Baby Finley

And here we have another newborn. It has become very clear to me that I have a favourite subject and it is definitely newborns. They are so beautiful, and so peaceful its just a relaxing and enjoyable experience. And to me it is the most important stage in a child's life to capture professionally because they are only newborns for such a short time.

They change so quickly at this stage. In fact, every session I have parents come back to their viewing commenting on how much they've changed just in the week or so since their session.

And judging by the many Facebook images I see of new babies they are also a lot more difficult to capture well. I don't mean any offence by this. Its just that a perfect baby deserves perfect exposures and focusing which is often missing in the images I see on Facebook. How much is it worth to have a clear picture of exactly what baby looked like in those early days?

I also love getting to know the families. These sessions are never quick so we have lots of time for a chat and often over a lovely cappucino or tea. There is nothing hurried about a newborn session. What baby wants baby gets meaning we work around feeding schedules, nappy changes and have time for cuddles.

Again I have another one of my union jack images. This has proved to be a favourite with many of my baby customers. It looks like the bean bag is going to have to stay in the studio a little longer.

These final two images caused some discussion during the viewing. I must say that I myself am very torn between which one I prefer. The real problem being that Mum preferred one and Dad the other. I'd love to hear some opinions from others to see if one will stand out from the other

So if you have an opinion please share. I'd love to hear what others think.

Comments

Portraits Even a Teenager Boy Loves

Finally I've had the opportunity to photograph a young man in my studio again. And funnily enough this was the second time that week which is absolutely superb. In both cases these young men were just as enthusiastic to be involved as I was, which is something I don't often get when I'm working with very young children, my usual subjects. With young children I find my energy in their cuteness. But with young adults I get energy from their excitement over how the portraits are working out. I get such a buzz from the experience and that can keep me going for hours, often editing the photos straight after the shoot for hours more. Shoots for teenagers is something I've been wanting to focus on for some time. Its not something that I often get asked for though unfortunately. It tends to be parents of very young children who want to capture moments that are slipping through their fingers at lightening speed. Maybe its teenage moodiness that means these moments don...

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is. For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a com...

My Work Experience by Zak Millard

My name is Zak Millard and I am 15 years old. For my two weeks work experience I chose to incorporate a passion of mine, photography. Christina is a very competent photographer and a easy person to get on with, she is also patient which was good for me because I often forgot something or had to ask twice about an instruction. My two weeks with Christina have been very helpful. Though I am a aspiring photographer there is much I have learnt, including: Different lights and there uses. Different light set ups. Key photoshop skills. Exposure compensation. AV/TV settings. Composition. How to keep children's interest! One of the most useful things Christina has taught me is that of photo editing. Photography isn't all about taking the pictures though obviously this is important. The little tweaks made here and there make a lot of difference and in all honesty before Christina showed me these tweaks I would never have made them myself, so thank you Christina for opening ...

More Newborn Baby Portraits

This time we worked with a more alert baby, even though she was within the 2 weeks we recommend for newborn sessions. But to be honest, I do like getting a selection of both. Its nice to get the chance to see their eyes as well as those beautifully peaceful sleeping portraits. Making eye contact is just difficult and smiles are nearly impossible, which are only wind related if we managed them at all anyway. I always try to get a few detail shots in order to capture their tiny little fingers and toes. These can be quite difficult with an awake baby as they move so much and I need to rely on autofocus to make sure these details are in focus and with such a narrow depth of field this can be difficult. And rather than just a hand or a foot I like to get some of baby's face in the shot as well which poses another problem with an awake baby, they just don't stay still for very long so their hands and feet aren't always in the right place....

We Have New Products!!

I am pleased to announce the introduction of 2 of our new products. The first is one I've already been selling, however it now has a twist. We now frame our canvases which I find give them a much more luxurious and eye catching finish. In fact, it makes them look more like a finished article. We use a very chunky frame moulding, 6cm square, which fits around our chunky canvases perfectly. I'm looking forward to getting one for my own home myself. Just waiting for that perfect image of my children first. Unfortunately photographer's children are the worst to photograph. Ask any photographer who they least enjoy photographing and they will likely tell you its their own children. The other new product is our Accordian Keepsakes. I came across them at a convention earlier in the year. I knew as soon as I saw them that I wanted to offer them to my clients. I've finally got around to c...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog