It’s almost Mothers Day and after all babies are what make one a mother. So, what a perfect time to get some baby photos taken.
If you’re looking to hire a photographer for whatever reason, please, PLEASE, don’t hire your friends cousin that is self taught and has only shot maybe two things! Hire a real photographer who has a website or at least a Facebook page set up just for their photography. Check out their portfolio, their work. Is their style what you’re looking for? Is their work of professional quality? Does their price seem reasonable.
You don’t have to have a professional photographer to get some excellent shots of your adorable bundle of joy. If you want to save some money and DIY it here are some 5 tips for you.
- Happy Baby – For starters make sure your baby is comfortable. You know better than anyone a fed baby is a happy baby. So make sure your little one is fed, burped, and has a clean diaper on.
- Natural Lighting – Lighting can make or break your photos. It’s best if you can take the photos outside, if not that’s OK. Overhead lights in your home will give your photos a yellow tint to them. Set up a backdrop near a window that gets the most light in your house.
- Posing – Come up with ideas for poses. Pinterest is a great place to do this. I’ve got a Pinterest board called Photography Posing Ideas, where I like to collect ideas for posing. Of course there will be plenty of ideas that pop into your head as you’re taking photos. Use a variety of poses to give yourself a variety of photographs. These can be usual poses and some unique ones. Also try taking photos from a different perspective such as high up. Don’t forget details such as toes and fingers. And you might be upset if you get some of your baby crying but they really are funny and quite cute.
- Background – Background can be just as important as the baby. If your background is too busy it will be a distraction, taking away from the focus of the baby. Choose something like a wall or landscape. Textures and colors can help add pop to the image with out taking away the focus of the baby like a blanket.
- Simple Props – Sometimes in portrait photography such as a senior photo you can include an object in the background to provide interest or context. You can blur the background to keep the object recognizable but not distracting. You can blur the background using your aperture or do it in post editing. Often times with baby photography this is going to be objects like wedding rings, a special piece of jewelry, a blanket, etc.
Here are some of baby photographs that I’ve taken over the years.
