1. Techniques

Month By Month Portraits

One of the hottest new trends for moms is to take a monthly photo of their new baby. This is to show the month-by-month transformation of their little one. While these photos are as fun to take as they are to show off, there are a few things you should remember when taking a baby’s month-by-month photos.

Sarah Carlson of Clickinmoms.com gives 5 tips in taking the best month-by-month photos of a new little one in her article entitled “Your Baby’s Monthly Photos: 5 Tips to Keep In Mind.”

1. Safety first – Start by choosing a safe surface on which to pose baby.

2. Planning – Do your set up before putting baby in place. If you need to gather props or adjust blinds, do that ahead of time. … Get your camera settings ready just before you bring baby on the scene. Most babies won’t like being confined to their spot for long! The clock starts ticking the second you plop them in place, so be sure to have everything ready to go.

3. Consistency – By using consistent light, your photo series will have a more consistent look. … Be sure to keep a consistent position each month as well. Think about how you fill the frame with your chair or on the bed and try to compose your picture the same way each time. …Keep everything consistent so that as you look at baby’s one year progression, the noticeable change across the months is the growth of your baby.

4. Variety – After you get that “money shot” of baby for your month-by-month progression series, change it up! Shoot from above, take close ups of those round cheeks or long lashes, and ask older babies to show you their tricks like clapping or waving. Include favorite lovies or toys. Take a video of baby in their photo spot. Those coos and giggles are fun to have alongside the still images!

5. Go with the flow – Babies do baby things. Like spit up. Like not look. Like not leave that monthly sticker on for even one single second. While it may not be the shot you were envisioning, sometimes those are the ones parents look back on most fondly.

These are great tips in making a baby’s month-by-month photos memorable! Make sure to have fun taking your photos and enjoy the process. You can read the rest of Sarah Carlson’s article at http://www.clickinmoms.com/blog/babys-monthly-photos-5-tips-keep-mind/.