Ash & Alys Babes Blog
DIY Baby Photos - Get Your Inspiration Here! February 4, 2013 15:01
I'll admit that I've spent a lot of money over the years on professional photography for my family. We blogged about Seattle-area-based Molly Vaden on a recent Mom of the Month post, and I love her work. I'm also in love with Arizona-based Cameron + Kelly Studio - Cameron Clark photographed my wedding and I've stayed in touch with her over the years for pregnancy and baby photos. It's been awesome to have two talented photographers - who are moms and somewhat at the same stage in life as me - to go to capture our family memories. I don't regret a penny spent on the photos from these ladies, and I look forward to working with them again the future.
That being said, it's not practical for everyday families to hire a photographer for every stage of babyhood and childhood (trust me, I've tried to make a case to my husband for how we can budget in quarterly professional sessions!). So we've collected some of our favorite baby photos from around the web (thank you Pinterest) and from the photographers I mentioned above to help inspire your at-home DIY sessions. I've even included a couple that I shot myself. If I can get a decent shot, anyone can - I'm completely camera illiterate.
A few tips we've collected for getting a good shot: simple clothing (a Kicky Pants footie or FuzziBunz diaper would be perfect!), simple background, natural lighting, shooting at eye level, experimenting with black and white, trying lots of angles and shooting during bath and playtime. Ultimately, unless you are really good with your really good camera, your shots aren't going to be as nice as what you'd get from a pro. But, at least you can try some of these out and end up with a handful of photos that are frame-worthy.
Enjoy your babes!
This one is from Cameron + Kelly Studio. Cameron says to get this type of shot yourself, you'll need a lot of light in the bathroom. She also says: "CRANK the ISO to the highest number it will hold. I think I shot that at f1.4 at a 1/30 of a second." Thanks Cameron!
I took this one - this is a genuinely happy moment.
Oh, these moments are too fleeting!
Such a great idea!
Love that smile!
Another one of mine - captured all four personalities perfectly. I am still learning what to do with all the settings on our camera, but I do know that I shot this one with the room lights off - the only lights on were the string lights. No flash, highest ISO I could get and I used auto focus. I did a little editing in iPhoto to adjust shadows.
Be still my heart!
I wish I would have gotten a shot like this of my hubby and my babe's little piggies.
-Ashley