So I have to admit I am terrible at infant photography...I don't know what it is. I love babies, I am patient, I have tons of props, I just don't know where I go wrong...

1. I always get the pissed off baby
2. How on earth do you get them curled up??
3. How do you get them to sleep??

I have so many questions and no answers...I keep practicing but I just keep getting worse! How is that possible?? I get these ideas in my head and it never goes as planned.

What are the must haves for props and what are the do's and don'ts of infant photography?

Email Amber Holritz and ask her where her information is posted. I have it saved on my other computer, but not this one. She is a wealth of information on that subject.

In fact, Amber - you need to do a workshop!

Well I think I have learned alot from trial and error. First advice would be , get the parents to understand they call the grand parenst first, then they call you to let you know baby is here and time to set the appt time. I try to get my clients in the first two weeks, preferrably in the first week. The youngest client I have photographed was five days old.
Once the baby turns two weeks, they dont want to sleep for long periods, they just want to stretch their little legs. Kind of like they are telling you, "hey I have been curled up in here for nine months, you have got to be kidding me. I am not curling any more"!
Also, I offer to come to my clients homes, which makes it easier for them to not have to get out when they are overwhelmed with a newborn.

How I get them to sleep. Keep the house warm, I and the parents usually sweat like pigs, but the babies are toasty and comfortable. Wrap them in a warm blanket, keep a heating pad with a blanket on it if you have to. I have not yet have to do that, but I also live in a place that is warm enough for a big part of the year (exept right now when we are freezing...).So we usually just knock off the a/c.

Curling, I am still working on this one. It is so hard. I have heard some experienced "baby curlers", say before five days. Well my last client (born this past newyears eve) curled some, actually I think it was more her parents having a hard time understanding what I wanted them to do.

Beanbags are good, cover it with black material and you can curl them up in there and the beans shape and support the little ones.

Another one, these sessions take a loooooooooong time. The baby got to eat, poop and eat again and burp, and so on and on. My average time with a newborn session is about three hours.

I have a handful of newborn images on my website. Link is found in my avatar.

So, with that said, some babies are colicky or have reflux and really are very sad. Then there are other that are happy and content and doesnt make a noise the whole session. They all vary greatly.

My fave newborn props:
Baskets, beanbag, pile of folded towels, blankets with texture (good looking for b-w),Mom & Dad's hands holding either baby or certain body parts.

I hope this helped some. Good luck!

How 'bout post some examples... you may not be as bad as you think!

Check out my flickr site...those are the BEST I have...lol its embarrassing.

Uh, not too much wrong there.

I like em.

The only thing I can think of that you might find improves your feelings is to get a deeper depth of focus so the background is blurred out and the focus is on just one part of the baby. But your Flickr stuff looked pretty good! Just keep at it

Thanks! Ill keep practicing.

I really like what is posted on your flickr page. Good stuff. Practice will make you more comfortable and that will definitely help.

my tips are keep them warm until the last second. tell the parents to go ahead and undress them and then wrap in a blanket so that you can just unwrap, snap and rewrap. prepare to be peed on and keep your cool. new moms are usually very emotional. they tend to be overwhelmed easily. 4 hours is too long to do a session. 2 is plenty - you'll all be tired of each other by then.

You may not like my answers

1. Pissed off babies are fun! This shot got me lots of bookings!



and mom's LOVE this one (this is my baby, BTW, I realize that makes me a horrid mom)



2. I have decided that if a baby doesn't want to be curled up, then why would I try to curl them? They need to be in the most natural (to them) position possible! The moms don't need to have a memory of a child all curled up, when they were never actually like that... (at least, in my opinion)





3. Sleeping babies are great.. but awake ones are just fine too... just do something different!





Running to check your flickr account... back with feedback in a minute...

EDIT:

Ok, I LOVE your processing style, and compositions! You don't need any help at all

(Jill, thanks for the props )

I didn't read all of Anna Karins & I'm sure I'm going to repeat some stuff, but this is what works for me.

1. Most newborns are pissed off if they're not sleeping, being fed, or in a place they're comfortable & used to... Constantly make (quiet) noises... Hum, sing (unless you sing like I do then refrain from singing), or just constantly talk to them. White noise helps... a fan, a softly playing nature sounds CD, one of those little noise machines, even static on a TV.

2. Curled up... if the baby is over 2 weeks old you can almost (most of the time) forget the curling. It really works best with babies 1 week or less and it just flat out won't work with all of them. Some babies are curlers, some babies are stretchers. To get a curly baby to curl it helps to use a bean bag. Make a nice sized indention in the bean bag , curl the baby up in that spot, then form the beanbag around them to help keep them curled. If you don't have a bean bag you can use rolled up blankets under another blanket. Before laying the baby down try to get mom to hold the baby in a curled up position - if you can get them to go to sleep like that you have it made If you get a stretchy baby, forget about making them curl. It won't happen... but they're still fun

3. Sleeping... I usually try to schedule newborn appointments where they'll be hungry when they get here - I ask the parents to try to arrange it where they walk in the dorr to the studio (or I walk in thier house) at feeding time. While they're feeding the baby is a GREAT time to scope out spots (if you're on location) or to find out what the parents like best and might be open to doing (if you're in a studio). Most newborns will fall asleep after being fed. Putting them in a nice warm spot (fresh blankets fromt he dryer, a hot water bottle covered in blankets, or blankets on top of a heating pad) will insure that they stay that way.

Don't lay a sleeping baby down until they're very asleep - it's a lot easier to get them sleeping well one time than it is to get them to sleep a second and third time.

Plan on it taking a lot longer than a normal session.

I ALWAYS plan 3 hours for a newborn session. They will get mad, they will get hungry, they will get cold or bored, they will need their diaper changed...

Keep practicing! Once you realize that the key is patience and timing and get that down to a science then newborn sessions are like the most fun thing ever.

I agree with all of these statements! Great minds think alike Melody

Bring a hairdryer! Seriously, if you have a fussy baby have one of the parents gently blow the dryer on the baby. The noise and the heat calm them down in an instant!


Och jag se att du kommer ifran Sverige...vad kul! Min man ar svensk!

My best tip is the get the room as warm as you and the parents can stand it. Babies love warm, dark rooms, generally. The flashing lights from my strobes don't seem to even bother sleeping babies, as long as they are hot!

Seriously, you have some great stuff on your Flickr site! You have no need to be so hard on yourself. I agree that everyone always has room for learning and improving. But I was expecting much less after reading your post as I went to click on the website.

Your expectations.....for me that's what it comes down to.

When I'm shooting a baby, I let them dictate the action. I used to go in with fabulous (to me anyway ) ideas about what I was going to get the baby to do, but they would almost always show me the error in my thinking.

Now, I get to know the parents, find out the general things they are hoping for and I do several of the things mentioned by others in this thread. But when it comes to it, I just let the baby do his/her thing and I try to get the best picture of that I can.

I looked at your flicker galleries and you've got no problems. I think maybe it's just that you are disappointed that you didn't get the shot that you had in mind, and you let that disappointment color how you feel about the final images. Fact is, you're getting good pictures--just not the ones you have in mind. Go with it and find the beauty in what the baby is, not what he/she could be. I think that's what truly makes a great children's photographer.

Ashley..ok so I get your frustration about babies, but the work on the Flickr site is top notch. Obviously you have the skills so just keep practicing. Post more when you can!

Am I the only one that read "at the baby"?

haha I had to read it couple times too.

No! That's exactly what I thought, too!

You've got some great advice here... all of which I am committing to memory for myself, too. Thanks for the post!

Thanks everyone for the awesome advice I have bookmarked this page for my next shoot. Hopefully I will get some nice results. Ill let you know.

Amber your are BRILLANT. I seriously hope your print prices start at like 4x6=$100 because you are TOTALLY worth it! Every since one of those shots you posted are total works of art!! I'm telling Katie right now when we have our first baby you are the offical photographer!!

Ahhhh... I love you Chris Humphreys! (And Katie too )