Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies

I am an advanced amateur who is trying to learn how to take photographs in a studio setting. I've always preferred photographing people in a candid way and using natural settings. But I was blessed with a new daughter and I wanted to start taking pictures of her in a studio setting. I do know a lot about my camera and my lenses and have recently learned about skillfully using an on-camera flash. But I knew nothing about how to set up a studio so I wanted to buy a book that will teach me how to do this from ground up. Since my main subject will be my baby, I decided to get a book about studio portrait photography of children and babies (this book). While it took me 3 months to read and master the last book that I read on photography, it only took me an afternoon to read through this book. The material was just so basic! While she did give helpful hints about conducting a pre-session interview and also about age-appropriate props, she only did so in a very brief manner. I read through that part so fast because most of the things she said were self-evident and I felt that I wasn't really learning anything new. However, the part that I really was interested in is the studio set-up. While she did spend 2 chapters on this, I was left more confused and just wanting to either surf the web for the basics of a studio set-up or buy another book specifically for this. From the level of writing in the first part of her book (about the subjects--children), I was thinking she maybe is writing for beginners. But then she really did not explain the studio set-up as if she was writing for a beginner. For example, in Chapter 6, her first paragraph was "The simplest studio lighting setup involves only three lights: a main light, fill light, and a background light. The main light might be set at f/8.0. The background could be a full stop more than the main light, making it f/11.0. The fill light would either be f/4.0 or f/5.6, depending on how much fill you desire for your portrait." That got me totally confused. She was talking about f-stops for lighting! F-stops for lighting? But then she didn't explain what those were. This part is probably what got me disappointed about the entire book. I was hoping to get a single book that would explain to me (1) how to do a studio set up from scratch and (2) explain all there is to know about the studio set-up. This book did not do this. Now, I will have to either scour the web for this information or buy another book specifically for this. I feel bad for giving this book only two stars. Maybe it is just not the right book for me but maybe it is perfect for a lot of other people. CONTENTS......Page 4 About the Author......Page 6 Introduction......Page 7 THE CHILD-FRIENDLY STUDIO......Page 10 Toys......Page 11 Overcoming Shyness......Page 13 Your Camera Room......Page 14 Conclusion......Page 16 WHO’S THE BOSS HERE?......Page 18 Newborn to Six Months......Page 19 Seven Months to Thirteen Months......Page 24 Fourteen Months to Eighteen Months......Page 26 Nineteen Months to Three Years......Page 28 Four Years to Six Years......Page 30 Older Sibling Syndrome......Page 32 A Word About Moms......Page 33 Conclusion......Page 34 Clothing Consultation......Page 35 What Works?......Page 37 Keep it Simple......Page 38 Clothing Evaluation......Page 41 Close-ups......Page 42 Final Viewing Appointment......Page 43 Conclusion......Page 44 Megapixels and Resolution......Page 45 CCD vs. CMOS Sensors......Page 47 Image File Formats......Page 50 JPEG......Page 51 Minimum Camera and Lens Requirements......Page 52 Strobes......Page 55 Built-in and On-Camera Flash......Page 58 Softboxes......Page 62 Reflectors......Page 63 Minimum Lighting Requirements......Page 64 Two-Light Setup......Page 67 Effective Background Lighting......Page 68 Loop Lighting......Page 69 Split Lighting......Page 70 Conclusion......Page 71 Game Plan for Style......Page 72 Variety......Page 75 Creativity......Page 77 Conclusion......Page 80 Just Add Water......Page 82 Cloned Backgrounds......Page 85 Auto-Painting......Page 86 Conclusion......Page 90 Black & White Conversion for a Subdued Effect......Page 91 Conclusion......Page 95 MARKETING THAT WORKS......Page 97 E-mail......Page 99 Websites......Page 100 The Game Plan......Page 102 Conclusion......Page 104 Digital Proofs......Page 105 Conclusion......Page 108 Basic Strategies......Page 109 Portrait Collections......Page 111 Purses and Jewelry......Page 112 Other Options......Page 114 Conclusion......Page 115 Mailings......Page 116 Phone Calls......Page 117 Conclusion......Page 119 Resources......Page 121 Index......Page 124 Other Books From Amherst Media......Page 126

photographing Children And Babies Constitutes A Large Portion Of The Business In Most Portrait Studios. For The Photographer, Working With Young Children Who Are Nervous Or Uncooperative Can Present A Formidable Challenge. Beginning With Infants, This Book Discusses The Specific Details Of Photographing Children At Every Stage Of Growth, Addressing Age-specific Psychology And Attention Spans. Technical Information On Posing And Lighting, Including Props, Backgrounds, Low And High Key Lighting, And Special Effects, Is Supplemented With Advice On Making Children Comfortable And Cooperative. Special Attention Is Given To How Sights And Sounds Will Soothe A Baby Or Get His Or Her Attention For The Best Portrait.

From learning how to set up the perfect light for infants to understanding posing techniques for adorable images, this guide to shooting children’s portraits is an indispensable resource for photographers. Thorough sections on dealing with infants and working with toddlers and preschoolers include month-by-month and year-by-year developmental guides that ensure comfort and cooperation to help create unique, personalized images. An overview of equipment and a discussion of the essential tools for a shoot pairs with advice on presenting portraits, working with difficult parents, and securing referrals to make this an all-in-one resource for portrait photographers.