Have you ever spent an hour or more trying to take the "perfect" picture of your child only to find that once you looked back at your work, it was just ok? Well, in this article we spoke with professional photographer Genia Mattoon, at Alter-Egos Photography, for a few tips on how to make capturing those moments a little easier.
Better Images of Your Baby
First and foremost, make sure those little ones have had plenty to eat and a great nap. That is unless you want to get a few precious moment photos of them sleeping. During their nap is a great time to capture those sweet images of your babies face.
Second, try to dress your baby in something comfortable. The best outfit is their birthday suit. Most babies’ cooperate best this way. If you have a fussy one, try wrapping them up in a cute blanket. After all they might be cold or miss the closeness of their mom or dad.
Third, when you go to purchase photos from your local photographer. What images do you like most? Is it that image of their bright eyes, warm smile, a tear or those sweet baby parts? Knowing what moment you want to capture is sure to get you a wide array of images or just simply that one you want.
Fourth, don’t get caught up in your surroundings. Remember that your baby is your subject and that you don’t always need a smile for the perfect photo. After all the most memorable ones of them is when you allow their personality to shine.
Lighting
Last, but not least is lighting; a common challenge whether you are using digital or print film. Even the most advanced lighting studio has to account for lighting. Here are a couple of things to remember:
Obviously natural light (by a window, outdoor shade) is best. It highlights the hair and skin tones perfectly.
Ever wondered what exactly the ISO feature on your camera does? Well, In film, ISO is how sensitive a film is to light; your film's #s (100,200,400, and so on). So in simple terms, most of us would use 400 back in the film days. However your photo quality would not be as clear as if you would have chosen 100 or lower.
With the new Digital Revolution ISO measures the sensitivity to the image sensor. All principles still apply as in film-the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and finer grain (pixels).
So if you are shooting an indoor sports event you would want to use a higher ISO so you could freeze the action in a lower light.
I hope you find these pointers helpful when capturing these special moments of your angel.
Genia Mattoon, Alter-Egos Photography
www.alter-egosphotography.com
