13 Ways to Take Adorable Baby, Toddler & Older Child Photos
January 8, 2009 by Kimberly · 4 Comments
Nikon currently has a webisode series called “Look Good In Pictures” featuring Carson Kressley, the star of Lifetime’s How to Look Good Naked. The series has Carson showing viewers how to look their best in various photo situations. As a mom, I was most interested in the work of Carrie Sandoval, a nationally known baby and children’s photographer. (Carrie also has a blog, Captured by Carrie.)
I asked Carrie for some tips on taking pictures of babies and young children and this is what she wrote…
For babies and toddlers:
1. Don’t over pose the baby. Have parents hold the baby as they normally would!
2. Use side lighting with a natural light source for the best contrast and exposure.
3. Babies look great in the buff, and don’t be afraid to get buff with the baby.
4. Make the baby comfortable by using a soft beanbag or bassinette. If they feel like they’re being held, they’re more content.
5. For a happy baby, keep them warm, relaxed and well-fed.
6. Black and white photos are classic and timeless. They are also a good way to mask a newborn’s skin discoloration.
7. Use a toy or prop near the camera to capture their attention and focus.
8. Make sure the background is clear of clutter and toys so the attention stays on the child.
9. Laughter is contagious – laugh with your children so the pictures are natural.
10. Take a picture at their level to give better proportions. A macro lens helps with close-ups.
For older children:
1. Take them outdoors to a beautiful park so they don’t feel so “contained” and they can take a break and run around if need be.
2. Have some knock knock jokes up your sleeve to keep their attention!
3. Ask them questions about their friends, their pets, sports… be their friend!
These are some great tips (especially since I’m hoping to get a new camera soon!). In addition to the above guidelines, “Look Good In Pictures” has a new video on taking pictures of newborns featuring Carrie Sandoval. You can see it below:
Fantastic video with great tips! That newborn is soooo precious it makes me want to have another.
That’s GREAT! I love that video. I just twittered the link to this post. I’d love to see a similar video for photographing older kids. Does she have one?
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I asked. The answer:
We don’t have a video with Carrie specifically on photographing older children (Carrie is more known for her work with babies), however we do have 2 videos that talk about photographing children in particular settings, so I would suggest passing these along as possibilities:
http://www.lookgoodinpictures.com/episodes/all/32 – Vacation Photos with a family (good for spring break/summer vacations if you’d like to use it).
http://www.lookgoodinpictures.com/episodes/all/39 – Family Portraits
http://www.lookgoodinpictures.com/episodes/all/46 – Holiday Portraits (this is out of season, but perhaps your reader could glean some useful info for other situations).
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the tips. Carrie, love your work.