Lighting tips for taking beautiful photos for your scrapbooking baby album.
Thursday, August 21st, 2008A couple of my friends asked me about some of the photos I have of my daughter in my scrapbooking baby album. They commented on how nice they are and how professional they look, but the funny thing is that they aren’t. So I thought I’d share a few tips with you that I have learnt along the way.
Well for starters you can’t go too far wrong when you are photographing a baby, they would have to be the cutest subject in the world wouldn’t they? I mean there are cute puppies and cute kittens, but then there are some not so cute puppies and kittens too, but come on, all babies are cute, and they are simply gorgeous!
So we know the subject is going to be as cute as a button but sometimes there are other little tricks and tip that can really make a photo stunning. And with digital photography nowadays, you can see your results immediately, no waiting to get that film developed and no fear of wasting film on mediocre shots. So that leaves us free to click away madly and edit the bloopers later.
So let’s get down to business and learn a few little tips for getting the best result out of our photo efforts for your scrapbooking baby album. This was a tip given to me by a friend of mine who said to me,
“Some of the best photos you will ever take will not be taken in direct light.”
Now I didn’t know what he meant first of all, until he explained to me. Now I will try to explain it to you and pass on this little piece of wisdom because it is just such a small thing, but it made a huge difference to my photos.
Ok, so when it comes to photographing kids and babies (well anyone actually), nothing beats natural light, not bright sunshine, not the flash, but just nice natural light. Sometimes out on a patio where you have lots of nice natural light is where you will capture some really nice shots, either that or if you are inside, pick a position near a big window or glass doors where lots of light fills that area of the room. So do you get the idea of what natural light is? The easiest way I can explain it is kind of like saying, when there is lots of light that comes from the sun, hence why it is called natural light, but when you cannot actually see the sun. It is not always possible to take photos this way, but it is something worth keeping in mind.
Now if you are taking photos outside, try if you can to avoid taking photos right on midday, this kind of light is very harsh and will not produce your best work. However if you are taking photos out in bright sunshine, take a moment to think about shadows, yes those things the sun causes. You will be amazed at the kind of shadows the sun can cause one your subjects face and those shadows don’t come from trees or buildings but from eyebrows and hair. So if you are taking a photo in the direct sun, the best thing you can do to try and get rid of the shadows on your subjects face, is turn the flash on. Sound strange? Well it’s true, have a go and try it, you will be surprised.
