Lessons

Lesson Info

Live Shoot: Parents With Newborn Posing In Clients Home

For me to be able to leave my studio though that's time to travel to the client and back again, I need to be efficient. I've said before that my newborn sessions or two hours and I try to plan in my head, you know, the post I'm going to do, and while I'm shooting, you're going to see that I'm already going to be planning the next pose while I'm shooting the first one, we're going to bring the baby in and I'm going to wrap the baby first right away because that's, the first thing I will always do is wrap that baby, and then we're going to get parents in and I'm going to just bring you through a very natural lifestyle. We're going toe pull the natural light in of how I would work with a family it's a little different than at the studio because the studio I would wrap the baby, do all of the props first and save family for last because I want parents to come in, relax, not worry about it took him enough just to get to my studio, and I feel like they're rushing in the morning to get to my ...

student like and now, here on camera. So what I'd like to tell them is, you know how much work it took you to get here? Just sit back and relax this first hour, I'm gonna work on the baby and then we'll do family, and if you're hot, leave the room, we have an air conditioned room so that they can cool off in the home it's a little bit different, actually do it in reverse, I will wrap the baby right away and I'll bring parents in first, because then that way they can kind of already dressed and ready they've been dressed and ready for me that way, I can have work on them right away and then let them go and do their thing and then finish off with the baby, so I do switch it up a little bit, so we're gonna bring in baby camden, who is twelve days, and what we're going to do is he did just eat, and so we're going to rap with his diaper on because I don't believe in, you know, one save eight, just stripping them down and going for it. I used to do that, and then you spend the first hour cleaning up poop and pee and so it's a it's a natural cycle, right? They're going to eat. They're going to go to the bathroom so let's just keep the diaper on and many times when I'm rapping what happens is it kind of the way that I'm wrapping them? It presses on their belly a little bit and things start moving a little bit vicar so save yourself some time and just rap with the diaper on and even if you feel it and it feels I have cooled hands and it feels like like it's a full diaper if they're not bothered by it then I'm not now I have a really cold hands so I'm going to heat up my hands with a quick and tip just slide him or to the end of the wrap so what I was saying before I no longer bring lights to a client's home at all I no longer bring backdrops I haven't even brought a beanbag to the last few homes that I've done and people say well what do you do? Well first of all I always carry a five and one reflector with me so I'm really into my five and one I can't leave without it if I get the car I will freak out more about reflecting on my cameras sometimes records by five and one so I really believe in making sure I have a reflector and when I walk into the client's home the first thing I walk in with nothing but my keys in my hand and I say, show me the best room in the house that you think has light, and so often times they actually take me to a different room, then the room that I end of photographing, and I say, okay, is there any of the rooms? Can I look around? And I made a mistake one time where I didn't ask that for the client, and I remember I was running out the door to the next shoe, and as I was leaving, she was all I wanted to take a quick picture in the nursery, and I had spent two hours struggling with light in the home, and I got the shoot, and, you know, the the light was not the best, and then I was like, okay, we went up to the north straight, oh, my god, it was like heaven. It was all white. One whole wall was windows white crib, I was like, where was this room? I didn't see this room totally my fault, because I should have asked where's the nursery, can I look upstairs and a lot of photographers, they won't want to be intrusive, but I'm here to do a job, and so we ended up shooting in the room, and we got gorgeous images, but I was so rushed and stressed I wish I wish and so from that day forward and that was a couple years ago. Now I say okay, can I see any other rooms in the home and many times all pick an area that the parents didn't think or maybe the room's a mess and I'm like I don't need that much room but this look at this light this is the best light I'm going to get amazing photos and the parents obviously you need them. They need to trust you because you're the photographer and you need to be able to see the light. Okay, so we're gonna wrap camden. Are you guys doing to me questions? Excited? Does anyone shoot? Um, who shits in the studio and who shoots just out about you can talk. What studio is anyone just natural light wherever shooters? Yes. And so for you, natural light, wherever shooters are, do you? What? Do you photograph the photograph babies or what do you photograph? What is it say that one more time, nature and birth. Okay. Anyone in here photograph natural light for babies or children? Yes. Ok. And so you don't have a studio, and so you're out about who schlepped all your stuff yeah, and how long does it take you to pack your car? A while, and I usually feel like I'm moving into the family's home when I get there, like I'm here for a while, stay in for dinner and are you by yourself, or do you have an assistant? I'm by myself, ok? And so do you pack everything the beanbags light or dru? Probably that lights right? No, no night. Okay, so the being back being back, I am not as organized you are when it comes to my props. Okay, so I usually have, like, various tupperware's and bags and whatnot of whole gamut of beanies and headbands. And so what is your biggest challenge? Do you want to reduce that time? Or what is your biggest challenge? Honestly, probably kind of what you've already talked about when it comes to lighting, not knowing what to expect once I get there. And I've, um, had some situations where I've, especially here in the pacific northwest, where I've gotten to a home only to find that it is like a cave and it's very, very difficult. So, yeah, and we have, if we're in doubt, ask clients to send us pictures of their home, I don't think there's anything wrong with doing that, I think the clients would much be much happier being prepared than you getting there and going, oh, yeah, you know, you don't have any light. I think that they would be fine if you said, you know, why can you just send me just some iphone? You know, pictures just something so I can see the light and do it at the time that you think is the best light. Now, as far as being organized, I will admit that if I wasn't a photographer, I'd probably be working at the container store, but we're organizing your closets because it really gives me great joy, but here's, the thing I've learned over the years and let's put that white noise on that I no longer do tupperware containers or any anything. What I do is everything that I bring has to be packed in something I'm going to use potential, okay, with the exception that I now bring a roller suitcase to put the flow cadiz and blankets and because I feel like if someone was coming to photograph my baby and I'm like dragging blankets out of my trunk right there like so it's, almost like, don't look at the window when I'm packing my car things like fall to the ground. So here I'm thinking, if what I thought the reason I went to suitcases is if I take the folk hotties and the rugs and blankets, anything that's touching the baby skin and there's a couple things I do the wraps we use the space saver bags now and that's how he traveled here, you know, the ones that suck all the air out those are amazing, so we put them in there and then it shows the parents that's how we came here was there clean, I could take up the space saver bags and they see that everything is clean and in the bags and we what we do is in the stroller, we put the suitcases in the flow caddies, and I'm only picking two or three, I'm not bringing a lot only like even full caddies, I probably won't bring more than two, and I fold them and put them in the suitcase, and then we'll pack the raps and coordinating outfits in a space saver bag in the other part of the case. So that's one and then we'll pick a couple of baskets and things, and all of those baskets will be stuffed with layers and, you know anything else that we're using there's a lot of different fillers and things that are kind of all the range now. So tiffany thinks you're going to have to be over here watch, baby um, you know, we can move him, I tend to put babies on the edge of I don't know why, and so anything that I'm bringing baskets or anything like that these pillars air inside of them and they're going to be used I'm going empty that basket out and I'm going to use that basket as a prop. So fuck it's the big buckets with handles that deposed babies and I love those so think I challenge you the next time you go out don't do tupperware containers do a suitcase for blankets or wrap and then anything that you're going to bring it has to be something you're going to use as a problem and they will cut down your time tremendously and skip the beanbags how many times you gotta go into full klein's home and they have an ottoman or they have a bead back they have a bed why do we feel like we need to be back? I can put a blanket here underneath here hold it up have the parents hold it up and it looks like a bean back right beanbags why're they around you don't need round that khun b square you know what I mean? I used member that square ottoman from kia for like six years I gave it to tiffany it was a rectangular ottoman I loved it loved it, okay, so what I'm gonna do is I'm going to do quick shot of a baby, make sure I have it and parents come in that's all I'm going to dio it's just going here and I would say, ok, I'm going to take and I'm telling the parents, get ready, I'm gonna get to close up and I'm shooting at eightieth of a second two point eight, eight hundred, and I'll kind of back up because I'm shooting within eighty five, and I kind of get the baby on the bed, can you see? Ah, so there's close up, and then I kind of just look at my camera and see polly tuck under here a little bit, but see, see how we're gonna get this hand and see who could talk about this real quick. See how simple this is. What did this require? One rap, natural light, no props classic you this could be a campus hanging over his crib. Isn't that simple and pretty? I think that we're getting a little bit too overwhelmed with all of the gorgeous props that are out there where you have a question. Yeah. D do you ever ask? Sorry, should I stand didyou do you ever ask the client what their bed is like? Because if you go into a client's home and they don't have this beautiful, pristine white bed, and do you ever kind of anticipate what that's going to be like, no, I do, I want to know. The colors in the client's home? Yes, that's a very good question and I know if you see in the crib there's a white fur in there, I will usually bring something white or cream, because as much as I love color you guys going right here, as much as I love color, it really dio I also am a real black and white girl I've said before, I'm come from the film days where I studied and a lot of it was a black away girl and get us his early work for black awaits and some of her early I mean, I love all the work just so classic and clean and simple, and I still kind of good drawn to that. So, yes, I will say, what are the colors of your home? What did they look like? And what is the master bedroom? Is it something we can photograph in one of the colors ongoing? Many times and, you know, there's all kinds of things, but I could lay my blanket here and do it, but honestly, haven't we've been really lucky with white bedrooms, and I don't know if it's, because of southern california, but white bedrooms is like even in chicago, kristina had a white bedroom white bed. So I flew to chicago to photograph christina if you're watching her matter was great we did a video on youtube behind the scenes of the shoot in chicago is sit on youtube I think it is is it? I don't know we'll have to see but if not that one the home that we did in by newport beach did joanne have a white bed? Yeah so there's a behind the scenes video of that home session and it was all in the bed I mean I sometimes will not leave the master bedroom but also I've shot in the guest room I've shot in the nanny's room you know I shot you name it, I'll shoot it so I had a thought when we came in this morning is what if you two were on the side of the bed and yeah, you're over here and you're in the background and so what you gonna be like? Come on loving me come on this is your second honeymoon I know it's like you're exhausted you're not eating your mullah I totally get it the first six weeks I mean, no one really tells you but they kind of suck but but you have this baby you watching maybe so it's like I'm when ivory photograph parents it's like they're exhausted their tired a human being just came out of your body let's let's not forget that that's a big deal right? And I think that is photographers it's like a kid in a candy store were so into the baby that we forget what I happened to get this baby to earth right? And so I try to be aware we did bring a dress for her and I know she's feeling a little exposed but I'm like just trust me you're gonna look you're going to look great I do believe in a little nip in a little tuck digitally I'm not opposed to it so I tell the clients we can slim things a little bit it's okay, so when my thought wass that way probably can't do with my any fight, huh can't let me just jump to the twenty four to seventy everyone that knows me knows that my favorite lens in the entire world is this lens it's twenty four to seventy usm to lens it's not a fifty it's not in eighty five to seventy two hundred yes on location in studio in homes this lens never fails me it's, sharp, it's expensive and it's worth every penny. So my thought is I'm just focusing on baby and parents are lovingly adoringly looking in the background I'm not catching it and you can see it oh, I am catching it but I'll crop it out you know I don't care about that, I don't know if you can see it but I lost baby so I couldn't see tiff can we get a bean bag and put it underneath so I'm not concerned too much about the heater because I shoot pretty wide because I don't want to shoot too tight because if I go to enlarge it really big and I've shot too tight I can't so what we're putting it's just a little being bag underneath his head and do that one more time and then you guys will get on the bed okay beautiful okay you guys just look at the baby and you're just blurred in the background it's just very simple beautiful uh it's just so simple just checking to make sure he's nice and sharp I'm gonna actually move my focus point down to baby got her hand oh yes hand off the belly thank you to have a good catch and I'll just do a quick cars on off quick vertical beautiful okay, so see how fun like that okay, so now we're going to get on the bed and we're going to kick off shoes dad she's got to tell you that I'm sorry and so probably not inner and there's such colorful to argyle say anyone wear argyle socks in a while look, you got your lucky socks okay come on, you guys so you're on your valleys dad, you're over here, mom, you're over here and here's the deal do you want me to show you I'm going to show you because I will tell parents hold on I'm going to show you I'm fully clean meaning my peter clean my body's clean I like scrub up when I'm going to do a newborn session for this reason but so what I'm going to say is I'm going to say okay, mom, that well you're gonna do is you're going to get up here and you're gonna lay on your belly and just kick your feet over the side and you're gonna be like this with baby you could be looking down this is a good time to lay ahead but you're gonna be lifting up to a c section okay, good this is important to know that if she had a c section I would not do this pose because I've had three c sections and the last thing I want to do is lay on my stomach so I would do a different pose for a different family for if you had a c section. So mom, I think I said I want you on this side because of your hair and I will advise parents who's going on what side we'll fix pillows and I know you like this bed is like a toy bed, right? You're lying like, oh my gosh, you know, we khun dio hold on shoot that maybe we just and you know what I think if you like kick your feet over a case with scooch in scooch scooch okay, now pretend you're her so comfortable oh my god yeah so I'm also yeah, well but but you know what I think about this what if dad baby is scooped up in dad's arm like your left arm yeah, but I think mom is gonna have to help hold teo sea and the other thing is because no okay, take it back sorry. You know why I couldn't bring it back because the not because we're doing natural light this baby's gonna get sucked into his gray shirt and I'm not going to see baby so it's okay, we can put a roller behind the baby or they can even hold baby yeah, they came home they can hold so we still have this being bag yeah there's a being mag underneath baby's head and I do things in quick set so this is just gonna be a quick set and we're going to change and do mom and baby and daddy baby and then we're done with this set so when I say a set I mean it's it's a pose with transitions ok, so it'll be they're going to look a baby they're going to look at each other they're gonna smile see, you're doing it already good and so I kind of just just stay let's just let's just shoot it and see what we d'oh so now you're doing that you know you're doing the mama gorilla thing where you start picking at your baby right? I have to do start eating the things that you pick up, huh? Okay, now I don't know if we're losing baby but and then I think we need to go over here with the reflector and you know what mom scooch that arm in because here's something weird your tattoo the baby screen, the tattoos screaming at your baby like the mouth is lying like who who is that on your arm? Her mouth is wide open and it looks like she's going to eat the baby so why don't we put your arm in front of you know, keep your arm there normally I would never have the woman's arm behind the man's but we're going to use this to our advantage because I think I want you meaning you're head on him yeah oh yeah but lift I'm kind of bossy so I'm going to just push you around okay? So let's start with them yeah and you're going to just look at baby oh, you look so pretty when you just did that always look at mom in between she does these little things like I love that okay, so cute okay, so this focus all right so heads here how long have you been together wait gotta think about this sorry nine and a half months did you say how all right you've been married are you married been married a year and how long were you together before them very since june and how long were you together before them come on people so it's love it's all good it's all good yeah hey I'm with you it doesn't go away all right so mom lived lean more on his shoulder but dad has to lift up a loo yes good, good good, good good and dad you're gonna look down it baby whoa lost all the light let me go back down there where I wass help them so mom let's just you're both looking at baby for a second we just lost all like I'm just gonna I wass and well okay I'm getting there I opened that all right so you guys were just lovingly endearingly but you gotta be happy people see how cute that looks so dad let's get your feet out of your head so we'll just but see I like how mom's feet aren't around anywhere let's see okay you're looking a baby lovingly but mom still like how you were leaning and yeah eh ah this is why I love shooting in the client's home I love studio but I just love shooting in the client's home can we see the one where the theater the mullahs you like that oh yeah I know that works but that now what her feet come from that's so weird her feet were not in the previous pose ribbit come from I like that I like her but it's gotta look the same tip that looks good now this hand let's get a picture so here's what I do well maybe get rid of us get the shot and then you perfect it right I'm a big believer in obviously we have a perfect baby right now but that's not always the case right you're all nodding your head because that's what happens every time I teach they go and your baby's like perfectly wrapped in sleeping my babies are screaming bloody murder but I you know we've prepped the parents you know so the makeup artist is just talking she goes how do you know if the baby's going to be good and I go? I'm there's things that I do to prep that ninety nine percent work really well we asked mom to watch the food she's eating which means no pizza at midnights even if you're starving there's no pizza at midnight you know we asked them to feed right before and of course he's smiling right before the session right we want them to feed I want ojai I want a hungry, tired, cranky, pissed off baby that's what I want because what's gonna happen they're going to eat I wanted like starving because then they're going to eat and they're going to pass out the fastest leak okay you guys let's do a quick set I want to like just run through set I think we got it so dad's lifting up a little bit let me just do a feat test one more time darn foot dad's foot if I go down okay good idea good idea good beautiful smile smile smile ok ok you're looking at each other uh good on on looking at me lift up a little bit more yeah mom lift up a little bit more and leaning good first family photo beautiful I love it what are the possibilities that you could put your armour on her and give her a kiss and make it look amazing come on now but we can't we can't I can't look at screaming woman on the arm she's lovely okay ready quick maybe stressing go no I don't like that what if you kiss her in the temple yeah and you're looking at me smiling yes yes good I like that but your submission or face come more back out babies like what is happening no pressure just make it great so kiss more towards me yes yes yes not up up yes yes ah love it love it love it so that's like a one two three right so they're looking down a baby. They're looking each other. They're looking at me. The kiss is a bonus, right?