3 Months

Yay!  Your baby can hold their head up and not look a martian when you try to prop them up, but how do you make that translate into cute?  Honestly, 3 months isn't really the time for professional pictures.  They're too big to be amazing newborns, and too small to really get a gleeming smile or chuckle.

BUT, that doesn't mean you can't get some great home photos, and even with stuff you have around the house!

1.  Remember that breastfeeding pillow you no longer use?  Use it for photos!  Most of my belly pictures are taken on one of those.  Cover it, prop the baby up on it and get on their level and shoot away.  Love their little heads peeking up.  Love this photo.  WHY is she growing up on me?

2.  Stuff 'em in!  A lot of my pictures are taken in a lage chair in our playroom.  It faces a window and it has some nice pillows just perfect for wedging a baby in between.  Just shoot quickly because they tend to fall forward (and at most shoots I had a helpful assistant... well, a mostly helpful assistant. :D)

3.  Work those eyes.  The reason I like that chair is it points towards our sliding glass door so even those dark baby eyes still have a great gleam to them.  I think she's plotting on how to steal the world's milk supply... one squirt at a time.

4.  Work it.  Ok, maybe I'm wrong.  As I look at these photos they're some of my favorites.  They dont' move, they're happy.  Problem is -- it's hrad to find those happy times sometimes at 3 months so home shoots are great.  I love this photo of my little P.  Did I mention she's growing up.  I'm pretty sure she'll be puting college applications in next week. 

Showcasing that Special Outfit

Admit it, you've done it.
You've taken pictures of your kid just because of an outfit.
I did just that when it was P's blessing.

While this montage also shows some candids, it does show how you can showcase an outift.

1.  Pick a contrasting background.  I obviously wouldn't photograph her in a white dress on a white background, unless you're looking for a "floating" look.
2.  Blankets.  I think I've failed to mention that baby pictures are a great time to get in all those blankets loved ones have made you.  In the middle photo my mom made both the hat and the blanket.  I love that picture, she looks so angelic.
3.  Accessories.  While P doesn't wear a bow in every day life, she does in photos...  Maybe that's just so we can tell her apart from C. :)

Let's face it, the clothes make the baby.  Ok.  Maybe not, but they sure are fun!

Stage Photography

Recently, Conner had a play and it was tough getting good pictures!
They're kind of nazi-ish about letting parents back stage so I was left having to take pictures from the audience.

So, what are my tips for getting good stage shots?  Basically, it's the same as any low-light conditions:

1.  Shoot in a high enough ISO so they're not blurry.  These were shot at 800 ISO.  It's a low light condition, and you have to adjust.

2.  Use an approrpriate aperture.  Do you want focus on just them,  or on the whole stage?  A smaller aperture will focus on just your child, and it will allow for a quicker shutter speed.  However, a larger aperture will allow for you to see more kids and if your child is moving or dancing, you need a larger one to make sure they remain in the field of focus.

3.  Pick a zoom lens.  These were only with my 18-55, I wanted to take me 70-300 but that is a story for another day.

4.  Edit them.  The pictures weren't great straight out of the camera, but with a little Lightroom magic I really like how they turned out!

We loved Conner's play and I'm glad I have nice pictures to show for it!