Babies-Toddler Vivian | 20 Jun 2011 11:52 am
Adding More Life to Baby Pictures
Going to a professional photographer to get that set of perfect baby pictures is nice. It抯 a moment to capture your baby while they抮e still young. But it doesn抰 fully capture the child. The setting is fake and just for show. Home pictures speak a lot more than professional in this way, but most people are too afraid that they can抰 take good enough pictures worth hanging up or sending to friends. Hopefully this article will point out some key aspects to put a more professional look on the average day snapshot.
No matter professional or not, clothing is the first thing to consider in taking a portrait. This is no different for a baby picture. It抯 a very open kind of category in that you have so many choices obviously. For the most part it will probably be casual and just wanting to make the baby look cute. Sometimes it might be more themed.
The important thing to remember is that the outfit is the second thing the viewer will notice. The first is obviously the baby抯 face. It is because of this that you want to make sure you pick something that compliments your child抯 personality. This may sound odd since it抯 a baby we抮e talking about and the personality isn抰 quite there fully, but you will still be able to tell a general sense of where to take this picture.
Next you have to take in to account the setting. This this is a home picture, possible settings are the house, the rooms, a crib, a chair or couch, or the back/front yard. It is wise to take into account how the setting will go with the clothing and emotion trying to be expressed. You may want a more comical picture, or a more relaxed, or just a very casual.
The background also needs to go with the clothing. This is important so the picture seems whole and nothing clashes. Even simple things like wallpaper or blankets behind the baby in the picture can look odd if there is too strong of a contrast with the outfit. Try to find a setting that goes with the clothing, or clothing that goes with the desired setting.
Lastly you should take props into consideration, if any are being used. This can include such things as furniture, toys, and other things in the picture other than the baby. They can be nice little hints about the baby, like adding his/her favorite toys, favorite blanket, etc. Most people might worry that it will take away from the picture but little things like this can enhance it.
Furniture like a chair or couch can also give a more interesting environment. Obviously this requires the baby to be a bit older and able to sit up on his/her own in most situations. What can make a picture like this more interesting is the variety of textures and colors the furniture can add. A nice shine and color of a wooden piece can enhance other colors, like brown and blue, and even bring out the eyes more.
The final key here is perspective. This means that you should take into account the angle that the picture is taken. This may sound too artsy or too detailed for many, but it抯 very simple. You want angles that compliment the baby. This is the case for any model. You don抰 want angles that make limbs look odd, or make the body too short or elongated. Most people just think straight on is the only way to go. It抯 safe, but can be overused. Try more side shots, above shots, just shots in general that give a different look to the child. A lot of the times, once the baby is more active and moving its limbs and head around with more dexterity, you will notice many opportunities to try these different perspectives. Just keep in mind that the idea here is to make even simple snapshots more memorable to the moment.
You don抰 need to be a professional photographer to make home pictures look more than just snapshots. You just need an eye for detail, some thought and creativity, and a little fun. The whole purpose stays the same: you are capturing some form of essence of your child and preserving it with a photo. There are so many vital moments in the earlier months alone that you don抰 want to waste them with poor photos that will leave you wishing you could do it over again.
This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.BabyNameVote.Com which is a site for Baby Names.