Cute photographs of sleeping baby’s natural posture be coming very popular

Story-telling and imagination combined with a nap taking baby surrounded by decorations using daily goods - this new area of photography has been attracting much public attention lately. These photographs are called “Nezo art”(sleeping posture art) and “Ohirune art” (sleeping baby art). There are photography books being published with the photos taken at home by mothers, and photo courses and shooting sessions being held in various locations. There are also many photo shooting events organized by companies and department stores.

There are three rules for taking pictures of “Nezo art” and “Ohirune art”.

1.Don’t disturb sleeping
You should not change the clothes of the baby just for the sake of creating art. Production is done with the natural clothing combined with other clothes you put around the baby.

2.Create happy tone
Think about showing it to the child when he/she grows up, and create something that you may laugh together later on.

3.Give up if the baby changes posture
For parents who enjoy their baby’s cute sleeping scenes, stop shooting if the baby turns over and changes his/her position.

These are the basic rules if you want to take a picture that makes people smile.

The art created by moms varies a lot. Some include “flowers” and “animals”, others bring forth public holidays such as Children’s Day and Christmas, yet others make their child look like characters from Anime and some picture books. They shoot pictures using daily goods such as blankets, towels and a cooking pan.

“Nezo art” spread by Japanese gag manga author

The one who spread the “Nezo art” (sleeping posture art) in Japan was a manga artist. She says she first got the idea when she found some artistic photos of sleeping baby in a foreign website. She (The manga artist) started taking photos of her own zero-year-old baby’s sleeping posture for her husband who worked as a night shift bartender and couldn’t see much of his baby’s sleeping faces. In the photos she made her baby look like a mermaid lingering in the sea, or like a guy who’s riding on a gondola and cleaning the window of a building. When she sent them to her husband via Twitter, she received a very good reaction from him and his regular customers at the bar.

The photographs of sleeping baby decorated with her unique ideas became a hot topic on SNS immediately. The hash tag "#Nezoart" was created from a proposal of a mother who became interested in her photos on SNS. The art eventually became a boom, with TV programs featuring “Nezo art” and the collection of her photos being published.

Parents and children enjoying “Ohirune art” shooting!

One of the mothers who enjoyed these photos with their babies launched the "General Incorporated Association of Ohirune Art". The association is holding photo shooting sessions and hands-on courses of “Ohirune art” in various locations in Japan. The photo sessions are held by instructors who have taken courses at the association and have obtained the certificate, and they bring their own ideas to the classrooms which are often held in public facilities and home salons.

Mothers who have looked at the website and liked the atmosphere of the photo session will gather in the studio, pay the fee and change their babies to the apparel they like. Then they lay their babies on an art sheet on the floor and start shooting with a smartphone or a camera.

Although it is called “Ohirune art” (sleeping baby art,) you can shoot your baby even if he/she is awake. One of the attracting points of this photo session is that the photos are not taken by a professional photographer but a mother. When a mother calls her child’s name at the time of shooting, many babies smile back at their moms.

The instructor would try to make the shooting easier by drawing attention of the baby, often by bringing in a fan with anime characters drawn on it or making sound with a toy. The photo session brings a happy moment to mothers and their children, and it also offers a place for mothers to relax and get to know other moms who are also raising small children.

Because the photo sessions do not set the age limit, there are many parents who come to shoot multiple kids by bringing in the older brothers or sisters. The photos are used for albums or for postcards that are customarily sent on the New Year’s Day, so they can show their relatives and friends how their kids are growing. The photos are also used for Christmas cards and birthday cards.

Most of the participants of the “Ohirune art” photo sessions are repeat customers. Once they come to the photo session, they get very attracted and tend to become repeaters.

“Ohirune art” is highly acclaimed by foreigners too. Designs that use Japanese food and famous tourist sites abroad are also popular. One mother from a foreign country who currently lives in Japan and often comes to the photo session with her child said that she really liked the Japanese style designs and wanted to use them for postcards.

Now the instructors are thinking of holding photo sessions aimed at foreigners visiting or living in Japan.

Photo studio specialized for “Ohirune art”

Following the boom of “Ohirune art”, a specialized photo studio called “STORY” was opened in Chuo-ku, Tokyo. In the studio, you can take pictures with a unique worldview, such as a mermaid swimming in the sea, a bird flying freely in the sky, and a fairy coming off the lovely flowers. You can take pictures of your baby playing the main character of a fairy tale, and store them in a photo booklet that makes up a single story.

Let’s take a photo of “Nezo art” and “Ohirune art” at home!

How about taking “Nezo art” and “Ohirune art” photos by yourself at home? The following are design and shooting tips when taking the photos at home.

<Baby carried by a Stork>

There are countries where they say the babies are brought by storks, and Japan is no exception. Let's take a picture of a baby being carried by a stork.

1.Lay the baby on a bed sheet.

2.Make a stork in the upper right corner with a white towel or blanket. Make the beak with two yellow hand towels folded in triangles.

3.Make the string that carries the baby coming off the beak of the stork. (In the picture, a beige shawl, a handkerchief and a blouse are placed next to each other.)

4.Make the cloud with cotton, and finally place the Christmas decoration balls as if there are stars in the sky! (If you want to give a sense of speed, try creating the flow of direction with the clouds.)

<How to shoot>
If you place the sleeping baby in the center and check the visible range of the camera frame beforehand, you wouldn’t need much adjustments later on.
To shoot, stand on a high place such as a chair, turn the lens of the camera straight down, and shoot the picture with your arms stretched out as far as possible. Even if you can’t see the camera screen, try to stretch your arm as much as possible and take the picture straight down, making sure that the camera lens is not in a tilted position. Keep the strap firmly wrapped around the arm so that the camera will not fall on the baby.

Babyhood is short-lived. This trend that was originated from the hope and affection of the parents who want to preserve the cute sleeping faces and scenes of their babies for a lifetime is likely to continue in the future.