Nesting with MaryJanes and Galoshes

Hello Delia fans! I am so excited to be celebrating Delia’s pregnancy with you all. I’m Taylor, the writer and crafter behind MaryJanes and Galoshes.  I myself am a mother of three high energy toddlers (3 year old twins and a 4 year old!).  Though I’m very much enjoying all the super cute projects Delia’s guests have been sharing for babies, I myself am very happy to be over the baby stage and on to the busy toddler, independent kid stage 😉

Since I wasn’t into making a baby craft (though you can find lots of toddler tutorials on my blog!) I thought I would share with you some tips on photographing your baby! When I had my first child I remember bringing him home and thinking “now what?!”.  I thought I was supposed to be super busy taking care of this new baby, but instead all he was doing was sleeping! As a photographer (though I didn’t know I was one at the time) I pulled out my camera and made good use of the sleepy time.  I now do photography professionally (not because of the baby, but because it’s just what I was meant to do) and thought I would share some tips with those of you who aren’t as photographically inclined….. did that make sense?….. well you know what I mean!

Here are my top tips for getting the best photos of your baby DIY style.

1. Know your babies schedule-  No one knows your baby better than YOU.  You know when they sleep, when they’re hungry, when they’re happy….. take advantage of this knowledge and use it to capture the type of photos you want.  Sleepy time is perfect for details photos while happy time can get you bright eyes and coo’s.
2. What to wear-  Have you noticed that those gorgeous professional photos (calendar worthy newborn shots) are all of nude babies?  Clothing can be distracting, and let’s face it, most of the time to big for your brand new baby.  Nothing looks worse in a photo than your baby swimming in that (even if adorable) outfit.  Make sure your house is nice and warm, then strip your baby down to either their diaper or their birthday suit.
3. Choose a spot with nice natural light- Avoid direct sunlight, but choose a location in your home that gets great natural sunlight.  Flash (if not done exactly right) can be very unflattering….. your baby won’t appreciate it much either.
4. Get down to their level- Let me say that again, because it’s really the most important tip here GET DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL!!!  Being eye level with your baby makes for the most interesting photographs.
5. Change your angle- Once you’re down to their level, move around.  Try capturing them from different angles.  Those great baby lashes look great when shot from the top of the head looking down on the face.  The feet look cute when photographed from the soles.
6. Don’t forget the details- You put a lot of work into that little babies nursery.  You picked out that special stuffy, chose that soft blanket, and assembled that furniture.  Capture it!  Not just a shot of the whole room, though you may want that too! But get the details.  You may even want to put that baby in the crib while your photographing it.  It really shows perspective on how tiny your little bundle is!

So grab your camera and start playing.  Your baby is only getting bigger! And pretty soon they will be off and running around and you will need a whole NEW set of tips for that LOL.

Thanks Delia for having me!!! If you’re in Wisconsin I’d love to come take your baby pics for you 😉