I recently had the opportunity to photograph my new Granddaughter, Arlie. I wanted to have some pictures that were not the usual baby photographs so I tried some different techniques. I would like to share some of the simple techniques that I used to take these images.

Turn Off the Flash and Use Natural Light

Natural light photographs tend to look more natural than those taken with a flash. Using the flash also tends to startle and irritate very young children. Chances are you will end up with a picture of a frowning or crying baby. By turning the flash off, using ambient light, making sure that your subject has had a nap, is not hungry and does not need a diaper change, you should be able to get natural looking images of a very happy baby.

Look for natural light coming into a room and place your subject close to this light. Windows, doors and skylights all work well. I took these photographs on the floor under a skylight.

Get Up Close

Get up close to your subject and fill the frame for visual impact. Get as close to the subject as you can while staying in focus. Isolate different body parts such as the hands, feet, eyes, ears, mouth and nose. This will personalize the images and add more interest and drama.

You may want to use the Macro Mode on your Digital Point & Shoot Camera or use a macro lens or close-up filters on your Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera. For these images, I used a DSLR Camera with a Macro Lens.

Post Process Using Photo Software

We think of a baby’s skin as very soft. We have all heard the saying, “as soft as a baby’s bottom.” But in reality, baby’s skin is not all that soft and pleasant looking especially when viewed up close. You can get this soft look that you expect to see by doing some minor retouching with the photo software that came with your camera or other photo manipulation software that you can purchase. Most of the software packages come with “filters” that will soften the focus to hide blemishes and give the skin a more pleasing appearance. I used a software program called Photoshop Elements 5.0 to soften these images.

I hope that these tips will help you to get great images of some of the younger family members in your life. Apply good photographic techniques along with the tips and you should be on your way. Check out some of the other articles at Cord University and most of all, take lots of pictures.