Well hello there! Nice to meet you! My name is Yvonne and I blog over at simplyvonne. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be a guest host for Sandy today. I have been a fan of Sandy’s blog for quite some time now and it’s an honor to be here sharing with you few tips on photography. I am not an expect on photography nor am I a professional photographer but I found these tips actually works for me. I have always enjoy photography but never got into it until my baby girl was born last year. It actually took me a whole year to finally play around with the manual mode! I am still really new at photography and still learning as I go.
{ Read Your Manual } Before you start photographing your baby, the first thing you should do is read your manual. I get it that reading your manual is completely boring but you don’t have to read it from cover to cover. At least 10 pages π
{ Light It Up } When shooting indoor, I usually position Kaylee by the window. I don’t have any fancy flash equipment so I love using natural light. When I do shoot Kaylee outside, I normally shoot really early morning or later afternoon around sunset so your photos would have harsh lighting.
{ Getting the Details }
Babies are tiny for a very short period of time. I like to focus on their feet, toes, hands, eyes and even accessories. Don’t be afraid to get close and focus on the little details. Shallow depth of fields creates a mood of tenderness and intimacy.
{ To Their Level }
Sometimes the best shot is the one where you are laying down on your tummy to take it π Don’t be afraid to get down and dirty. Try kneeling or lying beside your baby and shoot from there.
{ Work Around Your Baby’s Schedule }
The key to have a happy and smiling baby in photos is to work around their schedule. Ohh yes…there were numerous time I was so ready to take photos but if she’s into it, just have to wait another day. Kaylee is usually smiling for the camera once she got her nap in and tummy is all full!
{ Edit, Edit, Edit }
Let’s be honest, my photos are not cool before editing them. I edit all my photos in photoshop. I normally brighten up the eyes and using various actions on my photos. I love using Totally Rad Actions You can download some free actions at Pioneer Woman. She has great tips on photography as well!
When I first started, my photos were really dark and I was shooting in auto mode for a year. My interest in photography grew because I want to be able to take nice quality photos for our baby girl. Practice is the key and don’t give up. Don’t expect to capture that perfect shot the first time, try different angles and different positions. Impromptu shots sometimes creates the best picture.
Like I mentioned, I am not a professional photographer and there’s so much to learn, I simply enjoy taking photos of our baby girl and I think she’ll enjoy looking at these 18 years from now. Thank you so much for having me Sandy, I cant wait to see photos of baby boy a la mode!
Head over to my blog, baby girl and I would love to meet you! See more photos of baby K here π
-Yvonne
What a wonderful post! π Sadly, I only have my phone camera to capture photos of our baby boy…I’m working on getting a nice camera though!
I don’t know if you’re a really great photographer or have a really adorable baby, but goodness, your daughter is beautiful!
Oh my i love this post so much! Yvonne, your photos are so amazingly beautiful and thank YOU so much for sharing these wonderful tips with us! Have a lovely merry happy day and love to you!
oh boy! I got a dslr camera before my son was born (ahem 13 months ago) and still have no clue! I WANT to learn..but haven’t put in the time. When I see pics like yours I get jealous! I really need to get on it…
i have hands-down, no bias, the cutest niece ever…… and am an awful photographer. so, these tips were helpful!
http://dallianceswithsuitsandskirts.blogspot.com/
wow, so cute! i love your pictures!! π
Great Photos, soo adorable baby π
These are some good tips. The daylight one is really the most valuable of them all. Most of the time, people’s photos look poor because they’re just not in the right light!
The baby is soo cute. These are great shots!
These are all BEAUTIFUL pictures of your baby girl!! I think your tips are spot on too π
Yvonne is so sweet and her photos are amazing
your baby and photos are beautiful!
aw yay thanks for having me Sandy! and thank you so much everyone for all the sweet comments on Kaylee!
Thanks for sharing these tips. It does get frustrating at times when I try to get good shots but can’t.
sweet post and always such lovely baby pics. π i’m gonna check into that photo editing program! thanks!
Absolutely gorgeous the photos you make ! I love it
I work with multiple massive Photoshop files simultaneously, so I need a strong (enough) PC. The PC must be able to operate Photoshop, a web browser with more than 50 tabs, a music player, many pdf files, Adobe Bridge, Slack, and other small programs necessary for work. In my opinion, the best option for this is the application at https://skylum.com/blog/best-free-photo-editing-software-for-mac-review . I truly a saviour of life!
Such a charm, cute post and always such cute baby photos. I’m going to check out this photo editing program! Thanks will have to try!
Don’t use flash
Constant bright flashes of light can irritate the child and the little model will spoil the mood. Shoot in natural light by a window or outdoors.
Schedule your photo shoot at a time when there is as much natural light as possible.
Shooting on the move
It is almost always extremely difficult for children to stand still. But for a photographer, it’s even good. After all, how many funny shots can be taken while the child runs, jumps and explores the world.
When shooting, try to capture as much of the space as possible so as not to accidentally cut off part of the child in the frame.
How to protect equipment from children π
If small hands are already reaching for your camera, you need to explain to the baby that you canβt touch the camera. And ask parents to make sure that the child does not inadvertently start playing with equipment parts and does not break them.
Even better, just switch the child’s attention to something more interesting – for example, to a bright toy.
But, at the same time, when a child is naughty and does not want to be filmed, I usually give him a camera in his hands and offer to take pictures of his parents (naturally, I support the camera). I also show it in the photos from the camera.
hello
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