Are you taking pictures for a nursing mom? Wanting to do a breastfeeding photography project? These Tips for a Breastfeeding Photo Session will help you make the mom comfortable in front of the camera and give you pointers on creating an artistic nursing session. Take these tips and have a professional breastfeeding photography session.
Tips for a Breastfeeding Photo Session
Nursing sessions are a beautiful way to create connections and capture organic moments between a mother and baby. You don’t need a lot of props and they can usually wear clothing they already have (unless you’re trying to achieve a specific style)
The most important thing to keep in mind – Don’t limit yourself just to breastfeeding moms, include bottle-feeding moms as well! Some women can’t breastfeed but you can still capture the tender moments that come with nourishing your baby.
If you have a specific style in mind for your photos, don’t be afraid to stat that in your initial conversations with the mom. For my breastfeeding session, they include use of my Motherhood Collection, which I regularly offer for my artistic maternity or nursing sessions.
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Lighting
The time of day I love shooting outdoors is about an hour before sunset (golden hour). The lighting is gorgeous and will give you breathtaking photos. If you are backlighting with the sun behind your subject, be sure to use a reflector so your foreground isn’t too dark. I also will do them mid-day, but be sure to find a shaded area so you don’t get harsh lighting and shadows. This photo was taken about 5pm and the sun didn’t set until around 8:30.
Posing
As far as posing goes, most moms are most comfortable laying down or sitting cross-legged on a blanket on the ground. If you are providing a chair, then just have them sit as they usually would at home. You don’t want the session to appear “unnaturally posed” or it defeats the purpose of creating an organic moment.
Different angles are important for creating a variety for your client’s gallery. My favorite angle is shooting over the moms shoulder and focusing on the baby’s eyes or eyelashes.
-Crouching (ground level) for whole body/scenic shots
-Over the shoulder (focusing on baby’s eyes/eyelashes)
-Baby’s feet or hands on mom
-Mom’s hand on baby’s head looking down
-Mom reclining or laying down
-Mom with baby just interacting and having fun (not feeding)
-Mom standing (nursing or just holding)
Post-processing
I use Greater than Gatsby actions for my post processing. Some things I do by hand and create my own actions, but mostly I used GTG Innocence and Newborn Workflow. I use a combination of both collections to achieve the style I want.
It all comes down to envisioning something in your mind and going out there to make it happen! It took me close to three months to build up my wardrobe, get my custom headpieces made, and find models that were willing, but it paid off! There is nothing more satisfying to a photographer than creating a vision in their mind and then making it happen with breathtaking results. That’s what makes the difference between a picture and a portrait.
Mama’s Milk, No Chaser gives you even MORE photo tips for a breastfeeding photo session.
I am a newborn photographer in Windsor, Ontario and I specialize in organic sessions for newborns. I also have an awesome husband who supports me and all my crazy ideas, and two children – Virginia (age 3) and Dominic (1 year) You can see more of my work at my WEBSITE.
Happy Shooting!
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