INTERVIEW
Karen Wiltshire reveals the rewards of photographing newborn babies
Karen Wiltshire talks the many challenges of newborn photography
There are some moments in life that we associate closely with photography. Among them, the birth of a child is close to the top of the list, along with marriage. But with this comes enormous responsibility, and finding your own creative voice can be a challenge. Over the following few pages, Karen Wiltshire discusses the lessons she’s learned in her successful career to date, and reveals what parents are looking for in stunning newborn photography.
WHICH CAME FIRST, LOVE OF BABIES OR A LOVE OF PHOTOGRAPHY?
I love both, to be honest. But as a mum myself, I love babies and children, so I guess it was that which came first and then the love of photography developed.
WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCES OF PHOTOGRAPHY?
I studied photography as part of my foundation year in art school and totally fell in love with the subject. I loved spending hours in the darkroom developing film and watching prints come to life. I did love photography back then, but I didn’t necessarily see it as a career at that time. Having my own children definitely gave me the reason to have a camera. My husband bought me a DSLR as a birthday gift
in 2007 (it was before camera phones!).
I got to know the camera and took it with me everywhere.
At that time, so many of my friends had babies and young children as well, so I wasn’t short of models. I realised then that I loved the innocence of small children and babies and enjoyed capturing those cute expressions for the parents.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO DEPICT IN YOUR PHOTOS? WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS?
Newborn babies are the most precious gift to the parents. The babies are literally just days old and I fully appreciate that parents are putting their complete trust in me to handle and photograph their tiny babies – it’s a genuine honour!
My aim is to give the parents simple, timeless images of their baby looking safe, snuggled and content. I want them to lovingly hang the portraits on their walls at home and admire them for years to come.
I believe that it’s so important to document your family in photographs in order to be able to relive those special moments in the future. I see child and family portraits as works of art and work hard to create images in a style that will hopefully stand the test of time.
WHO ARE YOUR CHIEF INSPIRATIONS?
Oh, this is a tough question. I have some favourite photographers who just blow my mind with their work. For example, there’s
Cass Vanhorn of Noelle Mirabella Photography, a Canadian photographer who creates the most wonderful, richly coloured portraits of newborns and children that I am in awe of.
The depth of colour and texture is fantastic in her images. Couple that with her ability to create art from photography and the results are spectacular.
Another inspiration is Damian McGillicuddy who is a Master Photographer, here in the UK, and is totally amazing at using light to convey mood and dimension in a photograph.
Kelly Brown, probably the most well-known newborn photographer in the world, is also a huge inspiration. I love Kelly, not only for her beautiful timeless portraits of newborns, but also for her work ethic and her unwavering quest to raise safety standards in the newborn photography industry.
DESCRIBE YOUR LIGHTING TECHNIQUE.
In the studio I have a mix of modifiers I use. I have strip boxes, Profoto octaboxes and two huge Paul Buff parabolic umbrellas.
I love the control the octaboxes give me, and the quality of light I get from them. I tend to use the octaboxes when doing my family/group shots or for my parent shots, as I can control the light spill easier with these and feather the light to suit the subject. I’ve recently started using the indirect parabolic umbrellas for my newborn work, so I can shoot wider open. They take some work to control light spill but create a lovely, soft, natural-light look, which is perfect for newborn photography.
WHAT GENERAL ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO GET INTO THIS FIELD OF PHOTOGRAPHY?
Invest in training! Not just training in how to use your camera, but also training in newborn photography is a must!
The genre isn’t controlled or regulated, so anyone can call themselves a newborn photographer without ever having held a newborn, which scares me a lot! I’ve seen and heard lots of shocking stories about babies being put in danger for the sake of a photograph, and it appals me. So, I’d strongly recommend professional and on-going training in the art of newborn photography to any aspiring photographer.
I’d also suggest not wasting a load of money on the latest props/hats/backdrops etc. A few quality items are all you need to get started. It’s easy to convince yourself that you need lots of props, but keep it simple and you can save an absolute fortune. Parents generally love the simpler shots anyway, without too many props and fuss, so there’s no need to spend loads on props you may never use.
I’d also suggest that you consider which style you’d like to offer. Can you travel to clients’ houses and offer a more ‘lifestyle’ type session? Alternatively, do you have a studio space you’d like to use? If so, it needs to have
plenty of comfortable seating, as parents are sitting for a long time – newborn sessions last several hours. The studio space also needs to be warm, around 24-25 degrees to keep the baby warm and content during the session. Some studios have high ceilings, which can make this really difficult.
DO YOU HAVE A TEAM WORKING WITH YOU ON YOUR SHOOTS, OR DO YOU WORK ALONE?
I’d love to have a team working with me, but at the moment it’s just me. I have a great network of photography friends who, if I need an assistant, will help me out. Often when I work with newborn twins and when I do maternity sessions, I have an assistant to help make the session easier.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU MOST OFTEN FACE IN WHAT YOU DO, AND HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THESE?
I guess a big challenge is managing parents’ expectations. Some parents arrive with a wish list of images as long as your arm, which simply isn’t practical. Newborns are tiny people who can get pretty fed up if they are continually moved and disturbed.
I set my studio up ready for the client’s arrival and make sure I have an idea of their preferences before the session. I ensure I capture a good variety for the gallery, but definitely wouldn’t try to produce a gallery of shots just using props, as they are much harder to settle the baby in. I mix the session up with a few props, some simpler shots on the beanbag and parent/sibling shots.
Another obvious challenge is settling the baby. You need to allow plenty of time for a newborn session. I tell my clients to expect a 3-4 hour session which often surprises parents, but most of this time is taken up with meeting the baby’s needs – feeding, changing and settling them to sleep. The photography itself doesn’t take the time, particularly as I have a newly extended studio where I have several setups ready to go and I can now easily transition between them.
WHAT CAMERA EQUIPMENT DO YOU FAVOUR AND WHY?
I use a Canon 5D Mk IV teamed with a 2470mm 2.8. In my studio space, this is a perfect combination. I’m close enough to the babies, within arm’s reach. I also have a 100mm macro lens to capture those tiny newborn details and a nifty fifty which I use when I want to give my arms a rest. It’s a cracking little lens. Super sharp. On location, I love my 70-200 but it’s a heavy beast and not really suitable for newborns in the studio.
WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE/FAVOURITE SHOOT THAT YOU’VE DONE SO FAR?
I have been lucky enough to photograph several births, they are certainly memorable! That moment the baby enters the world is simply magical. Seeing Mum hold the baby for the very first time and the raw emotion that brings is, without a doubt, nothing short of amazing!
I have photographed over 700 newborns, each special in their own way, so it’s really difficult to pick a favourite. Some of the stories behind the arrival of the baby are just amazing. I’ve met new parents who have waited a very long time to be parents and gone through so much to reach that point. Photographing their newborn is all the more important to them and I love helping them document this hugely anticipated moment.
I’ve also photographed lots of sets of twins, and several sets of triplets. Triplets are pretty memorable sessions! Photographing three babies at the same time is a challenge but pretty rewarding when you get the shots you’re after.
But most of all, I just love spending time with the new families, listening to their stories and getting to cuddle newborn babies most days of the week. I feel very lucky to have this as a job!
WHAT SORT OF EDITING WORK DO YOU DO? DO YOU DO THIS YOURSELF OR OUTSOURCE IT?
I do all my editing myself. I’m a bit of a control freak in how I want my work to look, so outsourcing wouldn’t really work for me at the moment.
I try really hard to cut down on my editing time by getting it right in-camera. If I have my exposure and white balance correct in-camera, then the editing is so much simpler.
I use Adobe Lightroom to organise my sessions and basic edits, then open the file in Adobe Photoshop to remove blemishes, flaky skin and correct jaundice or red skin, which is very common in newborns. Photoshop is an amazing tool with so many options. It’s taken me years to reach a point where I can confidently ‘hand edit’ without using any Photoshop actions at all.
WHAT PLANS HAVE YOU GOT FOR THE FUTURE?
In 2018, I extended my studio. The extra space has been a game-changer. I can offer a greater variety to my clients because I can prepare more setups for the session, and can simply move from one setup to another with minimum disruption to the baby on the day. 2019 looks to be another great year. I plan to grow the newborn training side of the business since I just love passing on all the knowledge I’ve gained over the past ten years to new photographers.