The first five years of your child’s life race by at an
astoundingly fast pace. Before you know it they’ll be off to school and
turning into young independent adults.
Before they grow up,
capture their precious younger years on film with these helpful tips
from leading Australian children’s photographer Anne Geddes. Use naptime to your advantage
The best photos of newborns are often captured while they are sleeping soundly, without a care in the world.
“I generally photograph newborns while they’re sleeping because their eyes have trouble focusing,” said Anne Geddes. “Besides, to me there is nothing more beautiful than a sleeping newborn baby. If you’re new parents at home right now with a newborn, I’m sure you’ll agree!”
Creative mom Adel Enersen turned sleeping baby pictures into imaginative dreamscapes that have become an online sensation all over the world. She started by imagining what her daughter dreamt about and then recreated “crazy” dream-like scenes around her little girl and posted them on her blog. Her daughter has been a juggler, a mermaid, an astronaut, an elephant rider and a butterfly in her dreams.
Keep it simple
While it’s fun to dress up your little one for a special picture, Anne Geddes said that for natural-looking photographs it’s best not to overthink the shot. “Try to keep your images as simple as possible – don’t have cluttered backgrounds or overdress your baby – their little bodies are beautiful just as they are. Go in as close as possible and get down to your child’s level; it will help you to see their world from their vantage point, and the camera relates well to that.”
Be ready at all times
You don’t need a DSLR or an expensive professional camera to take great baby shots - it’s often said that the best camera is the camera you have on you. Geddes advises that you should “[h]ave your camera handy at all times, so your child is familiar with being photographed – that way they’ll be far more relaxed and you’ll get some great spontaneous images. I never go anywhere without my camera!”
Act quickly
As your kids grow up and start crawling around on their own you’ll have to act fast if you want to get them to sit still. “Children under 5 have very short attention spans!” said Geddes. “Don’t ask little ones to pose – once they start crawling, and then walking (very exciting times amongst all the other milestones) you’ll have to be quick with your camera.”
Make it fun
Above all try to make your child’s time in front of a camera a fun and relaxed experience.
Adel Enersen told Shutterfly that “[i]t’s best to take a photo when your baby is satisfied, so before getting all crazy creative, change nappies, feed and burp your baby!”
Anne Geddes added that “I have a theory that children under 5 years aren’t really concerned about the image itself, they’re more concerned with having fun, so take advantage of that!”
To help inspire you, the digital version of Anne Geddes’ signature baby record book, My First Five Years has just been released in the Mac App Store. The app helps you create a living photobook full of personal photos and memories of your child’s first moments.
Anne Geddes’ top five photography tips for photographing children:
- Photograph newborns while they’re sleeping
- Keep your images as simple as possible
- Have your camera with you at all times
- Be quick with your camera so little ones don’t need to pose
- Have fun with your child during the shoot to make it a great experience for you both
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