The Cradled Hands

How to set up The Cradled Hands

1. Set the frame before anyone moves. The Cradled Hands wants a close frame filled with faces, with 2 people already close enough to touch. A newborn cradled in a parent's hands and forearms, framed tight. Emphasizes how tiny the baby is.
2. Get them into the standing shape, then say this once and stop directing: "Hold her close to your chest, support the head, and just look at her."
3. While they hold it, make one flatter change and shoot again. Keep the parent's fingers relaxed and together; spread fingers look tense.
4. If the first frame feels stiff, do not rebuild the group. Try this next: Mother and father both cradling.

Who it suits

The Cradled Hands is a baby pose. Support and warmth come before the composition. It suits 2 people and a standing shape. It is beginner: one clear sentence is enough direction. Because the frame is tight, a small lean changes the picture more than a new backdrop would.

Where to shoot and how to light it

Shoot The Cradled Hands indoors (indoor). A sofa, bed, table, window or step you already have is the set. Clear the background directly behind the heads so the newborn photo poses subject stays the subject. You do not need a studio wall.

For The Cradled Hands, face a window and turn the ceiling light off. Light from the side sculpts faces. Overhead light puts eyes in shadow and flattens the standing shape. If the window is behind them, they will be silhouettes, which is only right when the pose is meant to be a silhouette.

The usual miss on The Cradled Hands is a gap, a straight line of heads, or a face waiting for the next instruction. Keep the parent's fingers relaxed and together; spread fingers look tense. Then take the frame before anyone resets.

Variations

• Mother and father both cradling
• Parent kisses the baby's forehead
• Shot from above, focusing on the baby's face