We’ve all seen them, on magazine covers, billboards and even on TV.  Super cute photos of babies are everywhere!  I’ve come to the realisation that nine out of 10 parents (most people actually) would love to have photos like these taken of their babies but they haven’t put any thought into what it takes to get these beautiful baby portraits.

It’s a fact that babies are “hardwired” to smile at faces they recognise (this means you, mommy and daddy)  This is an age old survival mechanism to make them even cuter to you, so you will do your utmost best to give them your all.

So in your photoshoot we really appreciate when you also make an effort to make your baby smile.  I can promise you that you are probably more than the  one-hundredth person I’ve seen pulling faces, making animal noises pr playing air guitar as if your life depended on it, simply to get your little one to crack a smile.  And frankly put we prefer it this way J

So don’t forget to bring your “wacky side” to the studio as we love them all!

Riani Labuschagne & Yolandi Jacobsz

Cute baby photos

Babies are the cutest little people, and it’s wonderful that they actually don’t get born already talking and walking, but gets to crawl first, and gurgle, and make all of these noises to express themselves. Some babies are a bit more serious, but then you get some like this baby – all smiles, and very very friendly.

This year alone, we have done over 400 shoots, many of which families and babies, so get to work with kids from all ages up, going through a sorts of different phases and know what things work to get baby to smile. We just ask all our clients to trust us as professionals, because we are grateful for you to have picked our studio to capture your memories, and that we will get you kiddies to smile, even if we get close to standing on our heads.

A shoot can be a very fun experience, or quite intimidating for small kids because the backdrop is already this big white space that they don’t know what to make off, and then we ask them to smile on it as well. But still know that we use your time in the studio well, and make sure we do the photos with the kids first as they get stimulated very fast, and only give us a few minutes, then they’re done. We always try and not force them into more, as it will only result in crying faces, which isn’t what they Gram’s want to see when you give them photos of the kids for Christmas.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labsuchagne

Fun baby photos

Buhle & Nobuhle’s photoshoot is one of those that will stay with me for a while.  My brother also has twins and I was really looking forward to the challenge two babies would bring to our studio J  Little did I know that they would make me work as hard as we did.  Little bro smiles like there is no tomorrow, you simply have to look at him and make a funny noise and he smiles a million dollar smile.  His sister on the other hand is very VERY serious, you can do whatever you want (I think we tried everything except standing on our heads) and she just regards what you are doing, then resumes doing her own thing.  Interesting combination don’t you think.

I have found especially with twins they normally “balance each other out”  If the one is an extrovert the other will most likely be an introvert.  And with these two it came to the point where if Nobuhle wants to crawl, Buhle only wanted to sit stilland vice versa.

What we then try and do is use poses like where mom and dad are holding the twins hands (standing) so they have to move at the same pace – if that makes sense?  In the end we captured some truly beautiful shots and had lots of fun with these two in their baby photoshoot.

Riani Labuschagne & Yolandi Jacobsz

Professional photos of twin babies

Taking photos of babies is a little like a science experiment.  Let me explain:  If you have ever had a little one in the house you will know that some nights they sleep better than others (those are the smiley, happy and inquisitive days) and others they just don’t feel well because it’s been a really hot day or they just didn’t sleep well because the neighbourhood dogs kept barking through the night.  There are all these different factors which can all lead up to the most amazing photoshoot so we need to control the factors we can, like time of day etc. 

These are just a few of the reasons why we mostly schedule baby photoshoots during the morning, as they tend to be “fresh” and smiley after their night sleep.  I always say these little ones run the world J

One of babies and little kids best attributes are their brutal honesty.  So if you do something funny, make a funny noise or pull a funny face I want to to almost guarantee you that they will laugh and smile.  “Entertainment” by mom and dad is key.  You know your baby much better than we do, so we always ask you to play with them, like you would at home.  Hold them up in the air above you and bounce them, play peek-a-boo etc.  Beautiful baby photos are not simply snapshots, they are created by a team of people entertaining behind the scenes and other taking photos.

Lastly you can also bring along items like bumbo seats (As this gives cute little shots while they are “sitting”) as well as noisy toys to keep their attention and make them smile.

Riani Labuschagne & Yolandi Jacobsz

Baby Photos in studio

We have absolutely amazing families visiting us, and because our studio prides ourselves in giving our clients the best products we possibly can, it involves us connecting with our client, so that we have a mutual bond shared, and we then get so much more natural, warm smiles out of everyone. Most babies just need a bit of stimulation and a tickle to smile, and sometimes you get babies like this one, not even a lot is needed, and the giggles came by itself.

This was such a friendly baby, and we had more than enough images after the shoot to be enough for two packages. It’s mostly a good idea to NOT dress- and keep undressing baby in too many outfits, therefore we advise parents to bring your baby in an outfit ready for shooting, something cute, as babies are already adorable just the way they are, and then we undress them in diapers for a few shots. Too many outfits breaks their stride when they are either having a lot of fun already, or already starting to get niggly, and it’s just a huge irritation to them. Because babies haven’t had a lot of sun exposure, they don’t have bright undertones to their skins yet, and can appear very pale. Therefore it is best to keep their clothes nice and bright, to liven up their shots, and to bring some energy to their images. We advise parents on not white, or black, as this tends to wash out any skin tones, and has no colour to give a bit of impact.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

 Photoshoots for babies

Any parent of a new baby would be able to tell you that they would just not be able to get enough photos of their brand new little person. Many fascinated mommies have admitted to just sitting and staring at new baby, and we understand the gesture completely, because they are so beautiful.

Our Maternity/Newborn combination package is such a viable package for new parents, because it gives you the chance for a shoot still with your pregnant tummy – a special time before this little important person presents themselves to the world, and a second shoot with your gorgeous newborn baby, as the new addition to your family has to have some images of their perfect selves, and we get to shoot proud mommies and daddies as well.

In our shoots we always try and accommodate all clients as much as we can, we try and give them a big variety of photos, with different styling and poses, and see to it that what they wanted out of their shoot, they got, and we know that little babies can be quite unpredictable, so we patiently try to sooth them, and give mom they necessary time for a feeding in the shoot – it makes baby just calmer. Come and celebrate your new little person’s life with us, and get to enjoy a beautiful shoot to remember the tiny stage of a newborn baby.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Newborn baby photoshoot

Taking professional baby photos are always a lot of fun.  They come in different shapes and sizes and don’t forget that they discover a new skill at every stage they go through.  Some are just starting to smile (SO ADORABLE) and some have just learnt to sit by themselves so we prop them up on colourful cushions.  And don’t forget once they start to crawl they maneuver all over the place, literally everywhere BUT the backdrop where we want them to be. 

This is also the time when they start enjoying games like peek-a-boo and clapping their hands when encouraged to do so.  Whatever stage your baby is in I would recommend having professional baby photos taken.  Time and again we see how quickly these little people grow up and learn new skills.  It is something you can never get back but can preserve by hacing it captured by a pro baby photographer.

I have learnt that patience is key with these little ones, some are very outgoing and social (it doesn’t take a lot to make them smile from ear to ear) and others are a little slower to warm up with shy little smiles in the beginning and warming up towards the middle of the shoot. 

Having mom and dad get involved in making their little one smile and interact is very cute to watch – I always say I wish I had a camera to capture THAT

For more information on packages, availability and tips and tricks to getting beautiful photos taken of your baby please contact us on 011 869 7759 or info@louisedieselphotography. co.za

Riani Labuschagne & Yolandi Jacobsz

Professional baby photos