Lessons

Lesson Info

Meeting the Newborns

So I think we're good to go you know I can go in and okay how many in your magic voice that's coming into your head okay how many's right do we have four babies with three babies this way we should all take nine show and tell photograph thanks for no guard first so once again for those people who weren't here yesterday you show this to the mom yes, I do so they have an idea of exactly what we're doing yeah and then you listen I'll explain to them you know it's one of the time but it won't be photographed and all that sort of thing you could think about the new insist they're going on in this room as we walk in let's see it let's go I heard a hard time and you're karen karen commando you of course I didn't girl or boy boy boy it envious oh it's any beautiful q rolled to accept god you're gramma francesca is this first grandchild second they have a way older daughter okay, so you're pretty experienced yeah so you're feeling right now yeah yeah good good a sleeping baby that's what we lik...

e we got three sleeping baby seven women who wear and who's this now and I'm in hi I'm saci satu and you did eric nice to meet you congratulations and held were born on the same day I'm really not in the same hospital uh what happened to your checks, darling clever is taking she was like a little take I z e hi I'm sorry my land my land my own man and what's with the shoes that's correct I will look well, it's quiet we were like over here I'll just explain what we're doing a little bit about this on dh this is the first time I've done anything here creative lives so we're alive but we just need to forget about that yeah I'm doing a new calendar for twenty seventeen and the theme is the signs of the zodiac and this is yesterday we did leo the lion so we had a little baby in a beautiful lion costume who was sitting you know so this is the first newborns and so today we've got theories and so with or I've got this big horn that we've already photographed and these little guys just wondered a time going to be in this oh you've got that fabulous little that's a little hat with the horn in the ear and the the most fabulous looking shoes are there really really cute so you'll get to see them so and so they just need to be asleep and we'll do the rest you know but that's this is the idea I'll explain the sick when we get in there because of course it's different to this soul being done on photo shop um and we'll photograph them one at a time and we've got plenty of time so don't you want to feel any pressure or anything you know and if they don't want to do and that's fine too yeah so the most they are being changed hasn't okay but those tour in their little this and yes cold that's great have there been fitted ideas about today and of course she does way should let disturb her or just do it do you think we should a little bit just to relax? She looks like she's good she's a child's way get the picture how old your own other two seven four okay that's pretty probably think she's a little doll should be even steven to boy and fours ago is that right? That's the boy or the girl? All right, we're here to work let's get that diaper changed so I'll be back in there getting things ready and I'll see you in yeah um just a cz another thing it's really important that you guys have a really nice morning. So if there's anything we can do everyone's here to make you more comfortable and anything you need apart from hot drinks which we don't have in here with the babies and all yeah, okay then great I'll see you inside all right that mothers are in this contest it's pretty calm in here which is nice everyone seems, um generally get a vibe you know when, um when you want little bit peanuts or anything um for that same pretty good you do and it's actually character good it's actually really nice. Um when um the signal third or fourth babies because everyone's pretty relaxed around it I just put this up here parents are generally more relaxed and just go with the flow because I have tio because there's so many other children are home yeah, so can we talk a little bit about turn around these guys right there for now? Maybe over here. Okay, we're over here. I don't know my camera I'll get myself in trouble talk a little bit about when you are looking at those newborns. What are some of the aspects that they do? I need to be to be able to be ready to shoot. So I heard jonah saying this one is one of them has is been asleep or what do they need to be to be in the photograph? A good christian they're all pretty relaxed favors. You can get there since one of them's got a pacifier and a little bit fiddly but that's all right and that's because she needed to be feared and so that's a good thing the best thing is when we photographed newborns when they come in too the studio or in the mother's room the first thing to do is actually get them undressed on dh and back in with a diaper around them in this case they can wear a diaper in that shot which for us is just so much easier easier yeah ofthe obvious reasons so they're in a diaper and a little fist um and then we wrap them up again and they're feeding they go to sleep um and so these papers are all and, uh a month old I think one of them's a couple of those over I'm not yeah, but that's not too bad because this is sort of in terms ofthe how we're going to achieve it. It's pretty straightforward. Okay, um yeah, I think that the first baby to come in you'll be the one that has just been food but now we need to change her diaper you know all this you know it's interesting it's everything today revolves around them and that's the way it should be and what it can sometimes be frustrating with someone like yesterday it's like, oh god, I just need just a baby to sit there and smile you know? And you've gotta actually just get into that zone where it's okay it's gonna happen whatever happy sign and you go yeah, yeah um and as a photographer you know, having done this for thirty years it can get frustrating it really can and that's why a lot of people who have trouble she's not photograph babies you know, because some you know, if all of the ten years of portraiture than I did you know there were some really, really frustrating days I think it's a lot easier with the six month olds and new bonds you know, just just in terms of your limit, the amount of running around that you have to do and energy that you have to put out natalie is great with the six month or so us and there's a there's a special gift to it and I did that for ten years and I'm so happy to pass the mantle on. So for people who work with us yesterday tell us about your team and who natalie is nellie nellie was my studio manager for many many years and I've worked with her since uh down in the garden came out in nineteen ninety six, which means about nineteen, ninety four because of the two years I've talk to federal photograph that and gone who is does that? My props and styling has been with me for that long is well, she and I have really developed in tombs off um all of the books arrive shot, you know, it's my vision and she helps me to bring that to life and s o you know, it's it's really nice there's a sense of comfort in that she understands my vision and hopefully that people are going to get this. Since when? When they watch us shoot today and watch us playing the next three, which will happen throughout the day tomorrow. You know what? While we're photographing tomorrow, we'll be talking about okay? Yeah, yeah, you know what we're gonna do with cancer? What we're going to do with pie sees what we, you know, and to be able to have someone who understands my thought and creative process is s o beneficial and that's why a lot of creative people, we're with the same people all the time because you want my speak a second language, and I think that's what we've got, yeah, jonah will also be here, yeah, gel nut and earlier still in the mother's room, and jonah is actually a nurse and a midwife. Not that we ever needed a, um and she I started working with me and sydney when I've shot my uh recent covet our boat beginnings, which came out in twenty ten. And so jonah has been with me, probably since two thousand eight um and million john or other to people who I totally trust with those babies on dh you'll see today that that's why I walked back to the camera and look so relaxed because I do not even have to think about it and that's exactly what we need a sense of trust and so when the mothers and we've got one dead and a grandma yes come into the studio today it's you I have really a small amount of time to, um relay that sense of trust to them and that has already started because natalie and general with the babies in the mother's room so everyone's completely comfortable when they come in here um so hopefully what's gonna happen today it's going to be really quiet and calm and pretty straightforward let's tell numbers let's talk a little bit about you just said in in the beginning or over the course of the years it can be frustrating to work with different ages or newborns are having what is it that keeps you then going? What is it that then keep coming back tio the importance of those new warrants because of everything they stand for, um and, um, I know that we spoke um on a few days ago and did quite extensive interview looking back over my career and what I got started and my motivation for doing what I do and you know, I'm very, very conscious of the preciousness of new life and the promise of every newborn um and you know the hope that they'll be able to realize their potential and it doesn't happen for a lot of children and um you know, actually it's interesting a few years ago I had a a letter from a woman saying, you know, she said it was when my greeting cards were out there and and calendars were everywhere and she said, I have to say she said you're working everywhere and eyesight my god, you know it's just everywhere I just had enough of it and everything and she said then I saw um an interview that you did which explains the motivation behind why you do what you do and she said I grew up in an abusive household and she said I guess when I looked at those babies in your images I felt jealous in a way because I never had that opportunity she said the babies and your image is always looks I loved and so I wanted and um that's not what I had um and it happened to a member of my family as well. Um I'll be nice to me when I first started out and so that's kind of given me and even more focused mission creatively in terms ofthe every time I take a picture off a newborn I see that sense of potential in them which is so so important and the frustrations can come because I'm just a human being as well, you know I'm just a pissing on we're all grown ups here you know? I'm a photographer and I've got a vision for what I would like to happen today and generally I achieve it you know, this is very, very few times when it hasn't happened um but there's always that risk of it and you know that we're not being able to get the shot and so you know, every time I approaches shoot on sight please let it happen that's the frustration you know but but that aside, you know so emotional isaiah's portraiture, for instance and yesterday it happened just yesterday you get such magic, you know, it just it just happens and so fleeting just so fleeting and you're like, oh yes oh yes thank you yes and it's even better then I originally anticipated it isn't that it's fantastic and and that kind of drives me on because I loved the afternoons and I love you during the retouching and I love doing that big printing was to talk about it so so important to me to be able to hold something in my hands and something that's tactile and look at it and think this has the potential to be fabulous, you know, and people are going to respond to it in such a great way and six to seven month old babies I can deliver that so well come by they can just just for a second that expression and it sums it all up I love it s so we're seeing ukraine so none of the babies are asleep yet so we're going toe continue teo chat until exactly they are so I was thinking we could come over to this table or whatever we're going to sit here a little bit and check if you were waiting I think we're all good to go you'll notice actually do you wanna have a look your looks you'll notice that we've got sleeping I'm sorry what do you call this hot water bottles we call them hot water bottle what about that's what do you call them hot water bottles huh? They're all in place here right and this is inside a cloth diaper this court abbas I've had for years and years and years wasted we call them nappies yes in australia and new zealand and england public way don't call them nappies but we know that you called them now ok ok so we've got some nappies here on dh so this is all to do with the comfort of the baby you know every surface of this has bean scrutinise it's all smooth and ready to go you know over here we've got two little containers off bits or show bits of foamy finally things this is the baby travis kid little bits of clay dropped because clint isat clink yeah yeah yeah because plastic wrap your plastic wrap and it's really comfortable and we can slip them underneath in a little cheeks or anywhere you know where you don't want the baby skin to be well then you'd be propped up a little bit and it doesn't slip it doesn't no no it's not called on dh little phone bits tto help prop up legs and which have all been kind of dyed to match the horn so you know it just gives you an example of what's actually involved in all of this so this is the kit for when we get the baby on the horn and we can quickly just put little props here and there to make it really soft and comfortable I find these things interesting oh everybody wait we're just giving away just pop you through got dawn continuing teo put some finishing touches yeah way take a look at or talk a little bit about the research that you did or the inspiration for areas and do you have for those people who yesterday let's talk about your process in this journal we're creating well assumes I started new project I get a new book um a a new notebook and there's a february so you know, I think definition or something but I just loved I love leather I love the feeling exactly and you know I still carry little league diary around with me mosque in one actually and a pencil and I you know my daughter's like should use I kill and I'm like no no I just feel better if I do it this way so I love to write things and you know I find the process of researching and writing text concept maurin tonight brain and into the whole creative system so when we first started you know, with areas I looked at a lot of imagery that's around a lot of old paintings I want I want the effect with this serious to be quite painterly, you know? So it's not like and that's of course that's why the watercolor backgrounds? Yeah, they're um and so here is the ram it's a fire sign it's a symbol of spring so the fire sign which well, you know, one of the colors the colors for areas are a ll shades of red now in the check room someone's gonna pop up go but that's not true or this is but generally speaking that this is the general information and there's so much information out there it's rid the one of the flowers for areas is a sweet pea and so I've got already had already had leonie do some really beautiful illustrations off sweet piece and what we'll be doing in post in photo shop is just integrating these sweet piece coming in from the corners around the horn of the vines of sweet years you know the little teenage girls yeah yeah it's just just so lovely as it's really nice to be able to sit and put these together in photo shop afterwards eso like here today is just one part of the process but of course the most important part um in areas with the golden ram that could fly and so the horn is floating way didn't get that way you know mostly people are not going teo think about that uh but that's all right but to me it's like I know what's there and that that sense of thoughtfulness that's in each of the image is just really really important to make it so well I was talking about under the sea which is the with twenty fifteen calendar which is out now you know so much so much went into the creation of that in terms ofthe the detail in the backgrounds and in the beautiful little costumes and all of the references too like the great barrier reef in australia and that sort of thing and most people look at it and go look at those cute babies and that's good too that's just fine isn't this fun? Isn't that ann isn't that the beauty or the what's behind any artist is you don't necessarily know that you don't want but nothing is completely obvious thing to the viewer yeah I mean for any piece of art yes, there are all kinds of elements that you've put in there that are, too, perhaps discover what are not immediately correct. And I think a lot of people who are interested in the zodiac, we'll have that sort of mindset. And and my definition off a piece of art is that the viewer is taken into another realm where they're looking at something and thinking, I never saw it that way before, um, endlessly. And I think, that's. Why? A lot of people love my imagery of baby it's, because, you know, when I first started doing this, uh, I had another griff rabia's. That baby is ready to go. Okay, well, carry this on off. Yes.