The Brooklyn Newborn Photography Blog
Before baby Sienna was born, her mom, Adriana, came to me and asked me to capture her and Dylan’s firstborn daughter in the first few weeks of her life. Adriana absolutely loved the neutral tones that I use in my sessions, so I knew this shoot would be a complete dream come true for me! I love...
I’m so thrilled to share the gorgeous maternity session of Tara + Mike, a seriously dreamy shoot that highlighted the beautiful sites of the city! Getting to spend time with the both of them in their new home was incredible, and the images we were able to capture were jaw dropping. I just loved it! Truthfully,...
Don’t you just love little baby girls and their sweet little faces? I can’t believe that every week, I get to capture the gorgeous portraits of so many beautiful newborns. It’s such a dream come true, and one that I never would have thought I’d be able to call my profession! Sessions are especially incredible when I...
Emilia: six days new and already the most beautiful little girl! From those adorable little cheeks to that full head of hair, it’s no wonder these images turned out to be some of my dreamiest yet! I just love every single thing about them! I was so honored to be asked to capture Emilia’s newborn session...
What other profession in the world allows me to have fun photographing cute little babies smashing cupcakes for their first birthday!? Jolie’s absolutely incredible cake smash session is straight out of a magazine, and her adorable little face showed just how much fun she had crushing that cupcake to bits! I was so excited when Jonida...
Newborn sessions take patience and a lot of planning, which is why I always recommend that my clients review my FAQ page about their newborn session. In order to capture the perfect image, I set my studio temperature to 85 degrees, and work on cooing your sweet little newborn to sleep! Take Ryan for example – his...
Don’t you just love the adorable rolls of a newborn!? Is there really anything cuter than their little knees, their delicate fingers, and their tiny toes? I don’t think so! That’s why I’m so excited to show you how gorgeous these little boys photographs came out, and tell you why I loved photographing him so much!...
Newborn photography Brooklyn New York Chanie looked to do newborn photography Brooklyn. Chanie got my business card a few years ago. It was at a charity event I donated a session to. Though I can’t remember every person who got my business card, Chanie remembered very well! She kept the card in her wallet all those...
Hi Everyone! My name is Dina and I’m a newborn baby photographer in Brooklyn New York. Today I want to show you how to use your studio lighting correctly when shooting newborn babies. Our goal is to have beautiful soft lighting, with soft – form defining shadows. You don’t want harsh lighting or harsh/strong edged...
May I ask what strobe you use? I have purchased a few different ones but still struggling to find the perfect one. I prefer natural light but recently invested in a similar system since I live in Ohio and the sun never cooperates in the winter. I’ve heard aliens bees are great but have had no luck finding them anywhere new. I hate to pay so much for something used. I use the feathering technique with newborns just because Moms are so often afraid the flash will harm their baby’s eyes I also love the soft lighting it creates. Thank you for sharing. ReplyCancel
Though Alienbees are mentioned here, I don’t use them. They are not the best option out there. Einstein light is an option that more photographers are happy about. (But I’m not using it as well)
I have a bowens too, and an impact. My soft box is only a 62″ though.
Dear Dina, this was so helpful to me, there are just two things Im trying to work out. What are the specs that a great lighting should have to have and if you know a great light source that is available in Europe. Loads use the Einstein that is not available here anymore Im looking at other lights specs that can be very similar…ReplyCancel
I use smaller softboxrs that are rectangular shaped do I attach the 86 inch plm that you spoke about to my strobe? When I Googled the system you spoke about it was only the softboxrs. I have tried to purchase something like this before but did not know if the weight of it would be too much for the system I am using?ReplyCancel
Thank you so much for sharing this with us Dina. I’ve been struggling with flash for a while and letting it intimidate me. This information really broke it down into easy to understand steps and your photo examples were perfect. Also, I really appreciate all of your time and patience with the questions I had for you in a PM. You were so open, receptive, and generous with your time and knowledge. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this easier and for getting me excited about my studio lights again! Much love, MarylinReplyCancel
Hi. I’ve just started my career in this field. Been studying a lot of online courses. Just want to tell you that your illustrations are the best so far. And the explanations as well. I better understood how the feathering works.
Would you mind sharing also how you can use your PLM in photographing Maternity, Infant/Toddler and Family. I have a Westcott one and still learning how to position my lights in different situations and sessions.ReplyCancel
Hi Dina, first thank you for offering your help on this. I need a little clarification on the placement of the light and a couple questions. When you said to make sure the edge of the light doesn’t go past baby’s head, do you mean in the direction of that back wall? I see your arrows but it almost looks like the edge of the light (closest to the wall) is lining up with the center of baby’s head. Should that edge of the light line up with the back edge of baby’s head or the center of the head? Sorry, I’m probably thinking about it too much.
I’m so glad you mentioned that the 90 degree image would seem underexposed SOOC and how to deal with it in post instead of with your lights or camera. That was an eye-opener for me! Having said that, approximately how much exposure did you add to this image?
Lastly,you mentioned using the 45 degree for chin tucked in. Can you show an example image ?
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your knowledge with us. ReplyCancel
1) if the baby is on the center of the bean bag, The edge of the light should’t go past that point.
2) It’s always better yo under expose than over expose in camera. How ever getting the exposure right in camera is better!
3) I will always try to fix the pose so the face is lit nicely. Only if not possible i’ll bring the light in to lit the face more.
You’re Welcome 🙂ReplyCancel
Dina, THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for taking the time to do this tutorial! It’s clear, easy to understand, and full of examples to “SEE” exactly the difference! I have 6 years photographing NB and I never took the time to check the difference bw the 45 and the 90 degrees. Again, Thank you so much ! SO MUCH APPRECIATED!ReplyCancel
This was THE BEST article I read while I was learning how to use studio lighting. I had taken online courses and invested thousands of dollars on lighting, classes, and mentoring before I read this and this article was better than all of that. The behind the scenes pictures of the setups and the pictures showing right and wrong all lined up just gave me that “aha” moment! Thank you so much for sharing! And beautiful work by the way! I love your style!ReplyCancel
Hello Dina, been looking at this post on and off for several months. I’m an amateur, but looking for professional results. Pulled the trigger and bought an Einstein and a 86″ PLM W diffuser and a 1.8 mm lens. My Daughter Nadine is giving birth to her first child in a couple weeks and wants Dad to take some good pictures. Wish me luck!ReplyCancel
Thank you so much for this post! I’m VERY new to studio lighting as I’ve alwsys just shot natural light outdoors, but this has helped me immensely, straight to the point and very clear on your explanation. I’m shooting with the DigiBee800 and it worked so successfully with your instructions! I even came back here for reference when I did the set up! I appreciate this so much!!!ReplyCancel
Hi:
I use this lighting kit for newborn photography. (Photo Portrait Studio 600W Day Light Umbrella Continuous Lighting Kit) It may not be the best, but is all I have for now. When I do a session I usually put the 2 umbrellas at 45°.
Do you recommend just using one umbrella at the 90°? Or use both? Thanks.ReplyCancel
I have a 36″ soft box that I think is causing most of my problems. I think I need to upgrade. Do you use the came feathering option when shooting parent or sibling shots? I struggle to get everyone evenly lite without blowing them our or making the one furthest from the light too dark. Thanks a bunch and I cant wait to steal my daughters baby and test this position out.ReplyCancel
Brooklyn NYC Newborn photographer Today I want to show you how I use the power of photoshop. As you see I’m a Brooklyn NYC Newborn photographer. I take pictures of newborn babies when they are very young just 5-10 days old. As I promised in previous blog post; In the following blog post I will show how...
Dina Duchan Photography
Luxury Newborn, Maternity & Family Portraiture
📍 Brooklyn, NY | Serving NYC & Surrounding Areas
📞 347-267-2559 | ✉️ info@dinaduchan.com
Dina, your work is amazing! I wish you were closer in proximity as I am in search of a newborn photographer in Charlotte, NC. I came across your blog regarding studio lighting (as I was considering doing the session myself) and would like to ask if you don’t mind sharing where you got Sienna’s outfit in the photo with her in the wooden bowl? Thanks a million!