10 Tips For Taking Baby Photos

Thanks to our friends from Kodak, check out these 10 tips for taking the perfect baby photo.

1. Get down on their level. Hold your camera at the baby’s eye level to capture the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles.

2. Use a plain background. An uncluttered background forces attention on your baby. Place your baby against a plain background or move yourself (and the camera) a few feet.

3. Capture feelings. A smirk, a frown, a wail - capture all the emotions, not just the pretty smiles. Babies are uninhibited and uncensored, show it in your pictures.

4. Get close. Zoom in, filling the frame to emphasize what’s important, creating a more impactful photo. Capture the details, like blue eyes, a toothless smile, or tiny fingers.

5. Show scale. Take pictures of your baby with items that will show her relative size - a teddy bear or Daddy’s hands. Take a series of pictures with the same object as your baby grows.

6. Try different angles. Get down on their level, shoot from high above, shoot some sideways, some looking up at them.

7. Include other people. Capture others with the baby - Big Sister feeding the baby or Grandpa dancing with his little grandson. Make sure to include everyone who visits your baby.

8. Take some vertical pictures. Many subjects look better in a vertical picture - from the Eiffel Tower to portraits of your friends. Make a conscious effort to take some vertical pictures.

9. Use natural light. Shoot photos next to windows or outdoors, taking advantage of natural light. Cloudy, overcast days provide the best lighting for pictures of people.

10. Take lots of photos. Always keep your camera handy! Babies change so fast, capture every moment right from birth, including all firsts. Document a day in the life of your baby.

For more tips, tricks, projects and ideas on photographing babies, visit Kodak.

from blog.heritagemakers.com

Summertime Photography Tips

Summer is in full swing! That means sunshine, longer days, watermelon…and lots of photos! When you head out on your summer adventures, you want to make sure you really capture the moment perfectly. With the bright sunshine and clear days, you’ll need to know a few pointers to take great summertime photos. Here are 4 tips to help you:

1. Warm up the photo. Sounds a little silly, right? Warming up a summer photograph? But it’s true. The harsh summer sunlight, especially in the afternoon, can put a bluish tint on your photographs. This blue tint can actually make your photos look cold. Warm up your photos by changing your camera’s settings. All you have to do is change the white balance setting to “cloudy.” The cloudy setting will compensate for the blue tint of the filtered sunlight.

2. Watch the light. You’ll hear photographers tell you to look for the light. But looking for the light doesn’t mean looking for the light source. What you want to pay attention to is how the light is falling. Are there shadows? Is it early morning? Dusk? Pay attention to the light and adjust your settings accordingly.

3. Look for inspiration. If you pay attention, inspiration is everywhere! Look at the work of other photographers, go online, and study photography books. You can check out magazines, websites, and even personal photo albums for your own inspiration.

4. Put your photos in a storybook. Once you have captured all of those fun summertime moments, but your photos in a Heritage Makers storybook. You can feel the warmth of summer all year long with a storybook!

Now, get out there and start taking photos! Take the kids to the pool, go on a hike, or relax on the beach! It’s time to take advantage of the long days and warm nights. ~ Betty

From blog.heritagemakers.com