When I became a first-time mom, I knew I wanted to keep my monthly baby photos simple. When I was pregnant, I decided to use a queen-sized quilt that we already owned and toys that we acquired for our new arrival as props. It helped that we got toy blocks for him. We used the blocks to indicate his name and age in every photo.
The photos are not perfect, but I was happy with how they turned out at the end of the year. While taking these photos, I realized a few things that made the process easier, so here are my Top 9 tips for taking monthly baby photos:
- Shoot from above. This option provides a creative, unique perspective. I liked to lay down my son for the first few months, because I didn’t have to worry about him squirming or slumping over in a “sitting-up” position. I also felt like the “bird’s-eye view” made it easier to get his whole body and all the props I wanted in the frame. As my son grew, I stood on a step stool to fit everything into one shot. Note: this position can be risky as you are hovering over the baby to get this perspective. For this reason, it’s important to secure the camera in a way that it won’t drop. I used my DSLR for the monthly photos, so I secured the camera around my neck and by wrapping the strap around my wrist. Another point worth noting is that as my son grew so did the blanket. When he was only a month old, the quilt was folded into fourths; and then the next month, in half, and then eventually I laid it out completely. Keep this in mind if you use a monthly milestone blanket. Milestone blankets tend to be small and after awhile it will feel near impossible to fit only the blanket into the frame. A good trick for using a milestone blanket is to layer a larger blanket beneath it. This way you don’t have to fidget with the smaller blanket too much.
- OR shoot at their level. For parents who might be nervous about hovering a camera above their infant, getting down low and at their level is a great option. The advantage of shooting at eye level is you are now entering your baby’s perspective of the world and bringing their story to the forefront. Similar to shooting at a bird’s-eye view, shooting at eye level also offers a unique perspective, as we are used to seeing our infant from our own eyes (from above). By capturing them at eye level, we see them in a new way. When shooting at eye level, you might find it useful to use pillows to position your baby and keep their head supported.
- Lighting. Shooting at eye level also offers the advantage of being intentional about lighting. The best way to mimic “studio lighting” is by using the light that is already around us. Choose a window in your home that provides the most sunlight. Position yourself with your back to the window and where the natural light is on the baby. Be careful of shadows and pick a time of day in which the light is not too harsh. The advantage of using sunlight is that it’s a free light source and helps bring out the natural features of your little one.
- Get a Helper. It’s always nice to get a fun smile out of your little one for these monthly photos, and that’s easier when they can see a smiling face being goofy off to the side of the camera. Thankfully, my husband helped me with most of the photos, and when he did, our son’s smiles always seemed wider and brighter and more humored, lighting up the whole photo. Another reason to have a helper is to ensure the baby doesn’t slump if you decide to take pictures of them sitting up.
- Be consistent. Try to pick a concept and stick with it. This helps illustrate your child’s growth. For our photos, we used the same quilt, blocks, Magna Doodle, and Curious George stuffed animal, and we shot from above in our living room. Each month, I would attempt to re-create the same look. This is not to say that you can’t take more than one type of photo. You might decide to do both a bird’s-eye view and eye-level photo each time. But whatever you decide, try to do it every month. Something to remember here is that while it’s important to be consistent, it doesn’t have to be fancy. You can totally place a Post-It note on your baby’s onesie with their monthly age on it if you want, because the purpose isn’t to be “Pinterest-worthy” or the most creative, but to capture the rapid growth your newborn is enduring in their first year. Be consistent and you will accomplish that goal.
- Have fun. I enjoyed taking the monthly photos, and my preference was to use lots of fun props. As I already mentioned, we consistently used the Curious George stuffed animal, toy blocks, and Magna Doodle. But on special occasions, I liked to throw in a few extras, like the crochet beard on the stuffed animal in October to connote Halloween, or the box of chocolates in February to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Props can be a fun way to add to the photo. You can use pretty much anything from flowers to fruit. But if you are the type of person who wants to set the photo up quickly each month, you may decide it’s better to keep it simple. Either way, remember to have fun.
- Schedule the photo. I admittedly was late on more than one of the monthly photos, hence the “9-3/4 month” photo giving a nod to Harry Potter. It’s not the end of the world to be late, or even to miss a month, but scheduling a time to take the photo can help you remember. I set reminders in my phone and put it on our family calendar. This helped me remember, especially when life got hectic with a newborn.
- Be quick. Newborns aren’t known for patiently waiting on anything. For this reason, I found it helpful to set up the photo while my son was napping and plop him in once he woke up. This made it quick and easy to keep him happy (at least for the amount of time it took to take a few photos).
- Use your phone. Don’t worry if you don’t have a DSLR. Use your phone, and apply simple lighting and positioning techniques. You’ve GOT THIS. Have fun!
