The last couple weeks, I have had my head in a notebook and hands gripped and glued to a pen. My camera has been ignored and its feelings are hurt. I’ve been exhilarated as I’ve scribbled notes while planning for things that are going to rock my socks off. Seriously, I feel like I’m gearing up for a big game. Long meetings and brainstorming with some of my favorite people in the world. It’s exciting and frantically hair-rising at the same time. Kind of like the feeling I used to get when I was all geared up, waiting in the locker room to run onto the court for a live broadcasted game against Stanford. In fact, I find myself singing at the top of my lungs on a more frequent basis. Songs like “Shot through the Heart” by Bon Jovi, or even some old school Al Green.
Needless to say, my finger got click happy, and it needed one of the cutest subjects to click upon. So yesterday, I told my sister-in-law to bring over little Nora. Fresh, fragile, and only two weeks old and counting. But here’s what I realized and was so quickly reminded.
Newborn…sessions…are…hard.
They spit up, they cry, they wiggle and they fuss. You turn up the heat, place them in a squishy, oh-so-perfect-position and you find yourself sweating, hoping they stay like a stone statue. Well, 9 times out of 10, they don’t. But when they do, it’s a victory. At least for me.
The set up was simple. I found a good-lit window, a moldable pillow or even a bean bag and placed a couple different knits on top. The rest? Pshhhhh….luck I tell you. Good thing she’s perfectly perfect because by the end you would’ve thought this pregnant girl (me) ran a marathon.
So why do I tell you this? To give a big, fat, hug and tribute to all of the professional newborn photographers out there. You are patient, gentle, and oh-so talented. In the meantime my friendly readers, let me help you out if at all possible. Just a few pointers of light and camera settings and such, just to save you some sweating.
Hello sweet baby girl.
Window directly behind me. 50mm 1.4 lens, f 2.0, 1/800, ISO 250
Window source left. 50mm 1.4 lens, f2.0, 1/640, ISO 250
Window source directly behind me. 50mm 1.4 lens, f 1.4, 1/800, ISO 250. Focal point on left eye, camera extremely close to babe to create good depth of field.
Window right. 50mm 1.4 lens, f 2.0, 1/800, ISO 250
Window right, 50 mm lens 1.4, f 1.6, 1/1000, ISO 250. Focal point on little ear.
Window directly behind me. 50 mm 1.4 lens, f1.4, 1/800, ISO 250
Window right. 50mm 1.4 lens, f 2.0, 1/800, ISO 250
Window directly behind me. 50mm 1.4 lens, f2.0, 1/500, ISO 250
Sweet dreams little babe.
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