Newborn photo-sessions under minimal light conditions

Newborn photography as much as it brings a joy to work with those tiny hands and feet it can be equally challenging. I go to each indoor location with an open mind, willing to embrace any challenges. My mantra is expect to see the best but be prepared for the worst!

If you are a newborn photographer like me who like to travel to client`s place; you know very well how diverse each indoor location is and type of challenges it can pose. Not all photographers have a studio filled with ideal lights that can can be switched on or off tuned with the type of photoshoot.
The most common of all the challenges in an indoor photo session -dreadful low light conditions or less adequate light conditions. Ceiling light or floor lamps may help to see clearly but often leaves more work during post processing.

For newborn sessions inside an apartment or smaller areas, I like to inform my client that I will need a clutter-free area size of a dining table with some natural light. And parents are usually more than good following instructions. Many of them will send a few pics of the location or corner of the room to take a look that they have picked. That becomes immensely helpful to give my input for a session or have a general idea what to expect.

I donot use flash on newborns. So my sole pillar of confidence are my tools and creative judgement. Knowing the settings of your own camera and using those to mitigate the challenges- we all know about that. The challenge is to to remember them as one is trying to set up the props or trying to pose the newborn while keeping an eye on the ticking clock outlining the time frame of the session.

• A good set of lenses is ones first tool. I like to use 24-70mm and a 85mm both f 2.8. 85mm are great for capturing closeups even in low light conditions. 
• If there is a choice of wraps or outfit for the baby, choose the one that radiates the skin tone and not subdues it.
• Select the spreads such that the textures and its finishing brightens the skin tone of the subject. For example; darker skin tones look beautiful when used in conjunction with a colour such as matt dark blue, matt brown, matt grey. Notice I have mentioned matt three times because it indeed serves three advantages-

1. Looks great after edit.
2. Easy to straighten the creases.
3. Gives more support to the infant and helps to retain the position of the baby compared to shiny slippery polyesters.

Avoid using glossy fabrics or velvet finishing as spreads in lowlights as they make the subject look darker by appearing overexposed in the pictures.

Last but not the least have a fair idea on how to post process the images. Editing softwares are amazingly useful tool to give the captured image a whole new look. Who can tell that the newborn photoshoot happened on a raised area such as a dining table or a coffee  table and not a studio!