Brief
Action Plan
I have planned 10 goals in which I will achieve
1. create an album of images that inspire me to show clients before a shoot in order to involve them in the making of the image.
2.Build up my props and materials.
3. Meet my clients before a photo-shoot to discuss ideas and get to know them better as individuals
4. Offer a package for clients who come back for following photo-shoots with me.
5.experient with different editing softwares and read tutorials in order to create different effects on images.
6. use more studio time at uni rather than in my comfort zone at my home studio.
7.read lighting tutorials on lighting children and models and experiment with different lighting.
8.invest in different lighting modifiers for home studio.
9.get a CRB check to work with children
10. join groups on social networking websites to build up models.
(already joined to a few on Facebook)
11.reviews from previous shoots
the studio photographers lighting bible
light it shoot it retouch it
health and safety
search engine optimisation
can be ten stand alone images
look at social class -lancashire - teen pregnancy
ribble valley- north of blackburn - more old people
clitheroe - small town
find places where families are and young adults with children.
fenisgold , penwortham , preston
target areas -
Maternity Posing Guide
Maternity Props and Materials
Best Places to purchase props
Facebook pages
Etsy
Ebay
Chalk boards -allows the subject to present a message in their images which makes them more personal to each individual
Maternity belly band - 'accessorises' the belly
Belly wraps and material - create different images
Bunting- Decorative lettering
maternity shoot 1 Rebecca catterall
7weeks left
Bump to baby
This is my first maternity photosession in my studio setup at home, Here is an image of both white/black backdrop studio setup in my garage , I have tried to make the most of the space I have , although it is limited space I think it have helped me more as there are more boundaries etc.
In preparation for my first maternity photosession I purchased a few basic materials and props in order for the session to be more successful. Here are some of the props/materials I bought for my first maternity session.
Ribbon
Blue ribbon to symbolise a baby boy
Materials to emphisize the bump and create texture in the image
Contacts
Chosen enhanced photos
Important research before the shoot
whats important in newborn photography?
Props
newborn poser - Allows comfort and practicality whilst posing a newborn, with a spacious and safe area for at least two newborns to be posed on.
Blankets- add texture and colour to an image , are treated more like mini backdrops especially when used with newborn posers.
Diaper covers and hats
Diaper covers and simply knitted or crochet covers that cover the nappy and which is alot easier when working with babies as accidents can happen without the nappy and it just makes the nappies look alot more aethesically pleasing in the image.
trickyknits.bigcartel.com
This was my first official newborn photosession so I wanted to make sure I had a varied amount of props , blankets and hats etc, I was limited to hats and outfits as majority of them take a few weeks to arrive. Here are some of the props I bought in preparation for the photoshoot.
whats important in newborn photography?
Props
newborn poser - Allows comfort and practicality whilst posing a newborn, with a spacious and safe area for at least two newborns to be posed on.
Blankets- add texture and colour to an image , are treated more like mini backdrops especially when used with newborn posers.
Diaper covers and hats
Diaper covers and simply knitted or crochet covers that cover the nappy and which is alot easier when working with babies as accidents can happen without the nappy and it just makes the nappies look alot more aethesically pleasing in the image.
Baskets and Miniature Furniture
Baskets and furniture add personality and more depth to a newborn image they help create a scene.
Newborn shoot 1 - rebecca catterals son - joel aged 6 days
This was my first official newborn photosession so I wanted to make sure I had a varied amount of props , blankets and hats etc, I was limited to hats and outfits as majority of them take a few weeks to arrive. Here are some of the props I bought in preparation for the photoshoot.
Blankets
I tryed to get a different textured blanket and a plain one , here are the ones I purchased before the session .
Cocoons and hanging storks
Hats
Newborn Safety
Here are the contact sheets with all the original images on. I found that alot of them have been repeated simply because I know I lack confidence and thought alot of them wouldnt of turned out very well.
Contact Sheets
Chosen enhanced photos
Newborn safety is a very important factor within newborn photography a lot of the images are created by 'composites' and with the help of parents at the time of the session. here are some examples of composites and a first example of my own.
http://www.shootbaby.com.au/safety.html
An important note on Newborn Photography and Safety
Photography is an art, and we as photographers are artists. As artists we like to feed our creativity through using different ‘mediums’. In newborn photography such mediums include using a variety of props and posing newborns in artistic ways. It is completely normal and expected that we feel the urge to push our creativity to new heights, however there are a couple of important things that we must always keep in mind.Although we may feel like we’re ‘stuck in a creative rut’ and that our images don’t stand out from the crowd anymore, we must always remember that our clients/customers are the ones viewing and buying the photos, not the internet/social media community. Although you may have done the same pose or used the same prop in what feels like a thousand times, we must remind ourselves that the parents of these newborns are seeing these images and poses used for the very first time, with their little one. They will get that same amazing and magical feeling that you did when you first saw and fell in love with particular newborn photos/poses/props. For alot of photographers it's important to receive recognition and respect from their peers (i.e. other photographers), but when it comes down to it, if we want to run a profitable photography business, then it's the opinions of our clients that we should be most concerned with. They are the ones paying the bills, so to speak, and their Word Of Mouth (WOM) is one of the most powerful marketing tools out there!
Of course, in order for us not to burn out we DO need to feed our creativity, so a lot of photographers will continue to try new poses, buy new props, etc, but we need to do this in a SAFE way. Never, EVER should we put a newborn in an uncomfortable or unsafe position, for the sake of our art. It is completely unprofessional and just plain silly. Think about it logically - it would only take one major accident/injury or dare I say it death of a precious newborn, and enough media/news coverage, to give newborn photography a ‘bad name’ and potentially turn off customers and bring the whole industry to a grinding halt. This is not scaremongering, this is a very real possibility.
There are extra things to consider when posing newborns. For example, NOT EVERY NEWBORN CAN DO EVERY POSE! Some babies will curl easily, others won't. Some babies will allow you to fold their legs up under them, others won't. Do not force it! You should also find out from the parents if the baby has any medical conditions. If you are ever unsure, then do not attempt the pose. As my mother used to say 'If in doubt, don't!'.
Most photos that could be deemed (or look) unsafe are actually acheived by the pros using Compositions* or Cloning** (or a combination of both). More on this below....
Most professional photographers ARE doing the right thing, but I think improvements can be made. For example, I personally think every photo (that is uploaded onto Flickr, Facebook, Forums, etc) where Photoshop Composites or Cloning (or another similar technique) has been used to achieve the final outcome should be clearly labelled as such. Similarly, if special methods or equipment was used in a photo that contributes to the safety of a newborn, then I think that the photographer should clearly label what was used, for each and every photo. Think about it – this is where new photographers find most of their inspiration (through photos taken by other photographers) so it makes sense to believe that this is how we can educate people in the most effective way.
Although it is not the responsibility of photographers to educate others, and that some people may feel like they’re ‘giving away their secrets’, I think newborn safety should be everyone’s Number 1 priority. Let’s face it, some photographers WILL still try and achieve certain poses, whether you told them how you did it (the right way) or not.
There are plenty more things to learn (safety wise and other) through attending newborn photography workshops, watching training videos and reading educationl material and SHOOT BABY! strongly encourages newborn photographers (and photographers who photograph newborns) to utilise these resources.
I hope that sharing my thoughts, and that’s all they are is just thoughts, is helpful to others and assists in protecting newborns. You may even feel inspired to capture new and creative images, which is great, but just remember that safety comes first :)
Penny
Owner/Manager of SHOOT BABY!™
*Composite - com· pos· ite
Noun: A thing made up of several parts or elements.
In the photography world this refers to ‘Layers’ merged together in Photoshop (or other similar program) so that different areas of each photo are used to create 'one' photo. See examples below.
Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/composite
**Cloning
In computer graphics software, specifically Adobe Photoshop, the Clone Stamp tool selects and samples an area of your picture and then uses these pixels to paint over any marks. The Clone Stamp tool acts like a brush so you can change the size, allowing cloning from just one pixel wide to hundreds. You can change the opacity to produce a subtle clone effect. Also, there is a choice between Clone align or Clone non-align the sample area. In Photoshop this tool is called Clone Stamp, but it may also be called a Rubber Stamp tool.
Source: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/Clone_Stamp_tool.html
Composite example courtesy of Stephanie Robin Photography & Design:
Composite example courtesy of Brittani Capetz Photography:
Composite example courtesy of Jodie Otte:
Composite example courtesy of Portraits By Mel:
More examples
Little Moon photography
Inspirational images
Some of these images inspire me mainly by the posing , angle and props in each image.
(Kirsten Smith Photography)
The forward front side lean pose
The above angle image
The forward front lean pose
The forward front lean pose with baskets and headbands.
My Composite Images
Baring in mind that these photographers above have had years of experience with newborn photography and composites I think I havnt done a bad job considering it it my first attempt and also my very first newborn photoshoot.
I wanted to bring each newborn I did back after 12weeks to do a watch me grow session with them and the family. Here are the contact sheets from the session with joel at 12weeks old , The image above i have tried to re-do with joel at an older age to show the progress. The rest of the images I wasnt as happy with and have asked to bring joel back in a few more weeks when he is more older and alert for the shoot.
Here are the images i choose which where the most similar to the one above (edited)
Newborn shoot 2 - baby charlie aged 11days
In this shoot I used new props bought and outfits for the newborn. Here are the new props I used in order to get different photographs from my first newborn
Beanbag - (baby poser)
Different blankets
Diaper sets
My bean bag setup
contacts
As I had purchased a beanbag to pose the newborns on I decided to concentrate more on using that in order to teach myself how to pose the newborn safetly and correctly before using them in more baskets and more complicated poses.
Here are the original and enhanced versions , I have experiemented with different actions as I havnt used them often before , Here are the images without actions.
Images with actions
The below image has had an action added to it , Details about this action and how it has been applied on further down on the blog.
Maternity shoot 2 - jessica turner - 39 weeks
New Props for session
The above image was one of the images when I knew i was improving within the maternity genre, this image is very popular , with the use of materials , I have decided to make it more personal to the subject and use different colours each time to represent different things and to match with their personalities , for instance jess's bright vibrant hair matched the colour of the material but didnt match her personality infact she was the opposite character , a very shy and reserved 17year old , she did come out of her shell slightly once we had gone through the first hour. To get this image I clamped the material onto a backdrop stand like this:
I just used the clone tool on photoshop to fill in the rest of the black background and cover the clamps.
Newborn blake - jess's son
Finley newborn
Wood Floor
In order to make the images look more like they were photographed in a room I purchased some Wooden floor for my fourth Newborn session to see what difference if would make to the images. Here is the wooden floor and below the images from the session.
Props for session
final edited images with actions
Nico newborn
Setups
After the first few photosesions I found it would be easier and more prepared if I set up the 'scene' ready for the model, It also gave me an idea of what the photos would look like before using the model.
Props
chosen images - original - enhanced
enhanced to actions on photoshop
Mikey newborn
chosen original-enhanced photos
Newborns and siblings
Joshua&sophie
This photosession was alot harder than most of my newborn sessions as it included joshuas 3year old sister sophie, As much as i enjoyed being under pressure it was very diffiicult to keep sophie entertained whilst her brother was being photographed. Once i had phortographed bvoth children seperately I decided to photograph them together ,that was also difficult as sophie didnt understand how small and delicate joshua was and it was hard to get it to look natural , I had to work quickly and just capture the moment as they came, here are my contact sheets , some chosen images and the final edited images.
Original and enhanced photos
Declan newborn
Chosen images
Composite images and newborn safety
My images
velvet truffle action applied through photoshop
Taken away the mothers hand roughly with the clone tool on photoshop
evened out the blanket with the clone tool on photoshop
blurred the blanket with the blur tool on aperture
The blanket above was blurred slightly too much so i reopened in in aperture and decreased the blur on the image.
painted over the highlights on the image using the paint brush tool
As there was still some marks that id missed I decided to go back over the image again
Using the clone tool again I decided to even up the blanket more taking away the small uneven bits away.
Final image
In comparison to my first composite image in my first newborn session I think
this is a huge improvement , although it is a different pose and style altogether I believe it is a stronger image and the colours match my style more.
Newborn Girl Photo-sessions
Here are two of my girl newborn sessions, in total I have only done four girls and the rest have been boys so it was nice to have a change and experiment with different props, Here is one of my first newborn girl sessions in comparison to my most recent one. You can see clearly how I have improved technically and also creatively in both sessions.
Alisia Newborn - Early on photo-session - one of my first newborns
Props used
Freya Newborn
As majority of my newborns have been boys this session allowed me to use a lot more of my props and experiment more with different poses to create more feminine images. As you can already see I took a lot more photographs than with the earlier session and spent alot more time doing them.
Props used
Velvet Truffle action applied on photoshop CS5
Skin smoothed on aperture and brightness increased slightly
Faded daydreams action applied on photoshop CS5
Lisa maternity (symbolic object)
Lisa is a friend of my mums and she told me her story, it was very difficult to not get emotional infront of her , her story was about her five year old daughter chloe who had mental disabilities from complications at birth. Lisa was a very strong women who told me how she had found her five year old daughter dead in her room on christmas day, her face showed no signs of emotions asthough she had been blocking it out.She wanted to incorporate chloe into the photosession somehow so she brought a photograph of her to be used for a few of the photos. Here is my contact sheet of the whole photo-session which was in total around 3hours long, alot of this was talking about her story and how she had managed to cope and how she wanted another child but yet she was terrified of the outcome.
Props used
Presentation Ideas & Research
Frames and templates
The 'Damask 'simular shaped frames are very popular within this genre of photography, here a few examples and some that I have used with my own work.
Urban lane Frames
Styles of frames
Combinations
Colours
Finishes
Finished products on display
Organic bloom Frames
Colours
Best selling product
New products
Finished products in homes
Mobile phone cases and ipad cases
Welcome cards
Ministry of sound poster ( using uv paint and lights)
Chosen images to enhance
enhanced images
- black point adjusted
-contrast adjusted
After reviewing the test shoot beth had decided she preferred to present quotes from different people referring to music and sounds , the three chosen quotes where:
Music is how feelings sound
Where words fail music speaks
Music is an outburst of the soul
the idea is to choose three different models to present these quotes on and the line-up will be presented further down on the poster itself. I think this will look a lot more cleaner and clear and draw a viewer to the words on the body and then to the line-up itself rather than it being mixed up and getting lost within the image.Beth is also going to use stencils in this rather than writing it free hand , so that the words are clearer, we are also going to experiment with the use of projection and project the words onto the body.
Here is the contact sheets for the first session:
Behind the scenes
Here is the original and edited image , it is clear that the image is too dark and even when recovering the image it appears to have a blue tint to it and becomes very grainy.
I was originally happy with the outcome after looking at the images on the camera screen, but once uploaded onto my laptop the images appeared to be a lot darker, I have managed to recover mosts and they can be used but not to their best ability. I originally preferred to shoot the images with a 400w flash light with the flash off , and a honeycomb modifier , just to light the subject more , but the graphic designer wanted them darker so I decided to carry on without the light. Both myself and the graphics designer beth also decided that we preferred the projection images alot more as the words where alot neater and clearer than the stencil ones, we have arranged another session using the same models with the projector and a honeycomb modifier to light the subject more.
Chosen images
Enhanced chosen images
Racheal maternity
I wanted to do a maternity photoshoot with more depth to it by including more significant objects and meanings within the photoshoot. I wanted to incorporate partners and siblings into matetnity sessions so with this one i have decided to include the partner. I have been interested in art illusions on bodies , here are a few examples i have found that i think will be interesting on a pregnant body form as it will create a different shape and also more depth and meaning to the image, I have asked the couple to think of any significant objects to include in the session and any significant dates/words etc , I have also recently done a photoshoot collaberating with a graphic designer with a simular outcome but using uv lights and uv paint , it was very challenging for me but once I had sorted out the correct use of light and settings I began to grow more confident throughout the session.
Research images
images used to inspire the artist whilst painting
roses to represent love
butterflies to represent new life and reproduction
Documentation images
documentation
As it took over 2hours to paint my model I decided to make use of the time and document it through photographs, here are a few of the images documenting the painting.
Normal maternity images
Group Crit Feedback
- Maternity - some sexualised eg red nail varnish, jewellery , frilly underwear
- Best work was projection and body painting work
- Further Ideas Were to continue body painting and projection with models who are not pregnant
-I work best when working towards a brief
- Newborns- I am at the point where my work is at a professional standard and good enough to sell to clients so there is no need to improve on them.
Evaluation
Initially I set out to
gain more experience technically and creatively in a specialist genre which Is
newborn and maternity photography which will hopefully result in making me a
better and more experienced newborn specialist. In order to know my goals I researched
thoroughly into newborn photography and what exactly went into the genre, which
makes it so popular, researching props, poses and newborn safety. Overall I wanted
to achieve at least five popular newborn images, which demonstrated a sense of
knowledge and professionalism within the genre. Overall I photographed 15
newborns throughout the brief in order to gain confidence with each baby and
learn how to handle them with care. Although I wanted to specialise in a
certain genre I did want to improve on my technical and creative skills and was
given an opportunity within the brief to collaborate with a graphic design
student for the dnad awards, I feel that this has helped me to further expand
my creative skills and also improved my confidence within the technical
difficulties I come across in photo shoots.
Throughout the brief I feel yet again my strengths have been the composition in
each image and how is has been setup creatively with the use of props and
materials, I also feel my editing and enhancing skills have improved and I have
learnt how to use the use of actions through Photoshop. Within the maternity
genre I feel my strengths have fallen under my social and interactive skills as
I feel I have got to know the models personalities and each of them felt
comfortable enough to tell me their ‘stories’ about one another which not only
helped me feel more at ease but helped the model feel more comfortable and
allowed me to work more closely with them and show their personalities through
each image. My strengths within the Uv body paint and projection project
include the technical ability to get the correct lighting for each image,
although I did struggle initially I carried on and was determine to get it
right. As this tends to usually be one of my weaknesses I feel within this
session I really pushed myself to improve on these skills especially as I was
collaborating with another graphics student it was double the pressure which
was just what I needed to make me work that bit harder. The use of collaboration
skills with the graphic design student I worked with was another strength which
inspired and lead me to do further collaboration work with an artist.
I feel my weaknesses
with the newborn session fell under the amount of confidence I have with each
image I took, I found myself repeating images as I wasn’t confident enough that
I have got the right shot , Financial weakness also held me back with the
newborn photos as there were a lot of
props and materials needed to create different and exciting images for
each newborn. After each maternity and newborn session I always felt like there
were poses I wanted to do and I had missed, I did originally keep a page open
on my laptop for poses in each session but it wasn’t practical enough and I
stopped doing it so I feel in the future it would benefit me to make a book of
poses for further sessions.
I found it difficult at first when shooting the UV images to get a nice composition,
as I was using a d700 which was different to the camera I usually use it took a
few shots before I was used to the feel of it, I was also using a 50m lens and
a tripod which I felt was needed with the slow shutter speed used to stop
movement with the camera but it also restricted my movement with shooting at
different angles. I had troubles when shooting on raw and viewing the images on
my camera and laptop as they appeared fine on my camera and was extremely too
dark on the laptop screen which lead to a re-shoot.
In conclusion I feel I have improved technically as a photographer , gained
more confidence whilst collaborating with others and gained experience and
professionalism as a newborn photographer.
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Ten chosen images
