One of the joys of fathering is recording those ‘special moments’ of your child on camera. It is not necessary to be a professional photographer for this. Even a first time photographer with a basic camera can take some great pictures.
These are some valuable tips for photographing your baby:
- Explore various angles and perspectives: Take as many pictures, from as many different angles, as you can. Use the zoom effectively to take close-ups. Give free expression to your creativity by trying out unconventional perspectives. If you have a digital camera, take literally hundreds of shots and keep only the best of them.
- While photographing children it may be impossible to get them to pose the way you want them to. Being ready for the shot, as you wait for them to naturally assume the position you want them to be in, helps. Here is a tip: you can reduce the “shutter lag” (the time it takes your camera to take the picture after you click) by keeping the shutter button pressed about halfway. This way you lock the focus and the picture will be taken as soon as you click.
- Try to select uncluttered backgrounds. Generally, a simple background will work best by focusing attention on the subject. Select a plain background such as a wall or an open lawn. Zooming in on your subject will also help to reduce the distraction of the background.
- Ideally, you should take pictures in the morning or evening when the light is softer. The direct sunlight in the afternoon will create harsh contrasts.