Baby Gil

Well behaved baby

This was my first portrait session with a baby.  He was a remarkably well-behaved baby.  I was able to photograph him for about 45 min before he got cranky and tired and started screaming and crying.  That's better than most adults do.  

One way to keep a baby still: swaddling

There's an added level of creativity with portrait shoots, because I have to pose the subject.  With an adult, it's easy enough to say, "lean on your elbow" or "look over there," but babies don't really respond to instruction.  And I don't really know about babies in general to feel comfortable moving or positioning them.  So a lot of it is making suggestions to the parents or taking suggestions from the parents, and then hoping for the best.  

Love the "catch light" in the eye

The benefit of shooting portraits is the subject remains relatively still, so I have more time to adjust settings, check images, and redo shots.  The disadvantage is that there is less margin for error.  If I'm shooting a couple dancing, I can have a little motion blur.  Sometimes, it's advantageous.  But with a portrait, it has to be perfect.  Sometimes just shooting numerous frames increases the chances of getting a keeper.  But sometimes I shoot a bunch of frames, and I don't realize that there is a chair in the way, or I've cut off an arm, until I look at the images on the computer screen. 

Detail Shot

I found that detail shots like this one work really well.  In fact, looking back at the album, the comparison of the adult hands with the child's hands/feet/body work really well.  I'll have to remember that for the future.  As it turns out, this shot wasn't planned at all.  I saw it, shot it, and it came out well.  A lot of this is just luck.  And a lot of luck is knowing how to capitalize upon an opportunity.