Baby, Pregnancy, and Parenting at Babies Online » smile

Becoming More Photogenic

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:22:40 +0000

Do you ever wonder why some people look great in photos, and feel like you always look terrible in them? Are you the type that freezes up when the camera comes out and always seems to have a fake smile plastered to your face? Here are some tips for taking great pictures and making yourself look more photogenic.

Relax
Try to stay relaxed. If you feel tense your body will look tense and you will create hard lines that make a picture look stiff. If you are relaxed you are more likely to have a natural expression and smile in your photograph.

Angle Yourself
If you are standing up, turn slightly and rest your weight on one foot. If you are sitting, angle to one side or the other. This will give an added dimension to your pictures.

Smile Small
Many people do not like huge smiles on themselves. Often a big grin will make you look like you are squinting which will throw off the picture. Learn how to look natural by only slightly smiling or smiling about 3/4 of the way. You can have a beautiful smile only showing a small amount of teeth. Being relaxed will also help you accomplish this smile.

Don’t Look Directly At the Camera
Always look above the lens and not directly at the lens. This will help avoid the appearance of red-eye and will also help you look a little less posed and more natural. Looking up will also help raise your chin just a little bit so that you will not have an appearance of having a second chin.

Whiten Your Teeth
If you have time use a teeth whitener for a few days before your pictures are to be taken. While these are normally not permanent, they will make your teeth look nice and white long enough for you to take a great picture.

Dress for Success
Many pictures that you see you are able to say just from the clothes, “That picture was taken in the 50′s or 60′s.” In order to dress timelessly avoid clothes that are patterned or contain ruffles, frills or big sleeves. Wear simple, solid colored clothes that look timeless.

Check Your Mood
Be sure you are in a good mood when you go to get your pictures taken. If you are upset, overly tired, or just not feeling happy it will be hard to relax and hard to take a good picture. If you have pictures scheduled for a day when you are in a bad mood, consider rescheduling them.

Light Up those Smiles

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:50:01 +0000

When it comes to the art of taking pictures of babies we all want these photographs to turn out, well, picture perfect, especially when the baby in question is our own. There is one fatal flaw that will mar the perfection of photographs around the world. Whether you are a novice or a professional photographer you will find that you absolutely must have proper lighting in order to take decent photographs of your little one.

How to Find the Perfect Light
Nature provides the best source of lighting. The best time of day to take photos outside is early morning or late afternoon when lighting isn’t directly overhead as that will cast unwelcome shadows on your baby’s beautiful face. While most point and shoot cameras do come with flashes you will find that flashes are not the best lighting source when it comes to taking the best baby pictures.

When taking a photo of baby you want light that isn’t harsh and if possible that isn’t artificial. The problem is that winter months provide little opportunity for baby to go outside and summer months require special care and consideration for discomfort resulting from both the sun and the heat. A good alternative is if you have access to a sunroom or any room in your house that has an abundance of windows that allow natural light to stream into the room. This allows proper lighting combined with a comfortable atmosphere for your little one to take an exceptionally cute baby picture that is exposed to the proper amount of light. When taking photographs outside you should also take care that you are neither facing your baby into the sun (as this will agitate your baby) nor your face to the sun as this will create a glare. You may also want to take note of reflective metals or bodies of water that may be in the line of sight of your camera lens as well and avoid those whenever possible.

If these options are not available to you try to make sure that the room you are snapping photographs in is well lit and that you aren’t casting unnecessary shadows when taking your baby photo. Shadows create dark spots on the photo and too little light makes the entire photograph too dark to make out the beautiful features of your baby. If all else fails you can rely on the flash from your camera. These are actually adequate for most non-professional photographs. However, if you want an extra special picture for a baby photo contest or to grace the cover of your baby photo album, you might want to explore the possibilities of natural lighting in order to capture the brightest of your baby’s smiles.

Milestones: 4-12 Months

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:53:47 +0000

During this time your baby will learn to do all kinds of new and exciting things. There is no set time when your baby will start as all babies are different and complete tasks at their own rate. At your baby’s next well-check though if you are concerned you can take this list to your pediatrician and see if there is anything that he thinks your baby is behind on.

By 4 months old:

Does your baby smile at you when you smile?

Does your baby watch you when you move?

Does your baby make cooing sounds like “ooo” and “aaa”?

Does your baby lift his head and chest when on his tummy?

Does your baby play with her hands by touching them together?

By 7 months old:

Does your baby laugh and say “bababa” or “dadada”?

Does your baby turn his head and look at you when you talk to him?

Does your baby feed herself with her fingers?

Does your baby learn about toys by putting them in her mouth? (Make sure toys are too big to swallow)

Can your baby stay sitting up by himself?

By 10 months old:

Does your baby play “peek-a-boo” or wave “bye-bye” after he sees you do it?

Does your baby hold something in each hand at the same time?

Does your baby pick up small things (like a Cheerio) using her thumb and one finger?

Does your baby scoot or crawl across the floor on his tummy?

Does your baby pull up to standing and stand by holding onto furniture?

By 12 months old (1 year old):

Does your baby shake her head “no”?

Does your baby look at the right things when you say words like “bottle” or “ball”?

Does your baby say “Mama” or “Dada” to the right person?

Does your baby find a toy when he sees you hide it?

Does your baby take steps when holding onto furniture?

By the time your baby turns one year of age most of the infant developments will be complete and you will be onto the toddler developments. Those are the fun ones, when the baby gets into everything, insists on crying JUST because you got on the phone, and tries to pull you in the bathtub with him. Remember — every child is different. This checklist is intended only as a guideline. If you have questions or concerns about your baby’s development, however, don’t hesitate to talk to his or her caregiver.