“Capturing babies and young children requires you to increase your camera's shutter speed"

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Family and newborn photographer Louise B about her shot 'New Beginnings'

Newborn Photography
New Beginnings - Louise aims to capture the essence of how a newborn fits into the family unit, receiving plenty of love and attention (Image credit: Louise B)

As a photographer who specialises in family and newborn images, Louise’s timeless images aim to tell a story about each family. She does this by creating a relaxed and organic atmosphere to capture the raw beauty of the special bond between family members. “If the subjects aren’t fully relaxed, then it shows,” Louise says. “But taking a short break to reset can really help.” Lots of patience is required, especially with newborns but, having young children of her own, she understands what’s required to get the balance between the perfect shot and a happy and calm family.

Louise prefers working in her clients’ homes and shooting with natural light. “For this shot, we were in their apartment, which had high ceilings and was flooded with natural light,” she says. “Capturing babies and young children requires you to increase your shutter speed as there are sudden movements and changes in facial expressions.” With her background in design, Louise uses a mixture of textures and fabrics to create further depth and interest. “The new mother chose a beautiful dress from a collection I have for these sessions. The delicate sleeves add a touch of elegance to the image,” she says.

In post-production, Louise carried out some basic editing steps, adding some texture around the newborn’s hairline to ensure she visually dominated the frame. “Newborns tend to have a red undertone to their skin, which quite often has patches and pimples, so I took the saturation down along with the texture,” she explains. “Once I had removed the main blemishes, the skin appeared much smoother but I avoided heavy airbrushing to keep the subject looking natural.”

Newborn Photography
Louise B

Louise B is a London-based photographer. Her career started with working in fashion design, where part of her job was Product Photography. Later Louise worked at at WGSN, a world-leading trend forecasters, with clients such as Vogue and Alexander Mc Queen to name a few. After the birth of her first child, she pursued her long passion for photography, enrolling on a course at the British Academy of Photography. Louise is also a supporter and volunteer for the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) which supports parents through birth and early parenthood. 

Tech details

(Image credit: Nikon)

Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Nikon 50mm f/1.8
Aperture: f/1.8
Shutter speed: 1/200 sec
ISO: 320

Image

This article originally appeared in Digital Photographer, a monthly magazine, and the kitbag essential for pros, enthusiasts, and amateurs alike!

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Kim Bunermann
Kim Bunermann
Technique Editor

Kim is the Technique Editor of Digital Photographer Magazine. She specializes in architecture, still life and product photography and has a Master's degree in Photography and Media with a distinction from the FH Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences in Germany. While studying, Kim came to the UK for an exchange term at the London College of Communication. She settled in the UK and began her career path by joining Future. Kim focuses on tutorials and creative techniques, and particularly enjoys interviewing inspiring photographers who concentrate on a range of fascinating subjects including women in photography, the climate crisis; the planet, its precious creatures and the environment.