Taking Photographs of Infants and Toddlers

Infant Photography:

Every new-born baby, for the first six months is considered as an infant. Parents generally try to click a few snaps once in a while, but for loving memories to last forever, they may hire professional photographer who understands the special requirements of infant photography.

Babies tend to sleep as long as 12-16 hours a day, hence scheduling a shoot becomes challenging. The erratic sleeping pattern not only causes hassles to the photographer but also to the new parents. For parents, who already have a previous child, it becomes much easier and they know and expect such routine. One of the best practices would be to stay in the neighborhood locality, so that you are just few minutes away, when the parents call and inform you that the little one is awake, active and ready for the photo session.

While photographing infants, you can choose to photograph them alone as well as along with their parents, siblings and grandparents. Always take close-ups and avoid using flash. You will have to be very patient when photographing the infants alone. Try making cooing sounds, soft whistling etc. so that the child pays you attention for few seconds, during which you can capture some cute and loving photographs.

Pay special attention to the soft skin texture, color and details of face. Most of the infants are wrapped up, so take a few candid shots in that way too. It will also be a good idea to take a few photographs with the baby sleeping. These photographs must be real close-up and using flash is an absolute no-no. During post processing of the images, you may remove tiny fickle marks and other birth marks, after seeking permission from the parents.

You may offer to print blown up poster size mounted prints that range in size from 30"x20" onwards.

Toddler Photography:

After six months, a child is called as toddler, as he/she starts to crawl and move about on all four. This is one of the most active periods of childhood and kids are very responsive to the changing environment and like to explore their surroundings.

One of the most popular area where toddlers can be photographed in their candid manner is while bathing them in bathroom or outside in veranda, depending on the climate conditions and preferences of the parents. Toddlers love to splash water a lot, hence be wary about your photography equipment. Place the child in a half filled bathing tub along with lukewarm water and assorted floating toys that he/she generally plays with. Using a zoom lens will be good idea from safety point of view as well as to get good depth of field.

Allow the child to be comfortable in your presence and then start shooting. Either of the parents should be present to actually bath the child, as that way, you will be able to capture the most candid and fun-filled photographs. After the bath, do not miss to take photograph of the little one wrapped up in towels and looking like a real bundle of joy.

You will be able to get best shots when the toddler is actually crawling either on the floor or bedding. It is best to position yourself prone to the baby's height and take photographs with shallow depth of field. Always, try to capture photographs of the child playing with his toys and siblings, if any.

You may find photographing a toddler more taxing than an infant or vice versa! But, the reward of the final results will be worth the additional efforts required to take memorable photographs that will be cherished for many years to come.

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