The Canon Magazine 31
09
Don’t: choose a
difficult ageAlthough babies develop at their
own pace, there are distinct
phases that can make
photographing them easier and
conversely harder. The ages that I
find work especially well correlate
with baby milestones: three
months (able to hold their head up
whilst lying on their front), six
months (sitting), nine months
(standing) and 12 months (first
steps). I advise parents to wait if
their baby is four or five months
- they’re often busy with teething
and not at their jolliest. Separation
anxiety can also be a problem at
seven or eight months old.
10
Don’t: photograph
babies late in the dayBabies tend to be at their best in
the mornings, and become grizzly
through the day, until the infamous
witching hour in early evening!
Wait until about 10am to give the
sunlight time to brighten up. Look
for window light as this’ll create soft
lighting that’s ideal for portraits.CAMERA SKILLS
08
Don’t: blow
the highlightsWith close-up portraits, keep an
eye on the exposure reading
inside the camera, but also keep
checking the recorded image on
the playback screen. It can be all
too easy to over-expose the
highlights if you’re incorporating
lots of skin and pale bedding.
Rather than risk blowing the
highlights, I tend to slightly
underexpose these shots,
and increase the exposure in
Lightroom. You may also find it
helpful to enable the highlights
alert option in the main camera
menu, so over-exposed areas will
flash as you preview the image
through the viewfinder.