Hello, everyone! It's Keshet Starr here to continue Baby Week with some tips on photographing that little munchkin and using the photos on some fun projects!
My baby is less than three months old, and according to my Picasa albums, I've already taken over 1300 photos of her. Oy. Some of my favorites of those shots of her, though, are the "monthly" shots, since they highlight her growth so clearly.
Each month, I gather my photoshoot tools--plain white long-sleeved onesie, sticker with the appropriate month (found on etsy), matching headband, beautiful quilt (handmade by a very talented friend!), chalkboard, and (hopefully) a cheerful baby.
Here are my first attempts at getting the money shot:
Not exactly what I had in mind, but hey, it's still pretty cute, right?
Eventually I bribed my kid by nursing charmed my baby into a less angry pose. . .
To give you a sense of what my little "photoshoots" look like in action, here's a pullback:
Gotta love the awesome apartment carpeting!
I had a lot of fun using the photos to create a layout with more information about my Ellie at a month old.
Here's a close-up (and if you're wondering, the adorable "1 month old' card is from a set by Elle's Studio!
Just a few days ago, I took Ellie's two month photos, and I was surprised by how different the experience was! Let's just say I had to bump up my shutter speed significantly to keep up with her!
When it comes to photographing babies in general, I'm really learning as I go! Whenever I have a happy baby and pretty light, I take advantage of it with the camera. Even adding a cute headband to a onesie is a quick and simple way to have a girly photoshoot.
One of the most helpful tips I've learned is to position your baby to face the light source. Aside from that, rules are rules--capture the little things you want to remember, good light or not.
Marnie had a few photo tips for newborns. First,don't forget the little details. Think of all the little parts you love to touch and admire. Then snap away.
Next, don't not take pictures because of bad baby acne. It happens. So can photoshop.
Baby P had a bit of acne. We tried to put her good light so that there wouldn't be dark shadows. I did my normal photoshop routine. Then a took that photo and ran it through a smoother (The one in the new PicMonkey, actually!) Then I laid the super smoothed over the other in photoshop and cleaned out the parts that I didn't want so smooth. And here is what we got.
It looks a bit ethereal against the other, but P's mom was happy to have a clean one she could blow up and put up on the wall.
Marnie also noted that when she does a baby shoot, she plans no fewer than four hours. Sometimes the magic needs a little (or a lot) patience.
And lastly, babies are so tiny but that can get a bit lost if they are alone in the shoot. That something you add in for scale can be a beloved item, a tired parent, a sibling, a grandma, or some furniture.
Before I go, let's talk about one more way to use baby photos--announcements! I didn't use announcements for Ellie, but Marie Taylor shared some adorable ones with me.
This first one was created in Photoshop--how adorable is that shot?
(Also, please note Jack's awesome birthday.)
And this next one was created with this Tia Bennett kit.
Such a sweet robot:)
Thanks for joining in the Baby Week fun! I hope this gave you some good ideas for photographing the wee ones in your life. Have a great Wednesday!
Keshet
