Before you shoot

*Set your camera to the highest quality setting available.

*It is best to dress your child in solid colors, as opposed to busy patterns. Especially if the design you are choosing has a pattern in it.  You want your child to be the focus of your cards, not her outfit!  And for babies, nothing is cuter than your little one in nothing more than a diaper. 

*Use natural light when possible.  Place your baby or child near a window, or outside.  Make sure to watch for shadows though.  You don't want harsh shadows on your child.  Also be careful because sometimes your photos will blur when the flash doesn't go off.  Make sure you are getting nice focused shots of your child, and if the flash is necessary, be sure to use it.

*Keep your backgrounds simple.  Busy backgrounds are very distracting, instead try solid colors for the background.  Solid colored blankets make great backgrounds. I've hung them from walls, headboards, staircases, anything to make a makeshift studio in my own home. It really does help keep the focus on your child, and not that cluttered bookcase in the living room.

*Winter hats are always a cute accessory, especially for those chilly outdoor shots.

During the shoot

*Snap, Snap, Snap.  Even if you feel like you've snapped a bunch, take more.  Frequently I will take over 40 or 50 pictures of my son just to get that perfect shot. With the convenience of digital cameras, It's easy to take as many as you can, not to mention free.  Between the blinks, the blurs and that stubborn toddler attitude, it will be easy to rule out the bad ones and narrow in on a winner, or two.  If you still can't decide which is the best, feel free to send me a couple and I will help you decide which image will make the best composition for your design.

*Avoid using your camera's zoom, instead, get close to your baby.  Experiment with different angles to get a variety of shots. You'd be surprised which ones may end up being your favorites!

*Another tip, one I'm constantly needing to remember myself, is keep your subjects faces close together.  I'm over a foot shorter than my husband, and we barely make it in the same frame most of the time. I'd say about 95% of our photos are taken vertically.  Our faces are usually so far apart, it makes cropping and framing very difficult. My favorite photos of us, are ones where we are both sitting, or me standing on something to get closer to his level. It sounds silly, but it makes a big difference!