The most obvious attributes of a lens are its focal length and maximum aperture.

Parents of newborns can be concerned by the use of flash, so you will probably want the option of taking photos in available light, and for this a lens with a wide maximum aperture (a low f-number) is better. This will also help you get a shallow DoF. An alternative is to buy a bounce flash for your camera, such as the SB500.

For newborns, the shooting distance itself isn’t much of a concern. You’ll choose it more because of comfort, available space, and effects on background than by its effect on the appearance of the subject. However, when you include parents or other adults in the picture, you might want to try for a shooting distance of about 2-3m, to show the adults at their best.

The focal length to choose depends on the shooting distance and the size of the area you want to frame. When shooting just a newborn, you are framing an area of about 75cm by 50cm, or even smaller. From about 1.5m away, this is framed by a 50mm lens on your APS-C body. From about 2.5m away, an 85mm lens comes closer.

To frame a mom half-height holding her newborn, from about 2.5m away, that 85mm would work well. 50mm might work for a seated shot, and 35mm might be enough for a standing shot, if she’s short. Otherwise 30mm would be better. If you shoot from closer than 2.5m you’ll need proportionally shorter focal lengths. However these shots often don’t need shallow DoF so you might be able to get by with your kit lens at short focal lengths other than 35mm.

So in the end, I think it comes down to a choice between the 50mm f/1.8G or the 85mm f/1.8G. Use your kit lens to shoot a doll or teddy bear, with or without an adult holding it to see if you think you’ll often need a focal length longer than 50mm. If not, the 50 is what you should get.

Read more from Trampolinepaul

Contact me at About.me

The final benefit of primes: “They physically make you move for a different composition, which can make a picture. Primes make you think; they make you evaluate your scene before composing.”

No matter the lens, her literal point of focus is consistent. “It’s always the eyes. I want them—or at least one of them—sharp. I want your eyes to go to the subject’s eyes first; then I want your eyes to move around the image.”

And where the focus goes, the metering follows. Summer almost always uses spot metering and takes the reading from the point of focus, which, of course, is most often the eyes of her subject.

A quick look at Summer’s photos reveals her liking for black and white. It’s not often planned; rather, it’s almost always a decision made at the computer. She’ll study a color image and make the decision to convert it to black and white based on her feeling about how strong and effective the photograph will be as a black and white. “I find the most effective black-and-white images come when there’s emotion behind it…there has to be an emotional reaction in order for a black-and-white image to work. Sometimes I’m taking away the distraction of the color, and discovering the better emotion of the photo.” Other than the conversion, she does minimal post-processing. “I work very hard to get the exposure right in the camera. If the lighting is right, you don’t have to do much afterward.”

Read more from Trampolinepaul

Contact me at About.me

The lens you’re looking through can make a big difference. Summer prefers prime lenses—that is, single focal length lenses—with the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G a particular favorite.

Primes are generally lighter and smaller than zooms, but she likes them for their large maximum apertures that allow in more light. Since she often photographs in the client’s house, lighting can be a problem. “I try to use natural light whenever I can,” she says, “even if it’s coming in through just one window. I’m going to bring the child over to that window and start working it.”

She also likes to shoot wide open (the lens at its maximum aperture), or close to it, to get sharp focus on her subject and a pleasantly blurred, non-distracting background—as in the photograph of her daughter playing with the magnets.

Primes also allow her to shoot at faster shutter speeds. “I don’t often have a lot of time—the baby is yawning, that’s a second. I need to be able to capture a yawn or a smile or something that’s going to happen fast. Photographing babies and toddlers you can miss those moments in a second, so if you don’t have a fast lens it’s not going to happen.”

Read more from Trampolinepaul

Contact me at About.me

Still, Summer says, strategies can be adapted and family knowledge can be put to work. Your kids may not be surprised by you, but you know the area of the house your children prefer; you know what they like to do; you know their schedules. Sometimes you just stumble on something – as Summer did for the second photo here. “That’s my daughter, doing her own thing, [playing] with the magnets on the fridge. I might have said something to get her to look at me and smile. The most important part about photographing your own kids is to capture the moment they’re involved in. It’s those natural moments you have to look for.”

And when that moment arrives, you’ve got to be ready.

Well, actually, you should be ready before the moment arrives, almost pressing the shutter release a millisecond before the moment. “That comes with experience,” Summer says, “with knowing the kind of image you want to get and what the child does.”

Although there are exceptions, for the most part you should be shooting from the child’s level. “You can’t overpower a child,” Summer says. “She doesn’t want to look up; she wants you to be on her level, where she’s going to trust you and look at you.”

Read more from Trampolinepaul

Contact me at About.me

The very fact that there’s a camera in sight can make her interesting to the child. “Part of it is having them want to know about me: ‘What’s this girl all about? What is she doing?’ ”

Even though the camera is in plain sight, she will give the kids some time to get to know her before she starts taking pictures. “I give them that space, that warm-up time to build some trust. Trust has to come first.”

Then there’s timing. “I need to work around the child’s schedule, need to know when the child naps. If she naps at 1:00 and gets up at 2:30, then she can have a quick lunch and she’s ready. She’s not tired, she’s well fed—that’s the basic. The times [for the shoot] are always set up around well-rested, well-fed babies…or else you’re going to get some tantrums.”

And there’s location. Working in the families’ homes is a big plus. “It’s a comfort thing for the kids—you want them to show you their house so they’re comfortable with you being there.”

For toddlers there’s also the squeaky toy gambit. “The only thing I use as an attention-getter with a child who’s not interested in me is this little ball that squeaks. I’ll put it in my mouth and squeak it while I’m holding the camera.”

But her own kids? They’re well beyond squeaky toys and being surprised by their mom. “My kids see me with the camera all the time, they know me, and they generally won’t look at me for anything.”

Read more from Trampolinepaul

Contact me at About.me

As a professional photographer who specializes in kids, Summer Lyn has an arsenal of tested, proven, no-doubt-about-it successful techniques, strategies, plans and approaches for getting the best images of her clients’ children.

But when it comes to photographing her own kids…pretty much none of it will work.

“My kids see me every day, so nothing I do or say is new or interesting to them,” Summer says. And make no mistake—being interesting is the first and most important key to getting great pictures.

Fortunately, Summer says it’s the easiest part of her job because it just comes naturally. “Babies, toddlers, older kids—they can see through you if you’re not really interested in them. When people ask me, ‘How do you do it?’ I always tell them, ‘Just get to know the kids. Kids are fun, they’re intriguing. If you get to know them, you’re going to capture them.”

“I always approach with the camera,” Summer says. “I’ll have it in my hands or around my neck when I get out of the car at their house. So it’s never that I’m around the children, getting to know them and then I suddenly pull out this big, black box and put it in front of my face. I have the camera in sight always, so they know its part of me.”

Read more from Trampolinepaul

Contact me at About.me

Since the type and intensity of light are very important, you’d better use lens filters to alter the light before it reaches the lens.

Optical Filters

Generally, optical filters are needed to decrease the volume of light that reaches the lens. This allows reducing the shutter speed and exposure duration. Such filters are especially handy during the day since the aperture and ISO settings aren’t sufficient to prevent an abundance of light. This filter type is especially suitable for newborn photography since photographers don’t use additional lighting to protect the baby’s eyes.

Close-Up Filters

Close-up filters are mainly designed for macro photographs since they bring you closer to the subject, reducing the lowest focal distance. They represent an inexpensive way of upgrading to a macro lens if you have a prime one. However, they can make the overall picture quality a little bit lower. If you’re chasing after the best image quality, buy a macro lens. You can also attach several close-up filters to strengthen the zoom effect, but that will only damage the picture quality.

Macro Reversing Ring

Don’t have a lens suitable for macro shots and can’t afford to purchase the best lenses for baby photography? Thankfully, there’s a much more affordable option – reverse lens macro. You don’t need to purchase a new lens because with the help of such a ring you can attach your current lens backward and use it in reverse. When connected like that, it functions as a powerful magnifying glass. The received photos are of good quality and can be on par with those taken by expensive macro models.

Read more from Trampolinepaul

Contact me at About.me

You’re thrilled to capture the best portraits of your newborn, and you want to choose the best lens to do this. Here are features you may want to consider, when purchasing your lenses. This list can serve as your buying guide.

1. Ability to shootsharp, clear and excellent images

Your newborn’s portraits are useless, when they are obscure and poorly taken. This is the most significant aspect of the lens that you have to prioritize. Does the lens reduce optical aberrations? Are you able to capture the essence of what you want to shoot? Can you take the details of your newborn’s portraits? You can go over the product details of the various lenses to choose the most appropriate for your purpose.

Different lenses have their specific functions. Not many lenses can provide all the purposes you may want to perform. If you want the best portraits, and you have money, you may want to buy a macro lens, a medium telephoto lens, a 50mm prime lens, and a wide angle lens.

2. Durability

Your choice of lens should be durable to withstand any type of weather. You wouldn’t want to buy a cheap one now and then buy another one after just a few months. I would prefer to buy a durable but affordable lens that could last for years. To find out how durable the lens is, you can go over the product’s specifications and peruse the reviews of certified buyers.

3. Ease of use

Can you use the lenses easily even though you’re not a professional? The answer to this question should be a “yes”. Go through the user’s manual and see if you can follow the instructions without any problems. In instances, when you cannot, it means that the lens is not user-friendly. So, you may want to find another product.

4. Variety of uses

Can the lens be used at different angles and poses? Can it capture a close-up or a wide-range shot? You may not find one lens that could provide all the options that you want for your photographs, but there are those that have more functions and useful features than the rest of the lenses.

5. Portability

Is the lens light enough and handy to carry in your bag or backpack? You must be able to take it with you wherever you go. Who knows when your baby would strike a picture-perfect pose – and you have to capture that momentous moment, or it will be gone forever. Choose a lens that’s lightweight and not fragile.

6. Affordability

Can your pocket afford the lens? Cost must not be your #1 priority, if you’re bent on taking the perfect shots. However, when the lens serves your purpose perfectly, then you have to buy it, no matter what the price is. Naturally, when you find a suitable lens that is also affordable, that would be the perfect scenario. Don’t hesitate to grab it. You can find one if you’re diligent enough to browse online.

Read more from Kidstrampolinecenter

Contact me at About.me