How to photograph your Baby

I get told a lot that I take nice pictures. People think it is because I have an SLR camera. This really mean nothing. I have more settings but you can do a lot with a little ol point and shoot. A lot of my "talent" is just being able to frame a picture and follow these simple rules. So fellow mommies(except Jodi of course...she gets the real deal), here is a book I recommend. I also own the companion DVD. I heard the author on my podcasts and loved him. This is a series of easy tips on taking better photos. You can check it out from the Wake county library. I got the older version which talks of film so I haven't read the new one but the points are the same.

The basics are 1) Get closer to your subject. I notice this with people pictures in general. If you want to take a picture of someone...take a picture of them. Fill the frame with a person...not a person and a table full of crap or a background of cars.

2) Turn off your flash. Flashes on cameras suck...plain and simple. Find natural light from a window or something like that. If you have to take pictures in a dark space, invest in something to at least bounce the flash. Here is how to make one. An example of bouncing light is(this was a relatively cheap bounce flash bouncing off a wall mirror in a dark room):As a comparison case here is with flash and without:
Granted they aren't great shots of him but you get the point. See the shadows? Also the best outside light is dusk and dawn. The best pictures I have ever taken are outside at sunset. Midday light is horrible for the most part unless you find shade.

3) Take tons of pictures. Keep hitting the button...that is the glory of digital. Take them using the view finder(not the screen) and don't look at the screen everytime. You can delete later...just keep taking them. Especially with kids, you can get great action shots this way. If you have a continuous shooting mode, even better. Just hold the button and it does the work.

Well those are the basics. Try it and you will see. Here is a link to the book and his website:

Book

Website