- What is the best light for newborn photography and maternity photography?
- Is it better to use a softbox or an umbrella?
- How many studio lights do we need?
- Is studio flashlight harmful to baby eyes?
We also decided to answer these questions as much as possible by writing this blog and preparing several educational videos.
1- Natural light
The best and cheapest light is natural light. The human eye sees almost anything with the reflection of natural light.
Therefore, photography with this light, due to its nature, color, and power, creates the most similar image to the human eye.
It is also the cheapest light in terms of price. It is almost easy to use and does not require a flash trigger, wiring, and all kinds of softboxes.
It can be oriented and adjusted using several simple curtains and reflectors. The main problem with this light is that it is unpredictable and changes at different times of the day and season.
On a winter day with rain and black clouds, there is almost no light for photography. If, like us, you live in a rainy city like Vancouver, you may only be able to use natural light for a few months of the year.
A suggestion:
Try to choose a place for the studio that has tall windows with several curtains, so that soft natural light enters the place of photography.
But always have at least one flashlight to use alone or in combination with natural light on days when the light is not strong enough or the shooting time is close to sunset.
2- Continuous LED lights
One of the best ways to simulate sunlight is to use continuous light; lights with 5600 Kelvin output.
Using these lights and the help of a softbox, you can create something like the feeling of sunlight on your baby’s face. Of course, the most important use of this type of light is for filming and videography.
The big problem with these lights, especially older models, is their large size, and very high heat generated by the lamp.
So that it is possible to burn the diffuser and curtains around the light easily and start a fire.
It is not suitable and safe for newborns photographing at all.
The new generation of continuous LED lights has solved the problem of high volume weight and heat.
These lights have affordable prices, and almost every Instagram user has one of them at home.
Another advantage is that they do not require any type of trigger.
The big problem with these lights is their power. Home lights are very dim and can be used only a few centimeters away from the subject, and if you want to place them one meter away from the baby, the light will not be strong enough and you will have to raise the iso. In his case, you will lose quality with more noise.
In addition, you can’s install and use a regular softbox on them.
What is the best light for Newborn photography?
Professional type of LED lights can also replace with a flashlight or natural light.
These types of lights are almost more expensive than a medium type flashlight.
For example, a GODOX SL 150w light is $500, and an Alienbee 400 is almost half, $250.
The appearance of these lights is very similar to flash and almost all types of old umbrellas and softboxes can be used.
The light output is very strong and exactly 5600 Kelvin and easily creates acceptable light at a distance of one meter from newborn photography.
Of course, this very high power will be an issue. When the light is on, it looks like you are looking directly at the sun, and it is very harmfull.
A personal experience:
When I first used this light with a balloon softbox for newborn photography, the result was not very satisfying. I felt that the light was too much for the baby’s eyes and it was annoying. In my opinion, this light is not suitable for working with baby photography at all.
The next problem arises when photographing older children, so that constant light, unlike a flash, cannot freeze and stabilize the image. This means that if the child moves (which is usually all the children are jumping up and down when shooting), a clear image will not be captured.
A personal experience:
When I first used this light with a balloon softbox for newborn photography, the result was not very satisfying. I felt that the light was too much for the baby’s eyes and it was annoying. In my opinion, this light is not suitable for working with baby photography at all.
The next problem arises when photographing older children, so that constant light, unlike a flash, cannot freeze and stabilize the image. This means that if the child moves (which is usually all the children are jumping up and down when shooting), a clear image will not be captured.
Result:
If your videography is more than just photography, be sure to include one of these lights on your shopping list. But it is not currently recommended for baby and newborn photography.
3- Flashlight
Finally, if you can not shoot with natural light or combine it with continuous light, the only and best choice will be a flashlight.
This system has helped photographers for many years to create beautiful images. If you use them properly and professionally, you will have a result very close to natural light in a way that sometimes you can not tell the difference.
The flashlight can be divided into two categories.
Speed lights that can be mounted on the camera and strobe lights that are much more powerful and larger and are used on a tripod.
3-1- speed light
Speed lights are not recommended for baby photography due to the small output light. But they can be used for a start, especially for photography outside the studio, outdoors, and on location.
Strobe installation is less expensive. For better results, you need a speed light on a tripod, so you need a radio flash again.
It is almost a bit difficult for beginners to work with them due to the numerous possibilities and options, and it requires a lot of practice to get the desired result.
To get soft light, they need special softboxes and can not be used in regular flash or conrtinus light.
3-2- Strobe flashlight
The flashlight is one of the best lights for baby photography with its very high power variety in different volumes, sizes, and qualities.
You can easily create a beautiful, low-contrast, soft light diffuser with an 86-inch or 60-inch white back umbrella to capture a beautiful baby image.
The brand and model of flashes are different in different countries. So look for light that has a power of approximately 150 to 400 joules and you can easily change the power output of the light.
You should be able to shoot with the widest aperture mode (I suggest 1/8) while the light is about one meter away from the baby, without overexposing your image. Using a professional light meter will help a lot to achieve the desired result.
If you do not have a professional light meter, place the flash about one meter away from the baby ٬ iso on 100 ٬ 100 speed and 1/8 aperture and shoot the subject. Read the best lens for baby photography in this blog.
Try to adjust the light output so that it is not over or underexposed. Overexpose is usually the main problem in this situation. Now try to reduce the power of the light to the point where the image is perfect.
If the power of the light is at its lowest and the light was still over, it means that the power of your flash is very high and it is not suitable for photographing the baby at all.
High-intensity light while shooting in a very dark room will upset the baby and their family.
Another thing about cheap flashes is their output color, which in the first days is about 5600 Kelvin, but over time and their output color changes.
Here is a list of flashlights suitable for baby and pregnancy photography.
And finally, the answer to the question of whether the flashlight is harmful to the child’s eyes or not?
If you adjust the flash as described above, it does not have more effect than natural light that shines from behind the window on a sunny day. You can continue this article about whether a flashlight is harmful to the baby’s eyes or not in this blog.
Hope at the end you will find
What is the best light for Newborn photography?
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