Nope, that’s not me in the photo - you probably just remember my last post with the self-portrait. Nope, I’m not that cute - and obviously, I’m not that young either. That little baby (and a cute little baby at that) is a friend’s nephew and godson, Mateo.

The image you see is one of several images that might end up in relatives’ wallets, coffee tables, living rooms, and anywhere you can show off your favorite photos. If you keep reading, you can see links to a few other images from this series, plus a little information on how I shot him.

For Strobists out there, I used a 430EX triggered by my Cactus PT-04 RF Trigger. I alternated between shooting it through an umbrella and bouncing it on a wall or ceiling. Basically, I tried to get very soft light.

Processing on the images was minimal - nothing I couldn’t do in Adobe Lightroom. The real trick for this shoot, in my opinion, involved framing and composition. I won’t bore you with my tips though. Instead, I’ll point you to a few posts from the Digital Photography School:

• Photographing Children - A Quick Tip
• Photographing Children - Composition
• 10 Tips for Photographing Babies

I know it might be a bit late for the holidays, but cute shots of your children, nephews and nieces, grandkids, and whatnot can make pretty cool gifts for any time of the year.

• Luis • 27 December 2007 •