Baby Photography 101

1. Put baby somewhere safe and secure. It helps if she is up at your level so that you don't need to crouch on the floor while taking photos. Evie's Space Saver High Chair works for this. It has been set up in our kitchen for the past few weeks and is a fabulous place to put her while we are eating, doing dishes, etc.

2. Give baby toys to amuse her so that she'll smile for the picture. Because Evie's not eating food yet, we've made her high chair a "bug attack play center" by decking it out with her Me In The Mirror toy, wrist and foot rattle set (a gift from my friend and former co-worker, Megan...hi Megan!) and her "bug on a leaf" German toy from my sister, Anne (hi Anne!).

3. Make sure baby's diaper is dry and her belly is full, so that she will be happy in the photos. Because her belly is full, make sure you cover her shirt with a bib (these are our favorite bibs, by far).

4. First, try to use the red-eye reduction flash setting on your camera. Her eyes will come out looking normal, but her face will look grumpy because she doesn't like the red-eye reduction flash that comes before the real flash.

5. Next try the regular flash, which will make her look more surprised than grumpy, and give her devil eyes (hard to see in this online pic, but the red is there).
6. Turn on all of the lights in the room, even the AeroGarden, and turn your flash off. Capture your baby's antics as a blur of movement! Evie kicking her ladybug and butterfly foot rattles!

Evie shaking her bumblebee wrist rattles!

Trying to get all four limbs moving at once...

The exertion is showing on her face!

Now the bug on its leaf is even vibrating in her lap!

Keep taking pictures until baby is worn out and needs a nap, or your memory card is full, whichever comes first. Hopefully you'll capture something worth printing for her baby book. Or maybe not.