Baby in a Basket Photoshoot
April 21st, 2009 by ariana
Shot with my Canon Digital Rebel Xsi
Sigma 30mm 1.4 lens at these settings:
F 2.8
Shutter speed 1/100 – 1/125
ISO 200.
Image Post Processing in Adobe Lightroom 2.0
Even though Jasper has been sitting for over two months now, he’s STILL not so steady that I feel all that comfortable taking pictures of him sitting. Part of the problem is that he learned to crawl shortly afterwards and is MUCH more interested in being mobile and so never gets the practice in he needs to become a rock steady sitter! But I’m tired of taking pictures of him lying down, so props like this basket are a great solution!
I bought this one for about $10 at TJMaxx. My advice is to bring baby with you and actually try sitting him/her in various baskets to see which ones are tall enough, wide enough, won’t tip over etc. I found it really hard to visualize how he would fit without actually trying it.
The backdrop I used here is a throw from Ikea called “Ofelia”, but it is not the wooly Ofelia one that they have on the website (though I have that one too and love it!) but rather a lighter weight one with more of a honey comb type weave.. I can’t explain it, but I love how in these images it looks almost like waves.
Now for the educational portion of this post..
Please don’t take this the wrong way if you have done this before..but I implore you, do not take pictures of your precious children with a white wrinkly sheet hanging behind them!
I see this all the time on the bump messageboards… A perfectly adorable picture and instead of focusing on the face, my eye is immediately drawn to the wrinkles that looks like, well, dirty laundry. It would be MUCH better to find a blank wall, at least it won’t have wrinkles.
Or, an easier option (because seriously, who has time to IRON?) is to buy a piece of felt or fleece from a fabric or craft store. They may not be totally wrinkle free, but a lot less wrinkly than a sheet. Another option is a throw like mine from IKEA which has a texture already so can’t wrinkle or even a thick white cotton or linen curtain because it is heavier weight material and won’t wrinkle as easily either.
If you have none of these, it is still better to find a nice area of your house to photograph your baby than a wrinkly white sheet. I say this out of love people, so please don’t shoot the messenger :)
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Great pics. How do you get the color and just the picture in general to look so “smooth.”? Very good!
last picture? yeah, to die for! he’s a cutie pie!
Re: foamboard….I usually set up on the front porch (when it’s warm) so I leaned it against the porch railing. I used 2 pieces, one for the back and the other to sit on. I also laid a piece of plexiglass on the bottom for reflection. This worked great until his 1 year smash the cake session. Then it was all destroyed by blue frosting :)
My goodness, he is a beautiful child… those EYES! Gorgeous pics as always!
Thanks Keri,
Actually my amazingly talented knitting Auntie made it for him, along with the cutest cardigan and a cable sweater he wore all winter long. It’s made from cashmerino and is soooo soft!
I love the pics. I think these are my favorite so far! I especially love the blue hat– did you make it?
Skoorb, great idea!
Kari, I think Liam was sitting on the woolly version that I also have but is not the same as the one in these pics.?
Tabitha, great tip about the foamboard. Do you just lean it against a chair or something?
Marybeth, another great idea.. I never tried this b/c Jasper tries to roll off the bed the second he gets on it, but maybe would work great for less squirmy worms than mine!
We have a tall headboard on our bed that works great to support a backdrop drape. Just another idea :)
beautiful photos, as always! i love the textured look to the background. another tip for a white backdrop is foamboard. it’s cheap and you don’t have to iron it :)
He is too cute!
I like the back-drop idea. I’m tired of looking for blank walls around my house. We don’t have many that also happen to have good light. I just also refuse to try the sheet though :)
I love the pictures. He has such beautiful eyes. The Ikea throw really does make a great backdrop!
Becca
Please visit me at http://www.askbecca.com
Ach, what a cutie that child is. He’s getting so big!
cute cute cute. btw, that is the ikea blanket under Liam used in the Easter pic that you asked about :)
Ariana,
Go ahead and post a PSA on 6-12…. : )
and I actually use putty to hold a backdrop to the wall, FWIW!
Love the basket pictures!
Hi Amanda, thanks!
I don’t have a great method yet, I want to get one of these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/16684783 and hang the fabric/throw with clamps or curtain rings.
But as of now I either use his crib to drape fabric over, our diningroom table or take two dining room chairs (ours are square so the top is horizontal to the floor) and spread them apart. Drape fabric over and between them. To keep fabric on I use my Martha Stewart everything clips as clamps or you could put something on the chair itself on the seat part if the seat is facing away from you..(with the back towards you). Hope that makes sense!
I think these pictures are my favorites of your little boy! Quick question though, while I love your advice on using a textured throw as a backdrop, I usually don’t use one at all because I can’t figure out how to get the blanket/curtain panel to stay up over a chair properly. Do you have any tips on securing your backdrop?
LOL Totty, I’m so glad another nestie (are we being called bumpies these days?) agrees. It kills me every time. It’s all I can do to not post a PSA on the 6-12 month board!
Marybeth, so glad your pictures didn’t fall victim to the wrinkly sheet ;)
Great advice on the wrinkled sheet. My husband tried to shoot our holiday picture with the wrinkly bedsheet in the background and I quickly set him straight :) I love the throw you’re using…I’ll have to check it out.
I see that too and I cringe!!! I’m like … even with OUT any formal photo training … why would you think that looks good?? But yeah, thats just the photo snob in me. I LOVE the new pics though … Jasper is too cute. I’m going to have to try the basket idea! :)