Up to the light
Aug, 2016Views
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Awards
2020 Choice Award
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
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Superb Composition
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in my living room in St. Louis. It was in front of a large window that allowed a lot of natural light into the room.Time
This had to be taken on the baby's schedule. It was taken in early afternoon, when we expected her to be asleep. She ended up being awake, and I loved the results of that.Lighting
This was taken with baby laying on her side on a newborn posing bag. To get the effect of making it look like Dad was holding her up we had to have abundant light on "top" and dramatic shadows on "bottom". I did this by facing her to the window and blocking most of the light behind her.Equipment
I used a basic entry level DSLR and natural light. The camera I used had a crop sensor, and my widest lens at the time was 35mm. This meant I had to stand on a chair above them to get everything in frame.Inspiration
I took newborn photography classes and got several posing ideas from them. I love the drama of black and white photos and thought this pose would be perfect for that.Editing
Yes, I had to darken the background. I did use a black sheet, but it wasn't dark enough. I also did minor tweaks to the lighting to add contrast between light and shadow.In my camera bag
I use a Nikon 3200, with my favorite lenses being 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8.Feedback
Take LOTs of photos. Babies wiggle a lot, and they change so quickly that it's hard to get a redo. For this pose, lay baby on his or her side facing the light. Have dad put his hands under her. You have to stand directly over the bag to get a good angle, which can be tricky with Dad or Mom right there. Practice the stance before bringing baby in.
