What is it about babies that makes us smile…?  Is it the naughty twinkle in a baby boy’s smile or the rosy cheeks of an angelic baby girl?!  Somehow they spread joy and love wherever they are (well most of the time anyway   )  This little baby boy chose today to take a break in his routine by not taking a late morning snooze.  So he wasn’t too smiley when they walked through through our doors for their professional baby photos.  But in the studio we had no trouble getting him to crack a smile and laugh from his belly   Between Mom, Granny and me we know all the secrets to getting babies to laugh when they are having their baby photos taken.  Photographing babies is all about making it about fun and games, playing peek-a-boo behind a camera and much, much more!!!  I find that the more you smile when taking photos of babies the more likely they are to smile right back at you.  So just have fun!

Riani

Photographing newborn babies is a dream come true for me…  I have been fascinated with these little newborn angels since I have been old enough not to be one anymore   They are so tiny and precious and I could just stare at them all day long.  They reflect everything the world should believe in and then some more. Little A is a precious bundle of joy, he is 3 weeks old and is such a contented little boy (They say kids get

this from their parents)  He is so aware of everyone and inquisitive let me tell you, looking every which way.  He adores his father and just stares into his eyes (it was such a beautiful moment :)   )  Taking photos of newborn babies is something you perfect over time.  The studio needs to be the right temperature, and the studio lights need to be dimmed, and don’t forget to turn the flashes down so that they won’t mind the flash.  This

is where all the sentimental magic begins…  I have photographed many moms, dads and their newborn babies and they have these looks of absolute contentment and wonder on their faces every single time they look at the little bundle in their hands.  I absolutely love to capture this incredible bond which cannot be touched by your hand but only felt with your heart…

Riani

Woman at work started off with a bang this year!  Seeing that it is the month of Valentine’s day it was themed for the love of…  Louise Diesel shared some of her wisdom about loving what you do and doing what you love.  Let’s start with the definition of love.  (Basically liking

someone / something without judgement including “the good” and “the bad”)  Let’s use loving a spouse as an example.  In the beginning you fall in love with the perfect man, everything about it is just so right.  This is infatuation.  After a while you start noticing that it isn’t exactly as perfect

as you thought but it is still good.  Adn this is real love, pain and pleasure.  There are lots of people who don’t love what they do because they are clinging to a fantasy that something else (anything else for that matter) will be much better than what they have right now. (infatuation with another occupation / job etc)  So instead at looking at all the negative things start asking different questions like how does this “negative aspect /

scenario” serve me in my life.  Start being grateful for the things that you have instead of sulking about the things you don’t have (or make a plan to acquire those skills / that job / or the life that you want) but stop feeling sorry for yourself.  The charity for this month was The Door of Hope

in Glenvista.  They literaly have a door in the wall where mom’s can leave their babies and they will be loved and placed into adpotive homes.  It
was really wonderful seeing so many new faces at this event, because every new cycle brings along change.  Ladies I have been to all past 12

events and after seeing everything that has happened so far and how much your initiative has grown, I can only wait in anticipation to see what the rest of this year has in store…

Riani

This little angel was the flowergirl at a wedding I had the pleasure of photographing recently.  She is 25 months old and as busy
as any toddler of her age.  Almost like she’s got ants in her pants   The only way I was able to take some photos of little
“K” was to take a photo and show her the pic on the screen on the back of the camera.  She was very pleased with this and then
continued to pose for a few more.  Isn’t she just a little darling…?

So when you are photographing kids remember to rather try to become part of their world than to impose with yours.  Sit on the
floor with them, sing to them and maybe kick a ball around.  This helps them to relax and get comfortable with you and the camera.
Keep taking photos even when they are not looking directly at the camera, sometimes these photos turn out even more beautiful.

Keep photographing, don’t stop to check and delete some photos because you might miss the moment.  Have fun!
Riani

Little babies like “C” are busy busy busy.  They don’t like being handled and held all the time, they’d rather be sitting on the
floor or crawling around.  So the trick is to make it fun.  Tickle them and throw them into the air.  Play peekaboo and remember

to keep smiling and encouraging them, as they tend to imitate their parents behaviour.
Riani

I read somewhere that the choice to have a baby is momentous… It is to have your heart walk outside of your body for the rest of your life!    Being pregnant for 9 months feels like an eternity (especially the last month or so)  But then once your little angel is born time flies so fast you

would think someone has hit the fast forward button.  I spoke to a friend the other day and looking at the photos she couldn’t believe that their little boy has grown so big in such a short time.  With newborn photography we use lots of love and the utmost of care to preserve these precious memories of the first few weeks of their lives.  Youe newborn baby will never again be so tiny and dependent on you.  Take the time and invest in capturing these precious moments forever!

Riani

Toddlers are in a league all of their own (if you know what I mean)  Someone asked me last night isn’t it hard to photograph little babies because they just lie exactly the way you posed them, and I replied that they are actually easier to photograph when they’re not “running” all over the studio.

The secret is to make the photoshoot fun for the little ones (and for everyone involved) so that they think they are only playing.  I just love to capture them at their most natural… giggiling and throwing coloured balls around and riding multicoloured reindeer…

Ahh, sibling love   These shots can be quite tricky as the “older” sibling is sometimes just a little kid.  So make sure mom or dad is just within arms reach to catch the little one if we decide we’ve had enough and just get up.  Other than that… HAVE FUN!!!

Riani