Taking photos of your little one and capturing those special moments don't always show how amazingly gorgeous they are. Sometimes it's hard to take a photo as good as you would like, flicking through the thousands per month on your phone or camera wondering why they aren't as perfect as you see your bubba.
You don't need the latest SLR camera with all the trimmings, I can't rave enough about the new iPhone X, it's like a professional photographer in my pocket, and with these tips and tricks you'll be an expert:
Use natural light
Your little one will look their best in natural light, it eradicates those strange shadows and is better colouring for their skin tones. How to find natural light, look for spots in your house that has natural light coming in but not direct light. Or if you are outside setup in the shade, so it is a soft light. Try not to use house lights or flash as these leave a warm glow and also light areas of the face and can be harsh.
Keep it simple
Keeping in mind your baby is the focal point of the image, so don't over complicate it with too many props or items in the image, they detract from your star of the photo, anything unnecessary you can remove (or don't add). Most of the best photos are very simple.
Background awareness
In line with keeping it simple, be aware of your background in the photo. Very busy backgrounds can detract from your bub once again, making it busy and competing colours and elements. if your bubba is lying down, get a nice plain bedspread or blanket they can lie on so there aren't too many patterns. If your bub is sitting up, have a plain wall or if outside a nice fence or greenery that won't detract. It makes such a difference now that you have your bub as the focal point and not too busy. However if you are taking some candid photos, if you have an iPhone X or SLR, try the portrait mode which will set the aperture and blur the background, then the busy-ness will fade away and you can still focus on bubba.
Get a smile or giggle going on
To get their most natural expression you may need to get expressive behind the camera, sing a song, make noises or even have a toy that makes noise that you can get their attention. It is best when you have their eye contact. I find something will work one week won't work the next. My latest trick is pretend sneezing, Isla thinks it's hilarious and giggles every time, although that trick may be running out of magic, so back to the drawing board.
Get down to their level
Eye contact is the best, if your bub is crawling, get down on their level and grab their attention so you have great eye contact, or can experience what they are doing if you are getting some more candid shots of them playing. Also don't be afraid to zoom in and capture al the details of their expressions.
And the most important trick is to practice, take lots of photos and mix it up, you know your bub best and how to get the most out of their personality, and keep in mind some of the tricks and expand your photo library.
Once you are comfortable with your new level of interest, try and put together a calendar or start preparing for the end of the year. One fun theme is to think of events for each month, and start capturing so you can put together the 12 months. I will share my calendar this year on our Facebook page.