Photographing Babies

So I did my first photoshoot on Saturday.  Subject was my friend Shirlene's baby.  Although I didn't think I did very well (I wasn't overly happy with the photos--they were just OK), I had fun doing the shoot!  

Photographing babies is a lot more challenging than I imagined.  I thought it would be a breeze since I had been taking photos of my nephew every chance I get.  But when I was out there with the only intention of taking photos of this precious little child, I felt so much pressure.  I went there with a game plan that was hardly followed.  I had to be really patient and had to click the shutter at the right time so I can capture the baby's smile and other emotions.  I had to think instantly about how to make him pose, where to let him sit or crawl, where to get the best available light, where's the best angle, whether or not to use props and what's available.  There were just way too many things to consider and I was overwhelmed.  After the photoshoot, I think part of me was all the more convinced that I can't really make a career in photography.

On the other hand, I really did enjoy the whole process.  So the other part of me thinks I should do it more often, and that same part hopes there will be more opportunities to shoot.  Moreover, I learned to use my camera's Burst mode and this has now become one of my favorite functions.

Meet little William Morgan Sue.  Well, he's not exactly somebody I would call "little".  He's only 4 months old but he already weighs about 20 pounds.  He's bigger than most other babies his age, and he's adorable!  We did the shoot for about an hour and he was extremely behaved the entire time.  He didn't cry--not even once.

These are baby William's loving parents, my colleague Shirlene and her hub Morgan.  They are both from Burma but have lived here since they were college students.

Baby changed to his cute little Japanese outfit later in the shoot.  This was just one of the many sweet moments between mom and baby and I was happy to capture them!

You can check out more Baby William photos at My Flickr.  Meanwhile, I think I need to practice more because pretty soon I will be photographing my own!