When I first started out on my journey in children’s photography I had no idea that I could shoot lifestyle with newborns.

Like most of us do, I went out and bought some baskets, some black cloth for a “backdrop” and a few other props (yes, for those that know me I did in fact have props at one point in my shooting life!)

I failed. Miserably. I saw all these other photographers rocking baskets, bows, blankets … and I was a shaking, twitching mess at my newborn shoots trying to pull these looks together.

I was already honing my lifestyle craft with families and toddlers and thought “What am I DOING here? I am going against my grain to try and fit into a mold I created solely myself and I am not. having. fun.”

Having fun and “feeling” something when you shoot is critical in my book- unless you want to lead yourself down the path to burn-out in a flash.

So, I shook off the “have to’s” and started to approach newborns the same way I approached my other lifestyle sessions. I began shooting with the same end goal–natural, candid moments of baby and family that literally looked like a ‘peek’ into their lives.

Here are four tips to shoot lifestyle with newborns (even if you are, in fact, the master of newborn set-ups!):

1. Crib Shots.

Don’t neglect to photograph and capture the one place parents see their baby a lot–the crib. Full sweeping photos of nurseries with baby in the crib or a “through the slats” (my personal fave) perspective is a beautiful way to tell a newborn story. Crib life is fleeting. Capture it.

2. The candid moments (Don’t put that camera down just yet!)

While most photographers may put their camera down for a rest or review images while baby is being fed, soothed or changed, these are actually my favorite times to shoot! Talk about lifestyle photos in their purest form! The day-to-day of baby life. Nothing is more beautiful or tells the true story of a newborn more than these moments, in my book.

3. Head to the Master Bed.

A great way to get all of the family interacting with baby is by photographing them on the master bed. It’s big enough to accommodate, very personal, and usually has great light.

I also love doing solo shots on the bed with one of the blankets from their own collection.

Safety alert: If you are working with an ‘old-born’ be sure Mom is right out of frame monitoring the baby just in case they roll over. Middle of the bed is ideal and remember, no shot is worth the compromise of safety for newborns or any child, for that matter.

4. Detail shots at different angles.

Everyone loves to capture those little toes, feet, ears etc. And rightfully so! The newborn yumminess comes and goes in a blink. Try however, to shoot these photos from different angles as you have baby on the bed or in their boppy. The simple change of an angle and a shallow depth of field can allow for these detail shots to be done anywhere, so you don’t necessarily need a black back drop. I’ve done them even on changing tables. Don’t limit yourself.

There are many different ways to capture newborns. Please don’t put yourself in a box or feel you have to emulate what is going on in the industry. Find your own vision of how you want to photograph newborns and start snapping.

Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman, owner of JellyBean Pictures is a die-hard, natural light, lifestyle photographer in New York who loves to search for the light. Like her on Facebook and follow her blog to continue being inspired by her beautiful work!

We are all kinds of excited about today’s Folio Websites giveaway!! Seriously… we are jealous that we can’t win!!

If you are looking for a new website that’s not only great looking, but great for SEO and service, then you’ll want to read all about the folks at Folio Websites.

Folio Websites offers timeless WordPress websites for photographers that are hands down the most highly Search Engine Optimized portfolio websites available!

These 3-IN-1 websites are one of the only solutions available to photographers and artists that offers a complete branded web presence! Your portfolio website, blog, and mobile website will have the exact same look on ANY computer or mobile device!

Folio Websites cloud hosting servers are highly optimized for the WordPress platform and provide daily backups of your website along with instant scalability to ensure your business is online 24/7/365!

Sample Websites

Hosting Features

1. Free automatic setup and installation of your new website … be up and running in minutes
2. 7 GBs of storage space and unlimited bandwidth
3. Complete, unrestricted access to your hosting account through cPanel and FTP
4. Unlimited email accounts or you can easily connect your account to Google Apps
5. Advanced website analytics through Google Analytics

We’re so excited that TWO I Heart Faces readers will win 5 years of FREE hosting plus a Folio Website!  ( $875 value per winner)

Enter to win!

Wait for the box to load below (be patient– it might take a minute), follow directions and enter to win. It’s super easy!
You can not leave comments below to enter, you must use the widget below. Please refresh your page and wait for it to load if you don’t see it. Also try a computer, not a phone.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Must be 18 years or older to enter. Winners will be contacted via email within 48 hours of contest close. Check back here next week to see who won. Giveaway ends at midnight on Feb. 12th. Good Luck!

UPDATE: If you have waited and still can’t see the widget box to enter, we have also added it to our Facebook Page. You can enter over there by clicking HERE. Hopefully you will see it in one of these locations. It’s the same widget, so you may enter in either place. Thanks!

Have you been wondering if it’s time to call yourself a professional? Start a business? Really put yourself out there? And if so, where should you focus your energy? In today’s post, Jill Sloffer writes a letter to one aspiring professional photographer: herself. Read on and be inspired by the lessons she learned from her first year in business.

An Open Letter to the Soon-to-Be-Professional-Photographer: Me

Dear Me,

This may be a bit confusing, but this is you writing this letter.  Well, it’s me, but it’s you too, just a year from now.  Like in the movie The Lake House, but this isn’t Keanu Reeves and the ending is better.  Anyway, I don’t want to give away too much, but 2011 is a pretty great year.  You’re about to start something really amazing.  It will be TONS of hard work, but I promise, you will be glad you took this leap.  Just remember a few things as you start your photography business, okay?

1. Don’t confuse inspiration with envy.

Be prepared, Lady.  You already know that photography can bring out your insecurity, but now that you’ve started a business, the jealousy can get intense.  It’s okay to admire others’ photos and try to figure out what you like about them, but don’t get on the big green envy bus.  It won’t take you anywhere you want to go.

2.     Don’t waste your time trying to be someone else.

You know how you take a picture to your hair stylist and say, “This is what I want,” and how then you’re disappointed when your hair doesn’t look like that photo- and your face doesn’t look like Rachel McAdams?  It is the same with your photography.  Try all you want to imitate a photo you love, just don’t get upset when your “inspired” photo doesn’t turn out how you expected. Embrace what makes your photography unique and run with it.  Your clients are hiring you for YOU, Silly!

3.     Workshops are worth the price of admission.

Remember the photography workshop you went to about 6 months ago?  Yeah, that is going to pay off big time.  All of the business advice and photography knowledge that the teacher and other photographer-attendees shared with you was invaluable.  Good call on that one.  You should go to another one, for sure.

4.     Be secure and confident.

Joining the community of professional photographers, online and in real life, can feel a lot like high school.  It seems like your peers are more popular, more talented, and all you want to do is fit in with them.  But thankfully you are older and wiser now, so when you post a photo and see that it had 60 views and no comments, try not to take it too hard.  Or when you tweet something super clever and the only tweeted reply is from @crickets, it may sting a bit, but remember putting yourself out there is a part of being an artist.  Some people will love your work-remember to thank your Mom and Dad- and some people won’t.  Criticism doesn’t feel good, but it helps you become a better photographer.  So reach out, make friends, and don’t be afraid to fail.  Good things are coming.  I know it.  Wink, wink.

5.     Keep your family first.

As much as you love photography, you love your family more.  Take good care of them.  When you are being paid for your portrait sessions, you will feel extra pressure to spend even more time tucked away editing and getting the photos just right.  But a year is going to fly by, so don’t spend it looking at the computer screen the whole time, ok?

That’s all the advice I can give you, my dear.  I don’t want to disrupt the space-time continuum or anything like that.

Love,

The 2012 You

Jill Sloffer is a photographer in Fort Wayne, IN.  She loves hanging out with her husband, loving on her 4 kids, and eating cheese (or just about anything dipped in cheese).  You can find more of her ramblings and photos on her blog, facebook, and twitter.

Welcome to our photo challenge!  This is our week off from going through entries but we will still be hosting a fun, informal photo challenge through our Facebook Fan Page.

This week’s theme is the letter “L”. There are three ways to enter your photo into the mix:

• Head over to our Facebook Fan Page, click on “photo” and then upload your “L” themed photo directly to our wall.
• Upload your photo to your own Facebook Fan Page wall.  You will need to tag I Heart Faces in your description so that it will still show up on our wall.  If it doesn’t show up on our wall, we won’t be able to find your entry!
• Not on Facebook?  You can still participate!  Upload your photo to our free photography community.  Tag your image with IHFletterL so that we will be able to find it.

Tip:  To view all of the images being entered, go to the top of our wall and click on “Everyone (Most Recent)” rather than just “I Heart Faces”.

Theme Details:

• You are not limited to only one photo this week.  Show off as many of your very best images as you’d like!
• Be creative and unique…we’ll be featuring our favorites right here on our blog later this week.
• This theme is very open and faces are not required.
• If you don’t already, we’d love for you to “Like” our page while you are there!  :)
• Read more details about our weekly photo challenge themes here. 

Photo Credit: IHF Community Member, Carol Ann Pope

What types of photos do you think would be perfect for the letter “L”? Help inspire others in our community by sharing your ideas in the comments section below!