I've been photographing newborn babies for a few years now, but it wasn't until I made a dramatic change in my mindset that I really began to love doing it. Let me back up...
When we think of newborn photos, we think of chubby little cherubs in hand knitted caps, their adorable little heads propped up on their hands, peacefully sleeping oblivious to the fact that they are in an uncomfortable position and scantily clad. Think this photo (not mine):
(Image credit Studio901.com)
This style of photography can be cleverly and beautifully done. The problem is that it is incredibly difficult to do, and without the right equipment, props, help and not to mention a peacefully sleeping newborn (an oxymoron if I have ever heard one) the results come out looking more like the bloopers that you have seen around the internet.
For my entire professional career I tried to replicate this style of newborn photo session. I thought it was the only thing a client would want. In the days before a session I would read everything I could on tips to pose the baby, props to find around the house, creative ideas for themes. And then I would go to the job and stress that I wasn't doing it right, that I wasn't good enough and that my clients would hate my work.
I did this for years, and then a lightbulb went off: I was miserable because I wasn't being true to my own style, because I was disrespecting babies by putting them in these ridiculous positions, and I wasn't capturing the "real emotions" that make powerful photography.
So, I changed what I was doing. I started doing "Lifestyle" newborn sessions. Lifestyle photography is a blend of traditional portraiture in which the photographer controls everything in the session, like in a studio, and documentary photography in which the photographer is just a fly on the wall capturing the action. I will make sure the client looks beautiful and is positioned in good light, but other than that I just let them interact with each other. I capture those real moments so they can remember them forever.
Because I am shooting the images that capture real emotions they are powerful, they stand out from the rest. And because I am documenting the families as they really are, these photos will be cherished for long after the other trendy photos go out of fashion.
And so, to go back to the title of my post, only when you are shooting "Lifestyle" is it OK to sell you clients photos of a screaming baby. Because, that is real. Babies scream, these new parents know that better than anyone else. The photos resonate with the clients because they capture a day in time of their lives, a time that is fuzzy and hard to remember because they are so sleep deprived. Plus, as the photographer, your job is easier because you don't have to wait for the baby to sleep to take the photos. You can capture the family interacting with each other, the new parents soothing their baby, treasuring their baby. And, if you're lucky, you'll get some really sweet shots of the baby sleeping, too.
In following posts I will give specifics of the light and settings that I used to capture these images, but for this first post I want to just show how magical this style of shooting can be. And the good news is that since I started shooting this way I have had more work that I can handle. Clients love that my images are different from what is the norm, that they are able to have a snapshot of life rather than photos of an adorable baby in some ridiculous setting.
Let me know if you have any questions, and happy shooting!
Melissa Michaud
Lifestyle Photographer, Bebecitos Fotos