Had a great shoot yesterday with baby Samuel although he was more interested in feeding than having his picture taken. Later on, big brother decided to join in and made for some nice sibling shots as a bonus for mum and dad!

Baby Portrait Lighting

When shooting baby photography, think about the child. Don't use direct flash or harsh lighting as this could hurt the baby's eyes. At best it will make him or her cry and you don't want that. After all, red, puffy eyes don't make for a good baby shoot.

For best results, use natural light. Photograph the baby either outside or near a window indoors to make the most of soft, natural daylight.

If the light is poor, use flash but bounce it from the ceiling, wall or white card to diffuse it. You could even use a speedlight diffuser or white softbox to dampen the light for a more pleasing effect.

Up Close and Personal

When photographing baby's or young children, I like to get in close. Babies have such amazing features and huge eyes that you just want to capture. Again, be careful of the lighting.

I like to use the amazing Canon EF 50mm 1.4 for it's super shallow depth of field for baby photography. This completely blows out the background allowing the eye to focus on what matters. The baby's eyes for example.

I also like to involve other children or siblings that happen to be in the room. This prevents any disruption from jealousy or boredom and you sometimes get some corkers!

The beauty of baby photography is the ongoing business you may get from it. If you do a great job and if the family like you (important), you will get asked back time and time again.

It is normal for a family to "employ" a baby photographer throughout the years as their kids grow. This can become quite lucrative if you get in with enough families. Later on, you could even become their graduation or wedding photographer.

Market yourself well and you could easily become a full time family or baby photographer. What better way to make a living?