with clear detail, drawing to the smallest detail.

NIKON D800 / Nikon AF-S 50mm f / 1.4G NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 3200, F4.5, 1/125 S

Separately, it is worth noting that, despite the release of the improved Nikon D4s model, the D4 camera has not lost its relevance. Still, one of the distinctive features of the D4 is a slightly larger number of pixels than the D4s model - 16.2 megapixels versus 16, and color depth - 24.7 versus 24.4. D4s also significantly reduced noise when shooting with high ISO.

NIKON D4 / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 2000, F3, 1/80 S

Of course, the technique is of paramount importance when photographing. However, another very important point is the ability of the photographer to sensitively capture the mood of the kids and pay attention to the smallest details. The experience of parenting can help with this. After all, photographers themselves take their children literally from the first days of life and understand the value of unique moments from family chronicles, which over time will be remembered by all family members when viewing a photo album. If your parents will like your first-born shots, they will most likely become your regular customers and will return again as soon as their family replenishes.

NIKON D4 / Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR INSTALLATIONS: ISO 3200, F3, 1/100 S

More information about Lala Garbuz can be found on the NikonPro.ru website