As always, when working with babies, they set the beat of the dance. If they want to look around, go with that. If you can get them to look at the camera and smile or laugh – great. If not, just go with what you can get and work from there. Just remember that everything is new to babies, and they will be looking around a lot as they take the photo session in. You just have to work through that. However, you can make things easier if you throw in another subject to work off them. Young or old, as long as that other subject interacts with the baby, things will work out.
When trying to work within the chaos, start with the eyes. If you can get both eyes, you will be helping yourself out. Getting both eyes of the baby better helps the person viewing the photo fill in what is going on. If you have to move over to get both eyes, then do that. Keep in mind that those eyes do not need to be looking at your camera. But if you can’t get both eyes for whatever reason, don’t worry too much and just get what you can.
Also keep in mind that babies do not usually sit still. So, expect lots of movement and expect to miss lots of shots. Don’t worry, they will keep moving around and you will get some shots. Just keep working at it and you will end up with something. Also, keep the session short because they don’t like to sit still usually. 30 minutes is a long time to a baby and they will get frustrated and have a melt down if you take too long.