I’d be lying if I said reading this book didn’t inspire me on creative ways to capture my own future children. BUT, there’s no news on that front as of now (but thanks to those who’ve been asking ;) haha). Really, picking this up was a quick read for me and a good time to do so as I’m hopeful that I’ll be photographing more babies in 2012 for past clients and dear friends. While I am not a studio specializing in newborn photography, I like the idea of offering intimiate, at home sessions for friends and past clients who are transitioning from their wedding with me to starting a family.
So, on that note, there was a lot for me to love about Me Ra Koh’s “Your Baby in Pictures”. I’ve been a fan of Me Ra’s for years now, as her blog was one of the first I discovered who actually taught me something about aperture and shutter speed and ISO. That easy-to-understand knowledge resurfaces 10-fold in this book, which, admittedly, a lot of it was old news to me (each “recipe” she posts for poses comes with an explainer on achieving the look with a point-and-shoot and a DSLR) but it’d be wonderful reading for new parents who are not professional photographers.
Where I felt like I benefited most in reading was learning more about moments parents may want to have captured by their photographer, from tiny hands and yawns, to the power of a simple image like dad touching nose to nose with his new baby. While I’m tempted to give my copy away to a mom who could use the tutorials, I’m holding on to it because of the posing inspiration alone!
Me Ra also shares a lot of little tips on getting your baby to best cooperate with you for a shoot, cranking the heat up so they’re not fussy, shooting early in the day as that’s when babies tend to be more active (I never knew that!), to considering shooting in a parking lot instead of a park (“I resist shooting at the paper because sunlight reflecting off green grass can give babies a weird tint”).
If you’ve photographed your fair share of babies, you likely already know most of this, but I still feel like I learned a lot and this book would make for a great Christmas or shower gift for an expecting parent or a mama or papa whose baby is under a year old. Too many moments they shouldn’t have to miss!
January’s Book: Linchpin by Seth Godin
February’s Book: The Courage to Create by Rollo May
March’s Book: Creating Customer Evangelists by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba
April’s Book: Today We are Rich by Tim Sanders
May’s Book: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
June’s Book: Fine Art Wedding Photography by Jose Villa
July’s Book: VisionMonger by David duChemin
August’s Book: The Likeability Factor by Tim Sanders
September’s Book: Love Marks by Kevin Roberts
October’s Book: Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith
See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.
Awesome stuff Gail! Thank you for sharing this great gook! And here I thought there was some news! xoxo
Couple things:
First, Mera was hugely responsible for my progression into paid photography. Her DVD’s are outstanding for newer photogs.
Second, OHMYGOSH! How fun was it today to see YOU pop up on J.Star’s blog! :D Your picture is beautiful and your advice is stellar.
Third, Sorry I haven’t commented on your blog in ages. It disappeared from my reader. Fixing that right away. :)
love this book – i think i’ve given out no joke about 15 copies this year alone as baby gifts, it’s a perfect present.
also saw that you have love marks in your reviews – have loved kevin roberts for years, be sure to check out his video on how teamwork is like workign with a flock of geese.
Stopping by from Jasmine’s blog! Just wanted to say thanks for the tips you shared in your post today. I don’t have a full-time job aside from photography, but your tips, especially the part about actually taking care of your body, were really helpful. Thank you!
It is amazing how my perspective of what to photograph changed after having my own baby — especially individual photos of a child with each parent. What I see as a photographer and what I want captured as a parent can sometimes be conflicting. I can’t tell you how many poorly exposed or out of focus images I have saved of Ava b/c I wanted to remember her expression. My mommy goggles definitely get the best of me sometimes :)