When you’re a new parent, it’s evident that you’ll be taking ALL the photos you can of your baby while she’s still itty bitty.

These are my best tips for getting quality photos of your littlest family members from the comfort on your home!

Shoot Down the Nose

In other words, don’t shoot up the baby’s nostrils. This isn’t a flattering angle on anyone. Amiright?

Keep on eye on the baby’s nose, and simply angle your camera so it “shoots down the nose.”

Find Light Colored Backgrounds

The quickest and easiest way to make a photo appear brighter than usual is to find a white or light colored background. Whether it’s a white wall, closet door, blanket, or bedspread, this will help to achieve the popular “bright & airy” look.

Point the Top of the Baby’s Head Toward the Window

Keep an eye on the where the light is coming from. I always suggest turning off interior lights and using only natural/available light from the sun. I want to produce the most natural and flattering shadows possible, so this usually means that I’ll have the top of Baby’s head pointing toward the window at a 45 degree angle.

In this example of Finnian, you can see that the sun is hitting the left side of his face which is casting a beautiful shadow onto the right side of his face. The top left corner of his head is “pointing” toward the window, which is the ideal placement.

Here’s another example of window/lighting placement. Again, I have these sisters lying on a fluffy, ivory blanket and pillow, placed on the floor, at a 45 degree angle from the window. The shadows are especially evident on June’s face (the older sister in the middle). The left side of her face is beautiful and bright, but we lose a lot of detail on that side. The shadows on the right side of her face give us the adorable details we’re missing on the other side!

Try playing around with different window/head placements and you’ll see what I mean! Have you ever shone a flashlight under your chin? It’s so unflattering and pretty scary, huh? This is exactly the look we’re trying to avoid when I say to point the baby’s head toward the window.

I hope these quick and easy tips help! If you tried them, I’d love to see the outcome. Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,
Brenna