John Davis, a busy, professional photographer in Baltimore, MD, agreed to let me interview him about the recent inclusion of childhood photography into his already established career as a commercial photographer. The following are a few questions I cooked up for John and his quick, candid responses.

JG: How long have you been a baby/childhood photographer, or is child photography only a part of your photography business?
JD: Child photography is only a part of my business.  I recently started photographing kids when more and more family and friends started having babies.

JG: Did you study photography, or come into it from a different career?
JD: I majored in photography in college at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art).

JG: What is the most challenging part of photographing babies/children?
JD: Working quickly to get the shots before they lose interest.

JG: What is the most rewarding part of photographing babies/children?
JD: Being able to capture something that is so fleeting.

JG: Do you have any tips/advice for amateur photographers when photographing their own children?
JD: Be patient!

JG: Do you shoot digital, film or both?
JD: Digital.

JG: What cameras are you using or what cameras do you like to shoot kids? Special lenses or equipment? Do you have any recommendations?
JD: I currently shoot with a Nikon D700 (digital SLR) with multiple lenses.

JG: Do you use computer imaging software (i.e. Photoshop) to tweak your shots?
JD: I use Photoshop/Bridge and will start using Adobe Lightroom in the near future to control uploading and archiving.

JG: Do you think it is necessary to be able to use a computer proficiently as a photographer?
JD: Yes, if you are a professional commercial photographer you can’t work without one.

JG: Do you shoot in a studio, outdoors, or on location?
JD: Mostly indoor and outdoor, on location.

JG: Of the three listed above, what setting do you prefer to shoot in and why?
JD: I don’t have a preference for indoor or outdoor but going on location as opposed to shooting in the studio is more appealing to me.  I like the challenge of always shooting in different locations.  Nothing is ever the same and it keeps things interesting.

To learn more about John Davis and his work, check out the website: http://www.jdph.com/home.html. He has some great images of young people in the Portfolio 1/New Song section of his site.

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