Thursday, February 7, 2013

Baby (and Beyond) Photography Tips from SanDisk

SanDisk logo
I can say with nearly complete certainty that no parent ever looks through their photographs and says, "Geez, I managed to take only PERFECT pictures of my kids when they were babies."

Just doesn't happen.

Because no matter how much we might want to capture that innocent gleam in their eyes, that mischievous smile or those first wobbly steps, inevitably it won't be as easy as we plan. Why does photographing one memory or milestone end up requiring 25+ pictures just to get one that turns out right?

You're just trying to document the birth of your second child with something like this...

baby picture

 ...but you have to go through 24 that look like this to get to it though, right?

funny baby picture
Stop yawning, Kid. Mommy is going to forever remind you of the work that SHE did on that day, not you.

So what are the ways to increase the likelihood of actually getting that perfect picture and not spending a whole day on it?

That's where the advice of photographer, author and educator Erin Manning comes in, as she can provide all sorts of information and tips for capturing better baby photos. Just take a look at her top three tips that are sure to help all of us, whether our children are still babies or not!



In case you missed them, Erin's tips include:
  • Set the scene: Shoot near a window using natural light and keep the background simple to avoid distractions. Use solid colored blankets and pillows or even a rug if you don't have bedding that works.
  • Get close: The Macro setting on your camera allows you to get in close and capture even the small details.
  • Be ready: Keep you camera handy with the battery charged so that you never miss a photographic opportunity. Using a high quality memory card such as the SanDisk Ultra SDHC card can actually help you take better pictures and never miss a shot.
While I found all of these important to keep in mind for photographing babies, I realized that I need to be sure to remember them for documenting my big kids as well! It seems like far too often that I realize that there is a messy or distracting background behind my girls, that I'm too far away for the picture to be all that interesting or that I don't know where the camera is when I need it.

Instead, thanks to Erin and SanDisk Memory cards, I'm going to aim to be much more prepared to snap, store and save with ease. What about you? What do you do to ensure that you take the best pictures possible?

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for SanDisk. I received a product sample to thank me for participating.

10 comments:

Mer said...

Great tips! I like the reminder to keep a camera CHARGED and at hand...somehow I always seem to forget the first part!

Liz Mays said...

This is really nice because I know I have stacks of photos from the baby years which just don't cut it!

ColleenMarie82 said...

Thanks for the tips I may be needing to put these to use because I need to get a picture of my daughter for her birthday invitations.

slehan said...

I would have loved a digital camera 40 years ago. Would have made much better pictures.

slehan at juno dot com

Janet W. said...

Those are great tips! It's so hard to get the perfect picture of your baby!

Denise Taylor-Dennis said...

Great ideas for how to get good pictures of your baby. It seems like battery in my camera is dying out because it doesn't seem to stay charged very well.

B. Wilson @ Windy {City} Wilsons said...

I am a big fan of SanDisk products. They keep our memories. :)

mail4rosey said...

Lots of good tips here! My oldest purchased a DSLR camera right before the holidays and I put one of the high quality SanDisc memory cards in his stocking...I think he liked that better than anything else he got. :)

I'm over here to visit and to let you know Liz is talking about you on her site (all good things, of course, she's a gem like that). You've probably seen it, but an FYI in case you haven't. :)

Happy weekend!

Anonymous said...

Nice tips! i just need a baby! ha!

Unknown said...

always forget to charge my camera. so I always use my phone which isn't the greatest.

knickgirl_3 at yahoo dot com