Capturing the best monthly milestone photos
Congratulations! You just had newborn pictures done and now its your turn to start capturing the monthly milestones. I want to equip you to capture the best in home milestone pictures of your precious baby. Will you do the laying on the rug style? Use stickers? Prop up baby in the glider? So many directions you could go!! When preparing to take monthly milestone pictures of your baby, consistency is key! Choose a location that you can continue to use month after month so you can truly judge their growth. From a photography perspective, here are a few tips and tricks to help you!Factors to consider when setting up for monthly milestone photos
- Location
- Safety is a key factor when choosing location. Laying flat on a rug is the safest option for a 1-3 month baby, however I understand as the baby gets closer to 1 year old it may be more difficult to keep them still while laying down. A popular option is the glider. This is perfect for older babies but can be difficult when your baby is not sitting up on their own. For glider pictures I recommend having your husband help you to ensure there is no chance of baby falling forward. I think my favorite option is laying flat on the rug and incorporating seasonal props to count their month.
- Lighting
- Natural light is your best friend so think about the windows in your space. You want to choose a spot that has soft light. If your window is on the North or South side of your home, you probably have pretty soft and even light all day. If your window is on the East or West side, there are likely times of day where the sun is very harsh. East facing windows may have the best light late morning to mid day, while West facing windows probably have the best light midday or late afternoon. Open the blinds to allow as much light in and if it seems too harsh point the blinds to the ceiling allowing the light to hit the ceiling and reflect soft light down.
- Positioning
- Side lighting is the way to go!! When taking the pictures, the window should be to your right or left, not at your back or behind the baby. This may require you to turn the glider or move the rug closer to the window for pictures. If you are really into photography, you may consider getting a piece of white poster board to place on the opposite side of the window to work as a reflector and soften the appearance of shadows.
- Happy Baby
- When your baby is the happiest is a big factor to consider. But as months go by the time of day your baby is in the best mood may change so I personally would choose based on lighting and have snacks on hand to get them full and happy. I am not above positive reinforcement (aka bribery) to encourage sweet smiles.
You can't always have me with you, so hopefully these tips help you capture those precious milestones and those sweet moments at home. I do recommend choosing two or three milestones to have professionally photographed. These are moments of your baby worthy of displaying on the wall and printing for grandparents. I am here to capture beautiful images of you with your baby in your arms, along with adorable pictures of their gap tooth smile and the way they clap proudly for themselves as they learn to sit up. These are the moments you want perfectly captured by a professional.Please be sure to share if these tips were helpful for you!! Best,Jordan Easley