There are so many brands that use babies in their commercial marketing campaigns, so it’s not surprising that all parents and guardians with beautiful babies should take full advantage of every opportunity to appeal the decision makers – our clients.
Babies may not be fully aware of their surroundings, but most do respond well to being outside. We love to see photos of happy babies in a comfortable outdoor setting, so we’ll reveal some tips to elevate your baby’s portfolio snaps to grab the attention of thousands of brands who are looking for camera-friendly babies in their next advertising campaigns.
First, any model’s safety is paramount. This is perhaps most important when youngsters are involved. Outdoor photography is a wonderful pastime (and in a model’s case, a huge benefit when impressing clients), but it does come with some warnings. Before you take outdoor photos of your baby, please be aware of the following four points:
- Sunstroke & fatigue. Never underestimate the sun’s power, so if it’s a warm day, take with you plenty of water and keep your baby in the shade when not using your camera / iPhone. Your baby’s welfare comes first, naturally, and an irritable youngster isn’t ideal for beautiful baby photos.
- Watch out for hazards that can affect your baby. There are more dangers / irritants outside than cosy indoor environments. Consider insects in meadows and near water, falling branches, dogs in parks and any number of water hazards.
- Watch the weather forecast. It may be better to avoid an outdoor photo session if it’s likely to rain.
- Always take a favourite blanket and sun hat if necessary. Safety is more important than comfort alone, but both must be considered.
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Photos of your baby sitting outside are perfectly acceptable and often the most effective. That said, photos of them engaging with nature or another person can be more interesting.
Providing the conditions are suitable – and safe – for outdoor baby photos, choose a simple background. Yes, the backdrop of photos can heighten a sense of atmosphere, but your baby’s facial expression is always the most important aspect of any image.
Grab your baby’s attention by engaging with them. This could be playing with toys or pulling funny faces – which should come naturally to parents and family members.
Watch out for unwanted shadows. You may find the best time of the day by trail-and-error.
Make your baby the centre of attention if you want to photograph them with other family members or friends. We always need modelling families, and a lot of our clients prefer a baby or child to be the nucleus of the photos.
Be patient. Rarely will you take the perfect images after venturing outdoors for the first time. Go with the flow, and don’t procrastinate when adding images to your baby’s Models Direct portfolio. Clients need to see current images – especially considering how quickly babies grow!
