Congratulations!!
You waited 9 long months. It was a time full of fear, expectation and hope,
And now finally he/she is here!
You're baby is the sweetest! So charming that you can't take your eyes off him!
Now is the best time to share your fillings with the people you love.
Let all your friends& family get a chance to know about him, and see him.
With today's technology birth announcements are easy to get.
There are many options you can choose from and you don’t need to put much work or time in it. The designs are out there, and all you need to do is pick the one that is right for you!
We all know that one good picture is worth of 100 words, but so many of us get stuck with taking a good picture, one that will capture our adorable baby.
With No need of experience and not a lot of knowledge you can do it yourself!
Here are 10 great tips that will help you make the perfect photo of your baby!
The most important thing is to get a sharp photo.
Meaning, WE DO NOT WANT any shadows or darkness, we also don’t want it to be too bright. Our purpose is to photograph a sharp clean picture in good quality, so we will be able to share with everybody the look of our perfect little baby
1. Resolution: our photo should be in high resolution. Those of you who don't understand the meaning of that, here is a small explanation: DPI= dots per inch, meaning, resolution is the amount of dots - pixels, we have in an inch on the screen. A photo that goes to print should be in high resolution. The more color dots we have, the more information & more details, and the photo will look more real and live. We need 300 dpi. If the photo is not to be printed, and we only want it for the computer (for example, sending the picture by e-mail) 72 dpi is definitely enough. If you have a digital camera you can arrange on the camera you're characteristics including you're decisions about the resolution.
2. The average size of a card is: 6*4 inch. You will need an 1800*1200 pixel size photo. The photo should be saved in a jpeg, pdf, or a psd format.
3. Focus: using the camera's zoom: a common mistake is to stand close to the babies face and use the wide optics of the camera, however the right way is to move away from the photographed baby and bring him closer to you using only the zoom. That is because when you take the picture from far you can avoid distortion that happened from close. In this way you can also ensure not distracting the baby. Try not to come too close with the zoom - it will likely damage the quality of the picture and cause blurring. In order to take a sharp photograph with the right exposure you need to arrange the camera for that. Most people's mistake is that they use automated status; they just press the button without preparing the camera for focus or fitting the amount of light before. The stage of half pressing is a very important stage in any kind of photograph picture. When pressing on the button only half way the camera is focusing itself and measuring the amount of light that’s needed. When camera notes with her "bip" or when a small square is seen in center of the frame you can be sure that now the action had been done properly. It is very important not to release the pressing until the camera signals that the action had been done. Pay attention not to move the camera, it is worthwhile to place the camera on a tripod. A blurred picture happens because of the movement, and it cannot be repaired.
4. Lighting: always prefer natural day light. Try to take the photo in a room where sun light comes in. it makes natural colors and a real look. (And just for general knowledge it is also very good to the baby's skin - morning sun fills the skin with vitamin E…). If there isn't a room with sun in it - try to take the picture under yellow light. To avoid shadows on your baby's face you can always add another lamp or camera's flash. A cloudy day is the perfect day to take photos! Remember that good lighting does half of the work (the other half is your baby's cute face!). A good lighting will prevent disorientation. A lack of focus is hard to correct in the printing house, therefore you must insist on good lighting!! To make sure there is no blurring you can easily check it by zooming in. if the picture is in good quality it won't look grainy, it will stay sharp! You won't be able to see if it's grainy if the picture is dark, be careful of that because many times when dropping light on the picture before printing suddenly you can see the picture was blurred.
5. Baby's appearance: there are many options of the way to dress the baby. It depends on the message you want to give. If you want to make a funny atmosphere or a formal one. But after deciding the mood of the photo you should keep in mind several important things: colors: it is recommended to dress the baby with bright soft colors. Remember you can always change the colors of the shirt later on, but to do that it is important first to use bright colors. We advised to dress the baby with a smooth UN patterned clothing.
6. Background: background should match and fit with the message of the card, be sure to remember that the background is only the background and what's important is your baby! We don’t want the background to compete what's really important. That’s why be sure to use a simple background an uncomplicated bright material.
7. Baby position: try to catch your baby's face while he is looking at you. Maybe use another person to distract the baby so you will have a nice facial expression, maybe even a smile :). At the same time you can try to catch the baby in different cute and interesting positions. While playing, sleeping, looking around thinking and maybe also when crying. Kids are more photogenic while they are busy and occupied, therefore all you have to do is to take one's place, take a small gap from happening area and wait patiently, the moment will come. Just wait and be ready. If you are planning to have a sibling announcement you should try to capture a nice moment of baby and sibling together (playing. Hugging bathing or sleeping together). A great picture that always comes out cute is when both parents' are kissing the baby's cheeks from both sides! Be creative! Try also just to photograph parts of the baby's body- small feet and hands are always so adorable!
8. Composition: know what you want to get in the end. Are you interested in a few small pictures from different direction or one big centered? To center the baby won't always be right, place the baby in any third of the photo. If you are interested to write on the photo, remember to leave place for that. One way or the other, don't forget to leave margins, a place for cutting if needed. Try taking the picture from different points of view. You will see that sometimes from the most unexpected place the most interesting picture comes out. Try standing above and over the baby. Maybe in the baby's level when he is on his stomach or when there is a pillow behind him. Remember that baby's head is bigger relatively too its body, that’s why you shouldn't stand from on top while the baby is laying. To get the right proportion you should centralize the camera's eye to the middle of the baby's body, to the direction of its head. This does not mean you should neglect other perspectives, like the perspective around the baby, every point of view will bring a new perspective result!
9. Photo direction: many times the picture is horizontal but the card design is precisely vertical. That’s why it is very important not to come too close to baby's face. From one hand the face should be seen clearly, and from the other hand you need to have the background, in case the picture needs to be cut.
10. One of the most important things in the modern digital age is not taking a lot of pictures and rely on the hope that something must come out good. It is not true and you know that! That’s why you should invest a few more minutes in every photo, look for the right direction, adjust yourself and the camera, look for the most complimenting light, try tuning yourself to the right distance, and off course the best moment that will make you photo unforgettable. With a lot of patience and love…
Good luck!
