The truth of the matter is that you can put a few tips of the pros into place when it comes to taking a cute baby picture of your very own. The first thing you need to remember and keep in mind is that you simply must keep your poses age appropriate. For younger babies, aged newborn to about 3 months, there really isn’t much you can do other than prop them in the pose you desire or hold them for those perfectly sweet photos.

Once your baby has reached the milestone of holding his or her head up on her own you will find that there are a few more options when it comes to creating great baby poses. Having your baby push up with a blanket over his or her head can create some poignant picture poses while also recording this small milestone in your baby’s development. Once your baby can sit you are open to a whole new world of photo ops and posing options. Some of my favorites include washtubs and rubber ducks, splashing in wading pools, literally sitting in a bucket of balls—use your imagination and things that your baby enjoys for more natural looking posing possibilities. The problem with posing at this point is that your baby is more mobile than ever, which spells disaster for most planned poses. At this stage I seriously recommend a camera that can take shots of a baby on the move.

From the time your baby has reached a state of mobility whether it be rolling over, crawling, or walking you will constantly need to be aware of the fact that every pose is subject to baby approval. This means that a good many of them will not last very long. The truth of the matter is however, that once your baby has begun moving and developing a personality of his or her own, you will find that he creates plenty of poses that are most definitely photo worthy of his own volition. In fact, I would be willing to bet that most of those pictures that win baby photo contests are natural rather than contrived poses.

When it comes to your baby there are so many things you will have to worry about over the course of his or her life. Don’t waste your worrying over taking the ‘perfect’ picture or finding the ‘perfect’ pose. Your baby will provide you with some brilliant poses of his own during the course of his life if you are looking out for them.

Diminish the Distractions
The pros will tell you one of the best tips for getting a great professional style shot of your baby is to keep the distractions at a distance – or better yet, completely at bay. Noises such as the TV or radio in addition to pets and other people roaming around will distract your little subject and make it much more difficult to get that perfect shot you’re after. So keep the environment calm, serene and uncluttered and only have the elements you really want included in that space while you’re shooting the photo.

Limit the Lighting
Bright lights will not only result in an unprofessional looking photo, but they can also annoy, distract, and hurt your baby’s eyes. Do your best to limit the use of a flash by taking pictures outside whenever possible and away from direct sunlight. If shooting at home in the evening hours, position any lamps in a flattering manner while ensuring enough, but not too much, light on your little one. Dimmer switches can be your best friend in these circumstances as well.

Distance Yourself
Even though you want to capture every detail of your baby’s precious expression, getting too close can completely ruin your shot – it may very well result in a blurred and/or fuzzy photo that pretty much defeats the purpose of your efforts. Step back and use a zoom lens and if your camera is equipped with a manual focus feature – use it. Don’t be afraid to put some distance between yourself and baby and snap multiple pictures, especially if the result is going to be that fantastic shot.

Mood Means Everything
This element of getting a professional style shot is really more up to your baby than you. You want to be completely aware of your little one’s mood before you start clicking that shutter button. If your baby is cranky or worse yet crying, even though you feel the surroundings or that little outfit they’re wearing today is just perfect, do both yourselves a favor and wait for a better moment. Your baby will be much more cooperative and you’ll be much happier with the results of the photos.

As in any new endeavor, trial and error is part of the learning experience. By following these simple steps, including making a few mistakes, it won’t take you very long to realize what makes for a great professional style shot. And once you accomplish that feat, you’ll be able to easily capture and preserve those precious memories more effortlessly than you ever thought possible.