Anne Geddes is known throughout the world for her gorgeous photos of babies and children. But what if you want to take equally beautiful photos of your own kids? The Australian-born photographer offers advice to parents on how they can create beautiful images of their children every time. Here are five tips on how to take better photos of your child from Anne Geddes.
Keep It Simple
Forget about fussy props and backdrops. Oftentimes, the best images you can take of your child are those that are minimalist in nature. “If there’s any real advice, it’s to keep the image really simple,” says Geddes. “You don’t need a lot of props or fancy equipment in order to create a beautiful photograph of your child.”
Clear The Background
You’re watching your baby take her first bite of real food. Before you snap the shot of your little sweetie eating string beans, be sure to look behind that high chair, Geddes advises. “Watch what’s happening in the background,” she says. “Your child may look beautiful but if there is a lot of clutter in the background, it can distract from your subject.”
Time It Right
If you’re looking to capture some amazing images of your baby, you’d best start out early in the a.m., according to Geddes. “Babies are better to photograph in the mornings because the mother’s breastmilk is richer,” says Geddes. “I only ever photograph babies in the morning. I never photograph them in the afternoon, because you generally get a better result.” Depending on Baby’s schedule, you should try to photograph them after they’ve been fed in the morning, but before they’re too tired and ready to take their next nap.
Find The Light
Let’s face it: fluorescent lighting isn’t anyone’s friend. For images that will make your baby’s skin even more gorgeous than it already is, just move towards the window. Natural light streaming in from a window is better than any flash you might find. “Use beautiful window light to light your baby,” says Geddes, adding: “On-camera flash can be harsh. With babies, the more natural the light, the better.”
Include Yourself
Parents, and in particular, moms, have a way of editing themselves out of their children’s lives. It’s ironic if you think about it, because the person literally doing everything for their child is the one who is often the most absent from images. Geddes’ advice: jump in the shots as often as possible.
Says Geddes:
“One of the most important things is to have yourself in the image as much as you can. When your child gets older and looks back at these images, he will always be more interested in how you looked. By the time they’re 20 or 30 years old, trust me, they’re never going to believe that you were ever that young, and they’ll want to mock you for your clothing choices. Unfortunately, I was a new mom in the 80s, so there was some interesting clothing going on there!”
You don’t have to be a professional photographer to create beautiful imagery of your baby. By incorporating just a few tips from Geddes, you can be taking some frame worthy (and social media shareable) images that your family will treasure for years to come.