Tips for taking great pics of your baby (for beginners)

My darling niece Lily at 3 months

The last few weeks have been filled with lots of baby time for this auntie, and it's been so fun! My sister Bailey is home in Nova Scotia from out west with her 3 month old daughter Lily, and the whole family has been enjoying spending time with them. She was supposed to stay for 2 weeks but decided to extend her trip to 3 weeks because she's enjoying being with the family. Bailey's husband Brad was even able to make a quick stopover this weekend for a short 3 day visit on his way to Texas for a business trip. He was missing his girls, and wanted an opportunity to visit with us and his own family, who also live in Nova Scotia.

Lily sitting with her mommy, look at those eyelashes!

My favourite thing, other than the precious time with family, is breaking out the camera and capturing some wonderful memories of these precious babies. This was my first time meeting Lily and unfortunately Bailey did not have an amateur photographer close by to take as many photos of Lily as there are of my other niece Lucy. I've been trying to make up for lost time by capturing as many photos as I can while they are here.

Lily having a bath

As is the case with Bailey, sometimes it's just not possible to have someone who is really skilled in photography taking regular pics of your children. That doesn't mean you can't take some great pics with whatever camera you have on hand, no fancy equipment or advanced skills required. 

Here are my 5 top tips on taking adorable pictures of your babies:

Lighting is KEY!

No matter what camera you are using, you will always get the best, clearest, and least grainy photo when you do everything you can to optimize the available light. It is best to try and take pictures during daylight hours. Position the baby so there is indirect light shining on them from a window, but avoid placing them in sunlight or around a spot where sunlight pools if it will be included in your photo. Direct sunlight will often come out overexposed (in other words it will create areas that are all white with no detail) in the photo and look too bright. I find it best to position the baby at a 90 degree angle from a window or patio door, using soft shears or even a white bed sheet to diffuse the sunlight if it's present. This allows the light to be directional and it creates dimension on the baby's face, with soft shadows, from a very soft yet bright light source. It also creates nice sparkle in their eyes, often referred to as "catch lights", where you can see the reflection of the light source in the eyes.

A nice bright light source will also ensure you can freeze motion better by allowing the camera to use a faster shutter speed while properly exposing the photo. In poor light you may find that sometimes there is a lot of motion blur because in order for the picture to be bright enough, the camera needs to keep the shutter open longer to let in more light. While the shutter is open it records everything that is happening, including any motion by the photographer or the subject, which results in a blurry image. I don't want to get too technical with this article, but suffice it to say "More light = better photo".

So what if it's not possible to use a natural light source? If you are in a dark indoor place, or it's night time, then try brightening up the room by turning on extra lights, or moving to a brighter area if possible. Ultimately you want to avoid having to use the flash. A traditional flash on most cameras creates a very harsh light source, directed right at the subject, so it can sometimes distort features, and creates unflattering shadows. Especially with babies, flash can often cause odd expressions, bulgy eyes, or squinting because the light is very bright in their little eyes, and it results in a less than natural looking photo.

Niece Lucy at 4 months, and her adorable smile! This is a good example of natural light
and how it enhances the photo and creates lots of dimension

Get Down to Eye Level

If you look at the photos included throughout this article you will notice one common compositional theme - the camera is almost always at the eye level of the baby. Sometimes photography can be a great workout, especially when photographing babies, because to get down to their level you will be squatting, laying on your back at weird angles, or on your belly on the floor. I've gained numerous bruises on my knees the last few weeks from crouching, but was it ever worth it!

Baby Lily is getting so strong, holding her head up, with very little help from mommy.
I was laying on my side to capture this angle

Use Your Zoom

There are two types of zoom--optical zoom and digital zoom.

Optical zoom is where the lens of the camera can move in and out to get closer or further away from the subject in the frame.

Digital zoom simply crops closer into the image, but the actual lens does not move. Using digital zoom (such as what is available on most cell phone camera) generally creates a less sharp detailed image. 

If you are using a point and shoot camera or a DSLR then you likely have an optical zoom feature. This will allow you to crop the image nice and close into the baby's face and create a nice intimate shot.

I should point out that there is a big difference between taking a photo with the camera very close to the baby to create a tight shot, versus standing back and zooming into the baby's face to take the shot. Again, without getting too technical, the closer the camera is to the subject, the likelier it is that the image will be distorted. You will often see this problem more with young babies where their faces look very round and flat in pictures, much more so than in person. It is usually caused because the camera was held very close to their face. This issue can be avoided by moving the camera away from the subject (sometimes just a foot or two will help), and zooming in. As a parent (or auntie like me!) you are really going to appreciate those nice close-up shots someday when it's harder to remember the exact details of your infant's precious face.

6 month old nephew Charlie, being tickled by his mommy Alice.  I was standing back a little bit and zoomed right into his face to get a nice close-up shot of his adorable smile. You can almost hear him giggle when you look at this picture!

Clear the Clutter

One relatively simple way to improve any photo you take is to be mindful of what "things" are included in your photo other than your subject. For example, there may be a stack of toys in a corner, or a pile of laundry, or a haphazard pile of blankets, or really anything else that appears in a normal functioning household. It will really bring more attention to your subject if you can remove any unnecessary objects from the frame. I'm not saying clean your house before you take a photo, but it does go a long way to scan the scene and in 10 seconds remove any clutter around the baby. It's as simple as just shoving it out of the way quickly. Especially keep an eye out for anything that is brightly coloured or distracting in the frame, unless it is an integral part of the image. Sometimes these details, add to the photo, like a favourite stuffed animal, so I'm not saying to remove everything, just be mindful of all elements within the frame.

In this picture we actually moved Ashley's TV stand and a large artificial tree away from the wall so that we had a nice clear piece of wall and floor to use a backdrop for the shot. There was a glass patio door to the left of the image so it was an ideal place due to the great natural light. You don't have to go to far as moving furniture, but definitely clear away as much clutter as possible.

Include Yourself!

As the camera bearer, it's easy to snap away and never have an pictures of yourself. Someday when your child is grown they are really going to want to see what you looked like and they will treasure pictures of you and them together, as will you. Make sure you ask someone else to take pictures once in a while, so that they can get some of you and the baby. Candid shots are even better, capturing a candid moment of you cuddling or kissing the little one's head, or laughing with them...you get the picture (pardon the pun!)

I LOVE this intimate moment with mommy Bailey and baby Lily. The expression on Lily's face is one of absolute wonder, and you can see the love between mother and child with the tender kiss.

In Conclusion

I could probably make this 20 tips or 50 tips, but that would be far too overwhelming, therefore I limited myself to the most important things (in my humble opinion), and I hope you learned something! 

Do you have any other favourite tips? I'd love for you to share some examples of photos you've taken putting one or all of the above things into practise. Leave a comment below, I'd love to check it out!

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