Tips for Taking that Perfect Photo: Art of Distractionby Kimmama | More from this Blogger 27 Sep 2009 09:16 PM This week I'm talking about baby portraits. Is there anything more precious than great photos of your baby? Since babies grow, develop and change so rapidly, a digital camera is almost as important as the diapers you burn through each day. I've given you advice about Timing, Lighting, and Props. Today I'm going to teach you how to get your baby to not only look at the camera, but smile, too! It's all about distraction, and it's definitely an art. Nobody does it better than mom, which is why I'm such a huge advocate for taking baby's portraits yourself! Figure Out What Makes Them Look Nobody knows what gets your baby's attention better than you do. When you are not in the middle of a portrait session, experiment with making different noises and figure out which sounds will get your baby to look 95% of the time. It could be a rattle, a special toy, a silly word or any number of smacking or popping noises you can make with your lips. My son, for example, will always look at me if I make a bubble popping sound with my lips or gently shake his Fisher-Price Shape Sorter Turtle, his favorite toy. Figure Out What Makes Them Smile Fortunately, the popping sound I make with my mouth is also what makes my baby smile and laugh, but I have a few other tricks for making him smile. You can play peek-a-boo behind the camera or make a silly face. Some babies will smile at you if you smile first. Repeating a simple word or sound like "mama" may also make them smile if they are young. You can also try wiggling a stuffed animal or other toy above the camera. Put It Together
More tips: If you find the camera is peaking your baby's interest too much (and those little hands are reaching for it), you can try stepping back and zooming in, or you can allow you baby to (carefully) inspect the camera for a moment before you start. Using a prop may also prevent your baby from making it his mission to grab your camera. There's only one more installment of this series, and it's coming up tomorrow. Learn about post-processing: the simple techniques that will have your friends asking, "who took your baby's pictures?" Learn more about Kimmama  Kim is a freelance writer and stay at home mom to her newborn, Micah. She has been married to her husband, Eric, since 2006. Relevantbaby tags User Comments SarahPirolli (181) 28 Sep 2009 05:32 AMUsually my husband and I are both involved when we take our daughter's monthly pictures, but due to his work schedule I had to fly solo this month. Much much harder to do! One thing that I've learned for next time is that it's probably a good idea to make "new toy day" the same as "picture day." My daughter very quickly gets bored of her toys, but if I can get her something new it's much more likely that I can get her to smile and laugh at it! Discuss this article
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Once you have discovered the magic sounds and motions that get your baby's attention and gummy grin, get behind the camera and perform! Focus the lens on your baby and have it ready just before you make them smile to ensure you capture the full smile, since they may not hold it for more than a second or too.
