Whenever I am about to have a photo shoot I browse similar images to get some inspiration. I have a shoot coming up with a new born baby and her parents. This was actually supposed to be a pregnant shoot however the night of the photo shoot the baby was born.
Top 3 Classics
Anyways, here are the top 3 "classics" that I'm planning on staying away from.
3. Out of Control Family
What better way to capture your family than in their natural environment. Might as well take your kids to Walmart and have one lying on the ground throwing a temper tantrum over not getting the toy they want, while the other is walking back holding onto a Walmart employee cause they couldn't find you, and your baby cries uncontrollably while you look at pajama bottoms.
I'm not a big fan of this style because although it captures the natural energy of the family it leaves a sense of non-unity. The family aspect kind of goes out the door when you're loving your baby and let your other kids run rampant.
2. The Naked Family
There's something about a family that get naked with their baby that just doesn't appeal to my style of photography.
I think this style is supposed to be very raw, sweet, minimalistic, or something like that. But it tends to just look strange to me. Maybe it's cause I don't have kids and don't realize how fun it is to get naked with them.
But shouldn't there be a line not to cross here? For example...
So yeah this style just comes across as creepy to me.
1. Breast Feeding Mom
Can you imagine being an adult, going to your parents house with your significant other, and seeing this on the wall?
I have no problem with breast feeding. You're combining two great things, food and boobs. But is that something that needs to be captured? If my mom had kept pictures of me breast feeding lying around the house I think I would've been traumatized.
Some Good Ideas
Since I used these poor photographers pictures as references for what I don't want to do on my next shoot I thought I'd include a few shots of theirs that I do enjoy.
The Loving Embrase from "Naked dad squeezes naked baby too hard" photographer
I love the emotion in this photograph. The editing style too ads alot to that by bringing about detail in the subjects and the baby's eyes.
Smiling Baby is a Happy Baby from "naked African American family cuddles" photographer
Everyone loves pictures of smiling babies, and capturing that can at times be a challenge for a photographer. But the results are so good and you can't help smile when you see a baby smiling.
Hands Hands Everywhere from "naked families cuddle no matter how old your kid is" photographer
I have to admit this photographer had more maternity pictures that I liked than their baby pictures. But you can never go wrong with hands. They give a sense of just how tiny the child is. Including grandparents can also show a good contrast between the generations.
The Lomo Shot from "do what you want kids, this is only photo shoot is only costing me an arm and a leg" photographer
I love this shot. The natural nature of the shot, the low contrast, the backlight, the lens flare. And at the same time the subjects are doing what they do naturally. It's such a peaceful and great capture.
The Classic Movie Shot from "baby hungry!" photographer
Using brokeh along with creative cropping makes images like this very cool. There's not alot of posing in pictures like this, and that's a good thing because it allows the photographer to capture the natural characteristics of the subjects in the photograph.
Here are a couple other shots that I really liked too.
The Sleeper
A quick capture through the bars of the crib. If you think about it the only thing visible of the baby in this picture is the baby's head. Yet the environment captures something we're all used to seeing babies in and captures that artistically.
The Family Portrait
I thought I'd end with this one, just to get a smile out of you.
I actually love this shot. Yes the little girl looks like she's planning on eating your soul, but besides that it's very classy and entertaining.
::UPDATE::
A buddy of mine sent me this one.
