Wish your parents a very Happy Parents' Day in advance!
On the eve of International Parent's Day, we turn the spotlight on parents who turn to professionals to get their babies' best moment captured perfectly.
Chennai: Beyonce and Blue Ivy have done it. Jennifer Lopez and Maximilian have too. So have Shakira and Milan. Why shouldn’t you?
For those who came in late, we are referring to celebrity moms and their baby sons and daughters. Doing what exactly together? Posing for pictures! The popular trend of doing maternity/ toddler photography has been catching on across the world of late. There is perhaps nothing more beautiful than a candid capture of a new mom glowing with love, looking at her just-born.
And it is this sentiment that motivated corporate professional-turned-shutterbug Amrita Samant to come up with Mommy Shots, a venture that combined two of her favourite things, babies and photography.
Surely they must have faced challenges convincing moms in the city to be open to such an idea? “Surprisingly, Chennaiites have been very open to the idea as it’s a unique way of capturing their little ones, making them memories in motion. Living in the smart phone era, parents capture their newborns right from birth. The misconception that newborns can't be photographed at such an early age appears to be changing - they become stories with happy beginnings!” says Amrita.
She explains how she conceptualises each shoot. “This is our favourite part — we story board our concepts around mannerisms, reactions, baby's habits and moments familiar to the couple. For instance, our recent shoot featured a couple who loved long drives. There are certain habits babies/kids develop that define their personality and we ensure that we capture these candid moments. However, our adorable clients demand a ‘lot’ of patience! Although we’re caught by surprise by different reactions, we have to go with the flow, schedule and moods of the little ones.” Creative videos featuring intimate moments together with family members, messages and funnies, baby showers and birthdays, that are otherwise forgotten are included and Amrita says this documented memoir eventually becomes a gift to the child when he/she views this at an older age.
Toddler photography has been in vogue for some time now, but what has substantially changed is the value addition that parents bring to a shoot and also the effort they take to make it a smooth sail, says Shefali Dadabhoy of Purple Frog Photography. “It is heartening to see how parents come immensely prepared to the shoot, with ironed clothes and props, at the exact time stupulated. They also contribute much in terms of themes and concepts,” she says. Shefali likes to capture toddlers and infants in natural light and prefers shooting at familiar environments. “They open up more easily and give out great shots.”
Subhashini Vanangamudi, a celeb photographer and known for her studio, Satori specialises in toddler photography and does a lot of underwater shoots with them. She says, “The youngest kid I have captured underwater was only 3.5 years. It is amazing to shoot them there, as kids are naturally happy, when they are engaging in fun activities like swimming. It also requires tonnes of energy to go underwater and swim along and capture that perfect shot.” She brought out an underwater toddler special calendar last year as well.
And of course, there have been plenty of fun incidents while at it, Amrita adds. She recalls, “A really special moment was when we were capturing a one-year-old walking (with support). All of a sudden, the baby takes her first steps on her own during the shoot. We were fortunate to capture her first steps which were special to the parents and us. Another funny incident was when our six-month-old client kept falling asleep on our fluffy fur mattress!”
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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