500 Poses for Photographing Infants and Toddlers: A Visual Sourcebook for Digital Portrait Photographers

About This Book

As any experienced portrait photographer will tell you, working with children can be both challenging and rewarding. When things aren’t going well, the shoot can come to a crashing halt---but when they come together well, the results can be amazing depictions that families will cherish for generations to come

In this book, we’ll look at poses for the very youngest (and most frequently photographed) of child portrait subjects: newborns and toddlers. Obviously, poses that work with a sleepy newborn are quite different from those that suit an adventurous toddler, so why group these kids into one book? There are some good reasons

It can be difficult to remain creative day after day, year after year, but sometimes all you need to break through the slump is a little spark

First, much of early childhood photography involves documenting developmental milestones---the newborn holding her head up, the child’s ability to sit up unassisted, the toddler taking his first steps, etc. These are best understood when viewed in the context of what came before (what the younger child couldn’t yet do) and what will come later (what only an older child can do)

A second common thread in these portraits is an emphasis on relationships. More than with any other age group, very young children are commonly depicted with their parents or siblings. These portraits offer special posing challenges and opportunities, so a section of the book is devoted to images with more than one subject. The child’s relationship with their environment is a related theme, so children are often shown interacting with props. Props can assist with posing, but they also need to be managed carefully and never allowed to overwhelm the small subject

A final---and critical---common thread is the need for speed and efficiency. Portrait sessions with infants and toddlers are generally not long, drawn-out affairs. While flexibility is important, walking into the session with a few great ideas ready to go can help make the session a success

Filled with images by accomplished portrait, fashion, and editorial photographers, this book provides a resource for photographers seeking inspiration. Stuck on what to do with a particular child? Flip through the sample portraits, pick something you like, then adapt it as needed to suit your tastes. Looking to spice up your work with some new poses? Find a sample that appeals to you and look for ways to implement it (or some element of it) with your subject. For case of use, the portraits are grouped according to the age of the subject, and further delineated by the type of pose (seated, standing, with a parent, etc.)

It can be difficult to remain creative day after day, year after year, but sometimes all you need to break through a slump is a little spark. In this book, you’ll find a plethora of images designed to provide just that