Since Owen was born, I have really developed a passion for taking photos. A LOT of photos. I am admittedly a mamarazzi. Owen has been photographed as often as an A-list celebrity in the past two years.
I’m no professional photographer though; I’m just an amateur that has fun with her camera. But after taking over 50,000 photos (seriously, that’s how many I’ve taken in two years of just Owen alone), I’ve learned a thing or two about taking baby and toddler photos. The most important thing I’ve discovered? Taking great photos isn’t that hard and you can get a beautiful shot with any camera.
But getting lots of gorgeous photos is much easier if you have a DSLR. I’ve mentioned that my Canon DSLR is one of my top must-haves for mommyhood. If you can make the investment, I definitely encourage you to! You won’t be disappointed.
If you can’t afford a DSLR or aren’t ready for one yet, don’t worry! You can still be a super momtographer. Here are six simple tips that have helped me with my constant photo snapping. I hope you’ll find them useful as you stalk your child with the camera. 😉
It’s all about the light!
Getting a good shot is easy when you’ve got good light. So what is “good light”? It’s natural indirect sunlight. In my experience, the best time and place to get this kind of lighting for photo taking is outdoors on a cloudy day. A sunny day with your subject in the shade or at dusk also works well. Other conditions aren’t as ideal – indoors is usually too dark and bright direct sunlight can make heavy shadows. Of course, there are times when these conditions are unavoidable. But when you can, get outside and take some pictures of your kids on an overcast day.
Dress appropriately.
When I know I’m going to be snapping pics of the kids, I dress them accordingly that day. Don’t put your children in outfits with text or images. It’s impossible to make them perfectly legible in photos when your subject is a constantly moving baby or toddler. It’s best to keep their attire simple – comfortable, solid colors or simple patterns, and classic pieces. You really can’t achieve a timeless keepsake photo if your child is wearing a SpongeBob t-shirt.
Make it white.
Add some white to your photos! Actually any solid light colors in the background will give your photos an extra glow. I like to take photos of Carmendy on a white blanket wearing a white outfit (makes her look like a little angel!) near a natural light source (aka the window). The sunlight reflects off the white blanket onto her face, filling in the shadows and adding a softness. I also keep a couple mat boards or foam boards on hand for backdrops; The solid color backgrounds make your photos look professional. White foam boards also work well as reflectors, if you need to direct more light onto your child’s face.
One more tip for using white: a white sheet or curtain comes in handy for diffusing light. We took Owen’s monthly photos in his very bright playroom where there was lots of direct sunlight. My solution each month? Draping white sheets over the windows. It worked like a charm and got rid of the harsh shadows.
Take many, save little.
Don’t be afraid to snap away! Thank goodness it’s the digital age with no film cost and I can take as many photos as I want. The more you take, the more likely you are to get a good shot and the more practice you’ll get at photographing.
Almost all of the photos I take are trash. For every 100 that I take, I get about 5 that I really love and that I’m willing to share on the blog or on Facebook. So take a ton of photos, keep only the good ones, and delete the bad ones. Remember that deleting the bad ones is as important as taking a lot of pictures. You don’t want to waste your computer or cloud storage space with crappy photos. Plus, when you want to actually use your photos – make an album, order prints, create a photobook, etc. – it’s a real b*tch to sift through thousands and thousands of bad or mediocre photos to find the good ones. Make your life easier and delete the bad ones when you move them off your camera to your computer or your cloud drive. And make sure you take the photos off your camera in a timely fashion – no one wants to see a beautiful Christmas photo of your baby that’s posted on Facebook in March.
Get close.
Forget about keeping personal space! Get close to your subject. When your child’s face fills up the frame, there’s no room for distracting backgrounds which means you don’t need to worry about cleaning up the playroom when you’re snapping pics of your little one. Plus, it lets your child’s expressions shine and it’s easier to focus. Getting closer for portraits is the number one way that I’ve improved my photography.
No forced smiles!
There will come a time when your child will no longer like being photographed. Owen loathes posing for the camera. (He’s’ always saying “That’s enough! Put the camera away, Mommy!”) Forcing him to smile and say “cheese” only results in bad photos. There are a couple solutions for this.
First, take candid photos of your children while they are playing. They don’t need to pose or look at the camera. You’ll capture them being naturally happy. Don’t be afraid to take photos from different angles; shots from above, below, the side, or behind make artistic images.
Second, entertain your child. Don’t ask them to smile – make them smile! Even better, make them laugh! I do a lot of peek-a-boos, funny farting noises, and saying silly things to get a real smile. Instead of saying cheese, I say something like butthole or poop to get a giggle out of Owen. May be weird, but it works!
Good luck, momtographers!
