Tuesday 17 March 2015

Posing safely

Yes, I know my last post was about safety.  Posing a newborn with his sibling.  But, I cannot stress enough how important it is to not take risks.
 
It's not worth it.
 
I've read too many stories about babies being put in unsafe situations purely for the sake of a cute shot.  I just don't get it.  At all.
 
Why?  Why take a chance in harming anyone when you can do everything carefully.  Safely.
 
I would love to show ~ once again ~ how to accomplish a safe newborn shot with sibling.
 
Step one:
 
Baby on chair.  Note ~ Mommy is RIGHT THERE!  She has been instructed that no matter what is going on around her, she is not to take her eyes off baby.  Baby is in a deep sleep.  I would NEVER put a half awake or fully awake baby on anything that they can wiggle off of.
 
Take shot

 
Step two:
 
Remove baby and give to Mommy.  Enter big brother.  He is encouraged to hide, play peek~a~boo behind the chair and give big smiles.  I put a toy car on the chair to get his attention looking down, for a few "looking at baby" shots
 
Toddlers are crazy creatures, with unpredictable moods and movements.  This guy liked to pull on the back of the chair, causing the front legs to lift off the ground.  Imagine if baby was still there?
 
Take shot
 
 
 
Step three:
 
Photoshop!  My best friend when it comes to composite shots.  Google has plenty of sites with step by step instructions on how to combine composite shots.  Practice with a few and you will see how easy it is. 
 
 
Voila!  Perfect image, baby was safe the whole time, big brother had a laugh and everyone remained safe and happy.
 
Safety first!
 
Jennifer
 
 
 

Monday 8 December 2014

How to do a sibling/newborn image safely.

Many newborn come with older siblings and nine times out of ten, they will be a toddler. What should your first thought be? Safety!

The floor is the safest spot for a toddler to be with a new baby, laying down and cuddling up. But you may want to add a prop in for extra cuteness.

My first and most important goal is safety for the newborn. I would never put baby at risk of injury. Having said that, having a newborn on a prop with a toddler close by needs to be handled with care and ingenuity.




For this pose, I took care of the newborn pose first. Captured all his cuteness while my assistant stayed within arms reach.

Once I was happy with all my images, baby was given to Mom for some cuddle time while we worked on the next image series.

Enter big brother - who was not so keen with the idea of sitting with baby brother, so we brought in a little bride :) Welcome the kinder egg! With this placed on the bed it gave big brother something to look at, and be happy about.





I took a few shots of him reaching and smiling and looking in the direction of the bed. My assistant was also there for this, pointing out the treat and encouraging big brother.

I took a few shots, and when I was satisfied this pose was complete.

Next - photo shop. I love using this program to combine composition shots like the above. I simply put the two together and got the image I was hoping for!





Be safe my fellow photographers!


Jennifer

Friday 5 December 2014

Threads of my photographic fabric

About three years ago, I placed an ad on Kijiji looking for an assistant who would work by my side for wedding events. I am a very picky person, and sometimes a little quirky - so finding the right match for me seemed like a daunting task. I was concerned that A: I would not find someone who would like me. Or B: not find someone I could tolerate. I will admit that I was really nervous and when faced with the task of "interviewing" an assistant, I was reluctant.

Enter interview number one. Dawn. "I will be the girl wearing a black headband" she told me prior to our interview. Tim Horton's parking lot: girl with black headband emerges from car, checking her cell phone and looking a teenie bit frazzled. Hmmm. Red flag? Maybe - but I am always giving people the benefit of the doubt and I really wanted a cup of coffee! She may be laughing now because she knows me well enough to know that what I really wanted was a beer! LOL We sat and chatted and compared notes. I had glanced at her portfolio before our meeting so I already knew she was good. Then, proud moment, during our conversation she mentions a photo she had seen online and could not remember where or how she saw it. She only remembered that she had loved it, and wished she knew where the image had been taken. It was my image! Interview turned to chatting, chatting turned to laughing and laughing turned to "would you like to join me for an engagement session?".

I liked her. From the start. We are both strong willed, smart and both have some pretty brilliant ideas.

Dawn Brooks - Hourglass Imaging - was a fantastic second shooter, is an amazing photographer and is a very awesome friend!

I no longer offer wedding photography, but Dawn specializes in it! So, if you ever need someone to capture your wedding day - give her a shout!




Another girl that I could not do without is Melissa. Ah Melissa! We met online through her site Baby Bandz Boutique just over a year ago when I wanted to order some awesome headbands. Our greetings and exchanges at my front door became longer, our messages became more in depth and over the year we have become great friends. She is my newborn assistant - for the most part - and I love her to death!

I took a good part of last year mentoring Melissa, teaching her the basics of photography. She was a keener, right from the start. Making notes, asking lots of questions and she did her homework every day! She made me giggle. She has recently opened the doors to her new business, Days Captured Photography and is a budding photographer!




I am part of a very supportive photography community, and have developed some great friendships this past year. The support we share, give and offer is amazing. Photography is a very competitive industry, one in which you could make a not of enemies! Lucky for me and a few other gals, we have established a network of threads, holding together a fantastic photographic bolt of fabric.

Thank you girls!