Great Photo Ideas for Your Newborn
Easy-to-use digital cameras have made it inexpensive to shoot, shoot, shoot. Document the everyday activities like breakfast, bath time, bedtime and everything in between and make the photos into a “day in the life of” album. Your child will treasure it as he or she gets older. Many online photo services can produce a very nice and inexpensive album of such photographs with your baby’s name on the front.
One of the most memorable first year photography projects I have come across was created by a father who photographed his son every day for twelve months on the same background in the same position. Each of the 365 photographs appeared for a second in a slide show documenting the growth of the child during his first year. The effect was a bit comical but emotionally very powerful as well.
Don’t be afraid to capture all the moods of your baby. It’s natural to want to have portraits capture the angelic smiles because it sure makes us feel good as parents. But having a record of your child’s different moods—quiet, inquisitive, goofy, and even the tearful times—will be precious in later years.
Which brings me to one of the big no-no’s of photographing children. When your child is old enough to understand, please do not tell them to smile or “say cheese.” These commands usually elicit the worst expressions imaginable. It is much better to do something that creates a genuine happy face—a colorful toy, favorite song, silly sounds or playing peekaboo are some of the ways that work well. Often it helps if Mommy and Daddy work as a tag team with one working the camera and the other making faces or noises.
As your baby begins to crawl around the floor or even walk, you will be less frustrated if you realize that a “candid” approach works best. If you have a very active baby, the only time you may have when he or she is sitting still will be during naps or during feedings. One of my favorite portraits of my daughter was taken when she was in her high chair. A car seat can be used as a posing device (even for newborns) but you’ll probably want to cover it with a blanket or sheet to disguise the buckles and belts protruding from the seat.
Techniques That Will Improve Your Photographs
Digital cameras have taken most of the confusing adjustments out of the act of capturing images. However, the technology which makes sure that you “get the picture,” has also resulted in overuse of flash. The result is flat lighting that is not always appealing. When photographing your baby, turn off that flash and try using window light. If your camera blinks a warning that the light is too low, turn your ISO setting higher to 400 or 800. 438
You don’t want direct sunlight streaming in the window because that will be too harsh. Softer, indirect light is what you want—it’s exactly what photographers try to emulate in the studio with professional lighting equipment.
Also be aware of what your backgrounds and clothing look like. Backgrounds that consist of multiple colors, bright and dark patches or lots of furniture and appliances are distracting. For an infant use a soft colored (blue or pastel pink work well) blanket and go in close enough that the blanket fills the background of your photograph. Clothing with bright patterns, logos and colors will take your eye away from the baby’s face. Stick to solid colored clothing for the best results.
Getting in close or using your zoom lens on telephoto is a way to improve the look of your photos. Close-ups that focus on just the face can make powerful portraits. Consider capturing a series of facial expressions to put in a frame with a mat that holds three or four photos.
Try photographing from the baby’s level. Get down on the floor with the baby for a more interesting perspective. Or put the baby on your bed and keep the camera at her level-- rather than shooting down from above which is what we tend to do because we’re about four times as tall as the baby.
Pregnancy portraits are also growing in popularity and are fascinating to children when they grow old enough to wonder were they came from. Many of the same principles apply for a great portrait of Mommy during pregnancy—simple backgrounds, soft lighting and solid clothing.