Photographing Babies

Digital Photography Secrets.
Tricks And Techniques For Better Images With Your Digital Camera. Everything The Professionals Know, But Dont Want You To Know About Using Your Digital Camera To Take Stunning Photos!

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}

As a newbie Mom, taking pictures of my baby can be a challenge. Even if my 3-month old son loves to smile and even giggles a lot, everytime he sees a camera in front of him, he freezes and would stare at the camera intently as if it’s something from outer space.I know he’s just a curious lad just like all other babies in the world, but I want him to smile in front of the camera, not freeze! And I want as many pictures as I can get too; baby pictures are but treasures.

 I thought I was the only one having this problem until I found out that even the most competent and professional photographers are challenged by babies. The photographer who took my baby’s picture said that babies often like to sleep more than having their pictures taken, they can’t seem to hold a pose, they are unpredictable, and the worst, babies are having difficulties in following directions. Well, what do we expect? They are babies after all.

So I snooped around the web to pick up some tips and tricks to solve this dilemma and look what I found:

• Prepare everything before a photo shoot, fully-charged batteries, backgrounds, toys, props, and other stuff.
• Look for a comfortable area, somewhere that is neither too warm nor too cold.

• A good lighting is imperative; since good lighting makes good pictures. Opt for natural lighting whether inside or outside; though artificial lighting is encouraged as well if you are a professional and desires a more manageable “studio” effect. Some babies hate the surprise that they get from a camera flash so make sure that there is enough light that a flash wouldn’t be needed at all.
• To have an alert and calm baby (someone who is ready to do a pictorial), schedule the photo shoot either right after a feeding or just a few minutes before he’s to take a nap.
• To maintain baby’s enthusiasm and alertness, distract him with rattles and/or other amusing, high-pitched sounds (your singing voice or a music box will do)
• Keep the baby awake and stimulated by bright-colored dolls and stuff toys; you can play with the baby just before the shoot or you can opt to wave it in front of the baby while he’s being photographed.
• Positioning a baby can be difficult especially if he still can’t sit up on his own, the following tricks might help:

-          Position the baby’s head on your shoulder and have someone take a charming parent-child photograph; you can do this with or without showing your face

-          Lay the baby down in a blanket and get ready to snap once the baby raises his head. For babies that can hold up their heads or sit down in a well-balanced chair, make sure that you have a soft rug or a cuddly blanket for them to lie or sit down – they are more likely to act and look cute if they are comfortable.

-          Drape your chest and lap with a colorful cloth and hold the baby in your arms – this would appear like the baby is being held by a custom poser.

-          Be sure that you don’t put the baby in a “dangerous” position; give him enough support and assistance

• Try black and white photography, it never fails to give that dramatic effect
• Now this is one trick that really worked magic to me (and to my ever-curious son) – Avoid holding the camera directly over your face. Make sure the baby can see you photographing him so that he will react to you and your face, not to a boring piece of rectangular metal.
• Be ready to take a lot of pictures even if some photos would appear mediocre, funny and even lousy. I’m sure there will be a few stunning photographs to make the whole photo shoot worthwhile.
• Be patient and take your time, try a light-hearted and happy approach. Your impatience and frustration might show and will make the baby respond negatively.
• Try to capture all sorts of expressions that the baby is willing to show. Aside from his smile, take a picture of him being grumpy, worried, scared, crying and more! It would be interesting to capture a child’s spirit.
• Also try photographing the baby’s body parts aside from his face like his cute and tiny hands and feet, his nape, his belly button and others. This would be fun!

I’ve tried these tricks at home and they really work. C’mon, give it a try!

This article is researched and authored by MAY LEDESMA [Plagiarism is a crime and is punishable by law]

 Print this page 

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Feed Me Links Technorati Newsvine Socializer Stumble Upon Google Bookmarks Squidoo BlinkBits BlinkList blogmarks Netvouz Ma.gnolia RawSugar Rojo Simpy Spurl Shadows Wists Yahoo! Co.mments! Scuttle!