Shooting Babies

Shooting babies is something most photographers dread, but with a little planning and consideration it can be both fun and relatively painfree for both photographer and baby.

Some of the basic rules to follow are: Have enough babies! Most babies tire quickly, so they must have short sessions. It is better to book more babies for shorter sessions. Listen to the modelagency and to the mothers, let them suggest the time when their baby should be booked, so as to avoid conflict with nap times.

Keep the crew as small as possible and the shooting environment baby friendly. Have the shot set up, tested and approved, before the first baby even arrives. Remain calm…and instruct your client to remain calm, even if the babies start crying. Remember, if you are tense, the baby will pick that up immediately, so keep calm! If your clients gets tense and worried about their shoot, suggest that they take a coffee break. Give the crying baby a small break and let the baby get used to the situation. Use soft toys, funny voices and make faces, what ever it takes to get the shot.

If a baby, for whatever reason, does not want to play, thank the family kindly for their time and bring in the next baby. All babies are different, what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow, be inventive, playful and have fun…there is a good chance the baby will like that, and give you the shot you promised the client.

Download a PDF of my latest work with babies here: