Tips and advice for shooting babies (6 months old)

.:SAmSuNG:. · 16 Sep 2010 at 13:26

Hi I'm looking to improve at portraits and my mate wants a load of pics of his 6 month old little boy. Iv never done anything of the sort but I'm confident I should be able to do a lot better job than they could with a point and shoot.

Kit iv got:

400D gripped
Canon 50mm 1.4 USM
Canon 18-55mm IS.

As iv got no flash I'm thinking a lot could be done in there garden or in a well lit room with the 50mm.

I'm just looking for some tips and advice from more experienced members.

Thanks.

Phate · 16 Sep 2010 at 13:32

With a decent scope should do the trick

Benihana · 16 Sep 2010 at 13:35

Phate said:
With a decent scope should do the trick

Was only a matter of time eh!

I've not much experience, but somewhere with lots of light (or flash) and plenty of toys to keep them involved.

Does your mate want to be in the pics as well?

martinturner · 16 Sep 2010 at 13:35

The thing that springs to mind is that everyone thinks their baby is gorgeous; but in fact most natural birth babies tend to have funny shaped heads and getting a flattering shot can sometimes be difficult (in some cases). Make sure they have some woolen hats available as those shots tend to be the cutest.

Phate · 16 Sep 2010 at 13:36

On a more serious note, I would get a flash as you'll need one for portraits in general, and you can start learning about light control.

50mm, 1.8, bounced the flash off the wall next to her. Done

Or if your not inclined to....outdoors would be your best option

If your main priority is the face then 1.8 might be a bit shallow, try it at 2.0, 2.8 etc.

.:SAmSuNG:. · 16 Sep 2010 at 14:11

Thanks for all the replies so far I will reply properly once I'm on a pc tonight. One thing I'm interested in know is.. With a apature of say 1.8 will the DOF be different depending how near or far the point of focus is?

Phate · 16 Sep 2010 at 14:27

.:SAmSuNG:. said:
Thanks for all the replies so far I will reply properly once I'm on a pc tonight. One thing I'm interested in know is.. With a apature of say 1.8 will the DOF be different depending how near or far the point of focus is?

It will stay the same, but obviously depending on how far or close you are which depends on what else is in the the shot will show up how creamy it is

Snapshot · 16 Sep 2010 at 20:28

Phate said:
With a decent scope should do the trick

My professional opinion is that an airgun isn't powerful enough for humane dispatch but a .22 rimfire should be sufficient.

.:SAmSuNG:. · 17 Sep 2010 at 11:48

Right there plans if I do the photos is to have multiple pics arranged on a large canvas. Would I be best to work in RGB as its been printed?

d_brennen · 17 Sep 2010 at 11:51

Pilliow over face. Not only does it make pulling the trigger easier it catches a lot of the blood

Oh photography, helium ballooons to keep their attention

mrthingyx · 17 Sep 2010 at 12:48

Lots of patience.

Babies are pretty uninteresting to those not related to them, and are generally reasonably difficult to get either:

a) not crying
b) doing something interesting/funny/cute enough to capture in a photograph.

I know as a gushing parent of a 2 year-old and a soon-to-be-dad of a second (next week!).

It's actually arbitrary to a degree, as the parents will love the photos regardless, but some of the more interesting portraits of my daughter were taken by my two brothers and I, using a portable light tent and controlled flash (as you can tell, I'm not a photography geek - I just use the toys my bro has).