Unnoticed Gems | That smirk

Starting a new series, dedicated to split-second moments captured by my faithful 2nd camera body (Canon 1DMarkIV) with the much raved about Canon 135mm f2.0. The 2nd body stays slung on me throughout shoots so anytime a moment pops out, screaming for a snap, I switch bodies and fire away – almost feels like target practice.

Thankfully, I’ve nailed some bullseyes. Here’s the first from a recent wedding:

This lil’ one looking rather pleased with succeeding in getting grandpa to carry him instead of being within the confines of the pram.

Newborn snaps

In my job, the most satisfying moments are those that encapsulate pure bliss within a snap. Last weekend, this came in the form of my first venture into newborn photography.

Presenting the incredibly adorable baby Hayden:

Barely 2 weeks old, it was perfect timing. Most claim that beyond the 14-day mark, newborns change exponentially, from their features to behaviour thus losing some of that ‘newborn’ aura.

Here’s a quick rundown of the shoot flow

First step: Get the baby to sleep. The parents had an awesome rocking machine which had lullaby tracks that were scientifically proven to be most effective. What intrigued me most was the one that sounded like a vacuum machine on its lowest power setting – according to the mother, it was closest to the sound of the womb and thus most familiar to the newborn.

Second step: Set up the location. We chose the bedroom window sill for the shoot, with natural light flooding in and forming a nice glow around our peaceful infant. After that was set, I fired up Photon strobes but only used the modelling lamp with a grid on it to cast a soft illumination on his face.

(Photon strobes are really affordable, made in China but have been getting the job done for me thus far. They also come in really handy for location shoots as they run on  a battery pack and are 600w, enough to light subjects even in harsh overcast daylight situations. Also they come with a neat hard case and are compatible with Bowen mount light modifiers. All for a great deal of SGD$600 at Orient Photo, SIm Lim Square)

Third step: Props. Baskets, towels, cute baby outfits, anything that screamed cute was mix and matched for the shoot.

Fourth step: Snaps. Just so I could catch him in his natural gestures and movements, I mounted a Canon 135mm and snapped from a distance.

A salute to awesome parents

There’s definitely much more to this art than I’ve covered and there are many amazing newborn photographers out there who have inspired me while I was researching for this shoot. Looking forward to the next assignment already!