Baby Photography Tips
How to Take the Best Baby Pictures

Baby photography can be a challenge. These digital photography techniques will help you take great baby pictures. Follow these tips and you'll be taking baby pictures that will bring out the beauty in any child.

You can't pose a baby. You can't tell them to turn their heads this way or that way. You can't tell them to smile. How can you solve this problem to get photographs you can be proud of?

Posing

At different stages in their lives babies are capable of different things and taking pictures of them at each stage has its own challenges.

Newborn babies before 3 months old can't do much of anything. They cannot hold their heads up. Sleeping pictures of newborns are usually very peaceful. When shooting a newborn baby it's best to use natural light. The sudden burst of a flash could be too upsetting for them. Do what you can with sunlight and the light available. If you do use a flash use a flash gun. Bounce the flash from the ceiling or wall so that the harsh burst of light doesn't shine directly in the infant's eyes.

Posing a baby in a natural position will usually look best in a picture. For a newborn infant that means lying on the baby's back or stomach or cradled in the arms of a parent. These all can make lovely pictures. Just because the baby is limited in what he or she can do doesn't mean that you can't get a great picture.

Infants move around naturally. They wave their hands and feet in the air. The expressions on their faces change. Wait to get the look you want and then take the picture. Changing your camera settings to continuous shoot mode will help you get a series of pictures all in a row. This increases your likelihood of capturing the expression you want.

As a baby gets older there are more posing possibilities. If the child can sit up you can photograph him or her sitting. You could lay the baby on the stomach and wait for him or her to push up for you.

Babies that can crawl or walk around are can be tricky to photograph because they always want to be on the move. You can use this to your advantage to get a good photograph of the baby doing what he or she does best.

Remember you have to be engaging with the baby to get him or her to look best in the picture. If you are talking or playing with the baby he will smile naturally. You'll also get great changes of expression and that sparkle in the eye that can really make a photograph.

Camera Angles

When taking baby pictures you should experiment with camera angles. You can photograph a baby from high up really emphasizing how small and vulnerable the child is.

Photographing the baby so that he or she looks larger than life can also make for a fun picture. You can experiment with any number of digital photography techniques to get excellent baby pictures.

I like to photograph babies at their level. Get down on the floor so that your camera is at eye level with the baby. These pictures put me in the baby's world and being in your subject's world will most often get you the best baby photography.

Composition

Composition will make your baby photography stand out. There are many different creative ways to frame your baby picture to convey the message you want to get across.

You can give the baby a prop. Having baby play with a favorite toy will help add interest to the picture as will putting the baby in a hat or glasses. I'm so sure that every baby has had a picture taken in large sunglasses. You might not want to do that because it's over done. You may want to do it to put a new spin on a classic photo.

Just taking a picture of the baby's hand or leg or arms can also make for interesting baby photography.

Capturing the baby's world without necessarily getting the baby in the shot can also make for an interesting baby picture.

Be creative. You don't have to limit the possibilities. Try to do something different.

Remember to be Patient

Ultimately the secret to great baby photography is patience. Getting a great picture of a baby involves a lot of waiting with your finger poised and ready to snap that perfect shot.

You can try as hard as you like but you really can't control what the baby is going to do. You just have to be ready when he or she does the thing that will make a great picture. Most times that thing isn't exactly what you expect giving you an excellent opportunity to get a surprisingly good photograph.