Taking Photographs With A Digital Camera

You've a lovely new baby or a little child and you want some special pictures. But children are not performing monkeys and are not always easy to photograph! Trial and error can work wonders over time but in the meantime here are a few of my tips.

Wait until the baby or child is quite settled. After a bath or first thing in the morning or after a nap can be good times. If the subject is hungry, needs a fresh nappy or feeling unwell the results will not be so good!

Place babies in a safe spot and avoid patterned backgrounds which will distract from the baby. Try to have plain backgrounds where possible.

Try to get as much natural daylight as possible into the place where you are taking your shots. If you are indoors pull back all the curtains and blinds. this will result in lovely natural colours and roundness to features.

If you are taking outdoor shots, avoid direct sunlight as it can cause squinting and shadows. Find a shady but well lit spot instead.

Avoid using flash whenever possible. It can bleach out babies' and childrens' features and make them blink! It also often results in red-eye! If you must use your flash, try covering it with a piece of tissue or a special custom-made cloth to soften the effect.

When taking your shot go as close to your subject as possible for the best results. If you are a novice try setting your camera to automatic mode or if you are feeling a little experimental set it to portrait mode. Some cameras even have a special setting for babies and children which can give excellent results.

If the baby or child is moving around a lot, try distracting it by waving a toy or keys or ask a parent or other family member to help out! asking a child to look at something or to see if they can hear a sound can be a good distraction technique.

Take several pictures at once by holding your shutter release button down. Then you can choose the best of the bunch.

If the baby or child gets fed up, leave it for a while and try again later.

Most of all have fun and make it fun for the child too!