How to light a newborn

While there are no right or wrongs in photography, necessarily, uplighting, or Ghoul Light, is not the prettiest light for portraits.  It results in an unflattering catchlight in the bottom half of the eye and shadows that fall up the face at the chin, nose and cheeks.  Think flashlight under the chin kind of lighting.

While most photographers know that this is not a great way to light a portrait, I see images that were unintentionally shot using this lighting pattern all the time, particularly in newborn and baby photography.

It usually happens when a baby is placed lying down on a bed or in the arms of a parent with his/her feet facing the light.  

In this image the baby is place on the bed with her feet pointed toward the light. This will result in uplighting or “ghoul light” which is a very unflattering lighting pattern.

How to avoid accidental Ghoul Light

Luckily, avoiding accidental ghoul like is pretty easy!

All you need to do is make sure your subjects head is pointed toward the light, not their feet!

This will ensure that the person in your photo, baby or adult, is captured in the most flattering light possible! 

Positioning the baby so that her head is pointed toward the light will ensure flattering light
and a better image.

To learn more about lighting patterns, be sure to check out this blog post!