Twelve Months of Gabe + Photo Tips.

Each month, I took photos of Gabe to carefully document his changing little self through his first year of life. I got lots of compliments about how I have a very photogenic baby, but I think the secret isn’t in Gabe (though he is rather cute), but the right conditions to photograph him.

You do not need a DSLR or expensive lens to take good photos of your baby. (I would suggest splurging on professional baby photos once during the first year if you can afford it; even if it’s just to get the whole family in a photo.) I put together some tips and guidelines I discovered while shooting Gabe (and I mean that in the least violent way possible). Hope they help!

• Pick the best time of day for baby – when is he happy, rested, and fed. The early morning was always my favorite time to photograph Gabe.

• Shoot near a window for light or outside. Natural light is your best friend. Flash is not. Early in the morning or later evening are the best times to shoot outside to avoid harsh shadows.

• I like to use fun fabrics each month. I happen to have a lot of fabric, so this worked out well. Couch cushions can work well as backdrop, too. I laid fabric over a Boppy and laid Gabe belly-down on it for photos when he was younger.

• Think about what you want to capture about this stage of your baby’s life. Is it a certain facial expression? His favorite stuffed animal? Sweet baby smiles? Nom-alicious toes? Be sure to try and document these things.

• Try different angles; get up high or down low to take photos.

• Instead of always trying to get the baby to look at you, move your camera to capture his gaze. Much easier.

• People like to do the month-to-month comparison thing against something consistent, like next to a stuffed animal or on a chair. I love when people do it with something meaningful – like the mom’s stuffed animal from childhood. So sweet.

• Get close– my favorite photos are the ones that are just Gabe’s face; up close and showing his little personality. (As he gets older, this has been an invitation for him to stick his finger in my lens.)

• Plan to take hundreds of photos, but only about 10% will be good. (And as he gets older, 3%.)

• Cull the photos to the best ones. All the time, I see people share 200-photo Facebook or Flickr albums of their baby. I suggest editing them down to the best ones and sharing those – not only will people actually take the time to look at them, you’ll appreciate it later when you’re looking for the best of the best photos to print using good canvas and decor, etc.

• Employ the help of your spouse to make the baby look at the camera and elicit smiles. Even without help, you can shake a rattle to get the baby to look at you, and then snap away. As Gabe got older, I’d give him a wooden spoon, rattle, or toy to play with and, more importantly, keep him in one place while I took his photos.

• You can get some monthly stickers fairly inexpensively on Etsy. I got mine from this shop.

Baby change and grow so fast. I hope these tips help you document your sweet little guy or girl better!