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submitted: Jul 29th 2008 | by: AnnaMyers | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 584 | |

The baby is finally here, and everyone wants pictures! But every time you try to take pictures, your beautiful baby looks like a little wrinkly old person instead of that exquisite being you see before you. Well, here are some tips to capture your newborn for the best results.

- Should you use film or digital? Whichever type of camera you have the easiest access to will be fine. If you are using a film camera, use 400 or 800 ISO black & white film for best results for this project. If you are using a digital camera, the image can be turned black and white or sepia tone on your computer later or you can use an online service that offers these options when ordering your prints.

- Make sure the flash is turned off! Using window light will yield a beautiful soft result which is key to capturing the beauty of the newborn baby. To achieve this, find a window that has good light coming through. You do not want direct sunlight, just a nice amount of indirect light. Morning light works great if you have a room with the right exposure, and morning is also a great time to capture the baby.

- Make sure there is no visual clutter in your backgrounds. Use solid colored blankets or sheets under the baby. White sheets on a bed or solid colored blankets over a boppy or baby carrier can work well.

- Remove the babies clothing down to the diapers. Less clothing is better for newborn photography to really show the baby as they tend to not fit clothing well at this age, and clothing is more of a distraction. If the diapers have cartoons on them, try to cover the cartoons by folding the diaper over, or putting fabric over that area. Or take your chances and remove that diaper! Work quickly at this point if you choose this route.

- Turn the baby towards the light so that their face and body are well lit by the natural light. Look through the camera and take pictures, trying to fill the frame of the camera with baby and solid colored blankets. Avoid any additional clutter or items in the background. Do not shoot with the window as the background - look at the light on the baby and take your pictures where the baby is well lit.

- While taking pictures, try to engage the baby by talking and cooing. Singing works well also, but do not try to get the baby to smile. Just keep working your way around taking pictures from different angles. The baby does not need to be looking into the camera for all of the images.

- Sleeping babies make great subjects. If the baby falls, no problem just continue shooting. Sometimes when they are sleeping it is the best time to get pictures of the feet and hands which tend to move non-stop when they are awake.

- While you are photographing, take lots and lots of pictures. The more you take, the more you are likely to find ones you will like. Take full body shots from different angles, half body shots, close ups of faces, hands, feet, wrinkly shoulders, fuzzy hair lines, etc

- After you develop the images, look at them with an artistic eye and try to find the pictures that really captures what the baby looks like to you. Find one or more that you like or love to use for a birth announcement.

About the Author

Anna Myers is a modern lifestyle San Francisco Portrait Photographer who specializes in artistic newborn portraits. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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