Did you use flash for newborn photography?

Generally speaking, for a newborn baby, most parents want to capture the best moments of their baby. Therefore, many parents will choose to take photos to record the best moments for their baby. However, everyone knows that taking photos requires a flash. However, the organs of a newborn baby are not fully developed, especially the eyes, which cannot be exposed to strong light. So what should I do if I use a flash to take photos of a newborn baby?

Even if you need to shoot in pitch-darkness, you can minimize the number of shots.

You can use an adjustable-angle flash and use the ceiling or wall to reflect the light (commonly known as bounce) to prevent the light from directly hitting the eyes and make the photos look softer.

If the lighting on site permits, you can also increase the ISO value of the camera and use aperture priority (A mode) to adjust the aperture to the maximum (minimum F value). This will help the camera reduce the flash output, and sometimes you can even take pictures without a flash.

It is recommended to use the camera's automatic flash for normal photography. Abnormal flash usage is not recommended, such as excessive frequency, extremely close distance, manually adjusting to maximum power output for direct shooting, using illegally modified flash, high-power lights, etc.

For babies under 1 year old, be sure not to shine the flash directly on the baby. For minors, it is better to be safe than sorry!

Newborn babies' eyes need "darkness"

The organs and tissues of a newborn baby are not fully developed, the visual cells on the retina of the eye are also in an unstable state, the pupils are not sensitive to light, the tear glands are not yet developed, the cornea is dry, and there is a lack of a series of functions to block strong light and protect the retina. Strong electronic flashes can cause impact damage to the visual cells and affect the child's visual ability. This damage is related to the distance at which the electronic flash camera takes the picture. The closer the camera is to the eye, the greater the damage.

At the same time, newborn babies have been staying in their mother's belly before birth and have become accustomed to the days of "darkness". From the moment they are born, they are very sensitive to light stimulation, but they will not protect their eyes by blinking or shrinking their pupils. Moreover, parents will also find that their babies sleep more during the day than at night. The baby gradually adapts to this process through sleep.

Experts advise parents that it is best not to use flash when taking pictures of babies under 6 months old, and natural light should be used as much as possible. It is best to use natural light, or side light or back light, and never use electronic flash or other strong light to directly shine on the baby's face.

When a newborn baby's eyes are stimulated by strong light, the baby is not good at self-regulation. At the same time, due to the imperfect development of the retina, strong light may damage the retinal nerve cells. Taking pictures of the baby with a flash may also cause burns to the fundus and cornea of ​​the baby, or even blindness.

Far focus: In addition to paying attention to the flash, babies who are focused by the lens will feel stressed. If you want to take a close-up photo, use far focus with automatic correction function as much as possible to avoid scaring the baby.

Soothe your baby’s emotions: If the photo shoot is going to be long, mothers should not forget to keep talking to and hugging the baby to eliminate his anxiety.

Prepare favorite toys: If you want to capture your baby’s natural moment, you can give him his favorite toys or things he is interested in. It is best to take pictures when he is focused.

Use natural light: Plenty of sunlight is important for taking photos. It not only avoids the need for using flash, but it also usually results in better photos.

Don't force your baby to lift his head: In order to take pictures of their baby, parents sometimes inadvertently let their baby lie on his stomach or even lift his head. Since the spine of a newborn is fragile and cannot bear the weight of the head, if you force the newborn to lift his head, it can easily lead to cervical lordosis in the baby.

Don’t put makeup on your baby: Cosmetics contain a variety of harmful chemicals that can easily erode your baby’s delicate skin, causing dryness or even allergies. In addition, the particles in cosmetics can be easily inhaled by your baby, which can harm your baby’s liver, kidneys and other organs, and may even cause precocious puberty.