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The Beauty of Black and White Newborn Images in you home by Helen Rowan

Mar 11, 2020

Helen Rowan Photography Newborn Home Black and White - 4

“WHEN YOU PHOTOGRAPH PEOPLE IN COLOR, YOU PHOTOGRAPH THEIR CLOTHES. BUT WHEN YOU PHOTOGRAPH PEOPLE IN BLACK AND WHITE, YOU PHOTOGRAPH THEIR SOULS!”

Ted Grant

ALFIE’S LIFESTYLE NEWBORN SESSION AT 21 DAYS OLD

I had the most wonderful lifestyle newborn session with Alfie in their home in Sheffield.

Laura contacted me after her 20 week scan to say that she followed me on Instagram and loved my newborn lifestyle images. I just knew that we’d be a perfect fit. They are the loveliest, most relaxed family. Their beautiful baby is 3 weeks old in these photos.

MONOROME

I am a big fan of black and white images for newborns and so are a lot of the families that I photograph.

I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk a bit about black and white images; why they’re great for newborns, how they make you feel when you see them, and why lots of families still choose them when ordering wall art for their home.

Helen Rowan Photography Newborn Home Black and White - 12

THE PUREST FORM OF PHOTOGRAPHY

In the past the old masters of photography had no choice but to photograph in black and white. Really you’d think with all the advances and choices when creating colour images black and white would have died out.

The main reason that it’s still so popular in my opinion is because black and white images remove the distractions of colour.

In black and white the viewer only studies the form, light, shadow and texture within his face.

A portrait  is generally not about the surroundings or the colour in the picture, it’s just about the beautiful face.

CREATIVE CHOICE

I edit all of my newborn and lifestyle images in both colour and black and white.

Colour looks incredible on a feature wall. If you want to put a few images together, and for them to sit together as pieces of art working with your interior design is a sensible choice.

When families are choosing to print a colour or black and white version of their favourite image there are a few reasons why they light go for black and white.

  • The first, and most obvious one is that they feel drawn to it more from a simply aesthetic point of view.
  • The trend for soft grey walls and soft furnishings makes black and white images an easy choice.
  • Black and white will often feel more sophisticated and creative.

EMOTION

There is something about the rich spectrum from black to white, and natural focus on the subject that appeals to us psychologically.

It makes you stop and pay attention to how you were feeling at that exact moment in time, when your baby was brand new and untouched by anything other than pure love.

THE MOST PURE, RELAXED NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY

My ultimate aim is to capture exactly how this couple were feeling at this exact moment.

If you’re in any doubt about your newborn session being a stressful experience please let me put your mind at rest if I can.

There’s a really good chance that you’ll be feeling a bit emotional, possibly a little overwhelmed.

That’s ok, I’ve been through it too both personally and with countless other new parents.

Being a new mum can be exhausting with too many visitors and distractions. Just for 2 hours when I’m there, it’s about you, your partner, and your incredible new baby.

I spend as long with you as we need, working around feeds and adapting based on baby’s needs. Some babies sleep….. like a baby and we can put them down to photograph. Others don’t want to be put down for a second and that’s ok too.

In the below picture Alfie was fed, changed and settled so it was a good time for a few lightly posed shots. I suggested where they might want to stand, all the time chatting away (usually involving some banter) making sure that everyone was happy and relaxed.

I then adjusted the position for the most flattering angles and the best light, encouraging you to chat while I snap.

Helen Rowan Photography Newborn Home Black and White - 10

#collaborationnotcompetition

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post – if you would like to see more inspiration from other professional photographers within the #collaborationnotcompetition project then feel free to visit any  of the websites below

Anna Hurst Photography

Catriona Mairi Photography

Charles Thorne Photography

Clare Harding Photography

Clare Walpole Photography

Dandelion Photography

Derya Vicars Photography

Hannah Cornford Photography

Jo Haycock Photography

Photography by Leela

Light Monkey Photography

Louisa French Photography

Lyndsey Abercromby

Lynne Harper Photography

Mel Wilson Photography

Nadine Brandt Photography

Sarah Gibson Photography

Portrayed Photography

Danielle Reeder Photography

Tor Keene Photography

Nina Mace Photography

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