There are some articles out there about getting good baby photos, but really no good Dos and donts to really guide the way. So Ive come up with some simple guidelines to follow that should result in better photos (at least they have for me).

Step 1: Do – Get in Close, Real Close

Honestly, people that want to look at your baby dont really need to see the entire room their in or even their entire body, they want to see your beautiful baby or you holding him/her. Getting close enough to see the tiny little fingernails or eyelashes is more special than seeing the cool stroller you got or the awesome crib you picked up at IKEA. Remember, your friends and family want to see your baby, so give the people what they want.

What if you have a lot of photos already and none of them are close in? With most of todays digital cameras you should be safe to zoom/crop most images to better frame the little one. See example to the right:

Step 2: Don’t – Create Complex “Sets” to Place Your Baby In

The key to this Dont is to remember that adding tons of props and other cutesy things does not make a good photo. Youve no doubt seen the work of Anne Geddes, who has done some very original, cool things with babies. I am certainly not saying that you shouldnt try one of these techniques&by all means experiment away, but if it doesnt work, be honest with yourself and remember that Less is More&

Step 3: Do – Take Lots of Photos!

This is probably really easy to remember, but sometimes it’s nice to reaffirm some basic principles. The more photos you take, the more Great ones you’ll end up with. Also remember to have your camera with you at all times to take those great shots as they happen in front of you…So fire away and fill up those memory cards…

Step 4: Do – Get on Their Level

My favorite photo so far of my little one was taken just after she learned to roll over onto her belly. She got her arms up underneath her and hands almost folded. I quickly grabbed my camera and laid down right in front of her. Just as I snapped the shutter, she looked up at me&perfect! See this photo to the right&Notice I also went with a square crop just to accentuate it further&

Step 5: Wrap-Up

This is by no means an end all resource for getting the perfect baby picture all the time. Youll even notice that theres only one dont in the list. I tried hard to write up tips that describe things you can do instead of things to avoid. If any of you have any comments or suggestions or even criticisms please let me know as I want all baby photos to be great.

Once you have your perfect photo, why not get an Annoucement Card from us (hey, i had to do a sell somewhere, right?). Well be happy to use your design, show you some templates, or even do something from scratch with you.