Well hello there! Nice to meet you! My name is Yvonne and I blog over at simplyvonne.  I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be a guest host for Sandy today. I have been a fan of Sandy’s blog for quite some time now and it’s an honor to be here sharing with you few tips on photography. I am not an expect on photography nor am I a professional photographer but I found these tips actually works for me. I have always enjoy photography but never got into it until my baby girl was born last year. It actually took me a whole year to finally play around with the manual mode! I am still really new at photography and still learning as I go.

{ Read Your Manual } Before you start photographing your baby, the first thing you should do is read your manual. I get it that reading your manual is completely boring but you don’t have to read it from cover to cover. At least 10 pages 😉

{ Light It Up } When shooting indoor, I usually position Kaylee by the window. I don’t have any fancy flash equipment so I love using natural light. When I do shoot Kaylee outside, I normally shoot really early morning or later afternoon around sunset so your photos would have harsh lighting.

{ Getting the Details }

Babies are tiny for a very short period of time. I like to focus on their feet, toes, hands, eyes and even accessories. Don’t be afraid to get close and focus on the little details. Shallow depth of fields creates a mood of tenderness and intimacy.

{ To Their Level }

Sometimes the best shot is the one where you are laying down on your tummy to take it 😉 Don’t be afraid to get down and dirty. Try kneeling or lying beside your baby and shoot from there.

{ Work Around Your Baby’s Schedule }

The key to have a happy and smiling baby in photos is to work around their schedule. Ohh yes…there were numerous time I was so ready to take photos but if she’s into it, just have to wait another day. Kaylee is usually smiling for the camera once she got her nap in and tummy is all full!

{ Edit, Edit, Edit }

Let’s be honest, my photos are not cool before editing them. I edit all my photos in photoshop. I normally brighten up the eyes and using various actions on my photos. I love using Totally Rad Actions You can download some free actions at Pioneer Woman. She has great tips on photography as well!

When I first started, my photos were really dark and I was shooting in auto mode for a year. My interest in photography grew because I want to be able to take nice quality photos for our baby girl. Practice is the key and don’t give up. Don’t expect to capture that perfect shot the first time, try different angles and different positions. Impromptu shots sometimes creates the best picture.

Like I mentioned, I am not a professional photographer and there’s so much to learn, I simply enjoy taking photos of our baby girl and I think she’ll enjoy looking at these 18 years from now. Thank you so much for having me Sandy, I cant wait to see photos of baby boy a la mode!

Head over to my blog, baby girl and I would love to meet you! See more photos of baby K here 🙂

-Yvonne