Tips for milestone photo sessions- maternity and baby shoots!

Imagine relaxing in your patio, surrounded by your loved ones, with a coffee to sip and photos celebrating every milestone of your children to flip! Pregnancy is a milestone in every couple’s life; capturing these memorable moments and keeping the memory alive is only next to living through it!

Here are a few tips for capturing amazing photos of these precious milestones:

Be prepared for the shoot!

Most maternity and baby shoots are planned either at the client’s house or at an outdoor location. So make sure you pack the night before as the comfort of a studio would not be available. Brief the client, so expectations are set right. Advice the client that feeding the baby before the shoot, preferably just as the photographer unpacks, is advisable, so the baby doesn’t act out during the shoot.

Both the photographer and client must accommodate ample time for the photo shoot as babies are unpredictable. Costumes are essential for baby shoots, and props are necessary for maternity shoots. Natural light, ISO of 100-400 and a wide aperture of shallow DOF usually make for good baby photographs.

It’s all about the baby bump!

Maternity baby shoot is all about focusing on the baby bump. A good photographer will not only capture the baby bump as beautifully as possible, but he or she will also try capturing all the emotions to be parents. Take full length, mid-length and up close pictures of the mother to be. Parents can caress the bump or merely look at the bump as if they are meeting the baby. This would yield natural, candid pictures. Tilting at 45 degrees is a good idea as good silhouette can be captured this way.

Don’t ignore the Father!

When trying to focus on the mother or her bump, don’t leave the father stranded — plan for poses where the father can express his love for the baby too.
A few suggested poses could be:

Father to kneeling in front of the mother and hugging or kissing the bump.

The father can stand half behind the mom and embrace the bump from behind.

Mid-length pictures focusing on the father’s eyes or hands could make for a winning shot!

You can also ask the dad to look down at the belly for intimate expression.

Baby shoots!

As much as capturing tiny little tots is exciting, it requires skills, expertise, and experience. Both the photographer and the parents must patiently deal with babies as their behavior during the shoot may be unpredictable and, often, cannot be instructed. In case the baby gets tired, cranky and starts crying, all you need to do is keep calm and take a break. Babies often feel safe and comfortable when wrapped. Parents can try covering the baby in a soft blanket and rock them to help the baby relax.

Posed photography is usually a good idea for the second week. You can have photos of the baby sleeping, wrapped in blankets, with headbands, caps, and other cute attires. Subtle props from the studio would add charm too. Candid shots are advisable when the baby has grown a little so you can capture the baby’s natural moments, the kid’s emotions and parents’ reaction.