Beginner First Time Baby Shoot

[Habitual]

Hi All,

I've been asked by a friend to take pictures of his little girl (8 months).

I'm normally doing car-stuff, although I enjoy the odd bit of candid photography.

I'm going around his house for this shoot and wanted to grab some advice for a first timer.

I've got a 6D, 17-40 F4L, 70-200 F2.8 L and a 50mm F1.8.

I also have a Canon Speedlite 430EX II with remote triggers for off-camera placement and a decent tripod.

With the equipment I have already, what would people use and how?

Also, are there any concerns about firing a flash around someone so young? I wouldn't want to harm his child, obviously...

Anything people can provide would be great - I'm quite nervous about this!

Tom.

 

[nillynoo]

50mm and your 70-200

Ditch the flash and go for natural light if possible

Won't need a tripod, get down on the floor with them, do candids of them playing, then try a silly song to get their attention and a natural smile

 

[psenior1]

as above, use the 70-200 at the long end wherever you can for the compression. Unless the light is really crappy keep it simple and use daylight, a simple back drop in a conservatory can work well with kids.

Timing is everything with babies, find out what time her sleeps are and schedule around that. A tired/hungy baby or toddler will always make things more tricky.

 

[gbmphoto]

Have a good idea about what it is you would like to achieve on the day, but don't let it get to you if plans don't work out. Babies are very unpredictable and I have found that just going with the flow works much better than trying to make them pose in a certain way, or whatever. Keep the room warm. If baby has just eaten, be prepared to deal with puke, or stray bits of puke/drool that end up making PP a nightmare.

I use flash, although there are a few schools of thought on the subject. I did lots of Google research and then decided I wouldn't let it worry me (the caveat here is that I feel that way about my daughter - you need to take the parent's view on this one). Especially if you are bouncing flash off ceilings or walls. I agree though, natural light, outdoors if possible, is far more pleasing for candid shots.

+1 for the 70-200. f/2.8 is more than enough and the 70-200mm range will give you what you need. Just have someone close to baby to help wipe drool, prop up, position, etc. as you will be a bit further back with that focal length.

8 months is a lively age, good luck!

 

[Habitual]

Thanks guys, there's some great advice there. I'd not even thought about a fair bit of what you've said and that's exactly the type of response I was after, so thanks!

Provided the parents are okay with it, I'll post some pics on Sunday to show you how I got on.

Thanks again peeps and for anyone else, more input is very welcome.

 

[Spooky]

50mm and your 70-200

Ditch the flash and go for natural light if possible

Won't need a tripod, get down on the floor with them, do candids of them playing, then try a silly song to get their attention and a natural smile

Get as wide as possible with the aperture to keep the shutter speed high. Also, you can afford to be liberal with the framing in order to allow for sudden movements (flailing of arms often happens) and keep them in the frame.

Hope it goes well!

Spooks

 

[Habitual]

Hey guys, thanks again for the input. I got stood up in the end, so this shoot didn't even happen.

Thanks again though for the advice.