Itty Bitties

I’ll let you in on a secret: taking professional-quality photos of your child is easy.

Let’s leave the technical mumbo jumbo for later and start at the beginning—baby steps, as they say. Toddlers and older kids require different techniques (which I'll tackle in further entries), but babies can often be manipulated into at least a placid expression, perfect for that close-up of their bottomless eyes and furry little caterpillar eyebrows, with a few simple tricks.

Make sure your itty bitty subjects are rested. Just after a nap is a great time. They should be fed and comfortable (and in fact some of my favorite photos include chubby cheeks covered in rice cereal, so during feeding ain’t bad either). Infants are often most comfy inside, near a large glass door or window where natural light can get in and warm them. Luckily this is also often the ideal spot for photo lighting.

Inside or outside, turn off that flash and make sure you have a solid background (all light or all dark with no patterns like a flowered couch to distract) behind the baby.

Try making them giggle before you bust out the ominous black box. Tickle them, blow bubbles, do whatever ya gotta do. Then put their favorite toy on your head (yes you’ll feel like a clown – welcome to my world), or enlist Daddy or another favorite adult to jump up and down behind you (directly behind the camera). When you are on your own, sometimes Baby Mozart can be just as good as that favorite adult. Just don’t block the screen while taking the photo. This used to make my son madder than an irritated diaper rash.

Another tip for when you’re home alone: try out this uber cool product you can wrap around anything and attach a camera to:
www.joby.com/gp1.html

Get a Gorillapod plus a remote shutter-release control and Voila! You have a “third person” to take your photo.

Now, here comes another basic photography tip that is especially true for babies: fill the frame with as much of your subject as you can—in this case, with as much of that gorgeous naked baby skin as possible.

And of course, when you don’t get the perfect smile or giggle, hold their little foot in your palm, take off the diaper and shoot their tush as they try to escape. Take hundreds of shots no matter what the situation. In this digital world you can afford to, and you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you get in return.