Babies in frames

In today's fast paced world, moments just seem to go by too quickly. Photographs and videos, for a long time, have acted as media to hold on to precious moments for years to come. Baby photography is yet under-developed, due to the extra effort needed, in comparison to photographing adults or models.

Khalid Hussain Ayon, multimedia producer at The Daily Star, has recently begun his journey of baby photography, being inspired by his own daughter. Through this venture, he is not only trying to bring baby photography back into the limelight, but also create child-friendly videos and other forms of entertainment like lullabies with a more cultural and local touch.

Ayon has always been involved in the field of multimedia and has expressed himself through his camera. However, his photography career had slowed down. It was not until six months ago, when he welcomed his daughter into this world, that he was motivated to get back into the game. He further wants to create a multimedia platform which will cater to the recreational and educational needs of children in a unique and fun way.

He has started his journey with his initial portfolio, focusing on his daughter and through his Facebook page Hing Ting Studio. Despite the page being in its early stages, Ayon is displaying his passion and emotions for what he does from the get-go.

In recent times, photography has become a well-appreciated and attractive hobby for young and creative minds looking to express themselves. Covering different kinds of events, shoots, and photographing people might present a number of challenges, which can be overcome with some brainstorming. However, the same cannot be said when the subject is a baby.

In these kinds of shoots, the baby is not only the centre of attention, but the very nature of the shoot depends on the baby's mood. The shoot duration, progress, and outcome are primarily dictated by the baby's energy level and fatigue.

Ayon says, "Patience plays a big factor in baby photography."

Not only are photographers required to be patient in order to get their desired outcome, but also have to understand the child's psychology and figure out when the baby is going to cooperate and not have a complete meltdown. For this, Ayon suggests having a nurse nearby to keep the baby from being stressed out.

Time flies and before one even notices, a baby goes from crawling on all fours to starting the first day of school. For this reason, Ayon believes that it is necessary to capture and preserve pivotal moments in a child's life. He sees a future in photography where baby photoshoots would be just as trendy as wedding photography, and be upheld with equal importance and pride.

Indeed, the art presents itself with a number of challenges with no direct answers, but the outcome at the end of the day remains priceless and everlasting.

Photographs create stories which words do not have the power to express. These stories are slowly built by capturing multiple moments throughout different phases in a baby's life. Baby photographs depict stories of growth and have served as time capsules to reminisce about on future days. Almost every photo captures a moment of joy or sadness and holds on to the simplicity of that age. This genre of photography should be prioritised in the days to come, as it is the purest and most natural form of any human, and symbolises a stage of innocence and calmness.

Photo: Khalid Hussain Ayon

Model: Ayana Spordha Nree