baby photography for dummies

I love to capture memories with photos and I especially love to take pictures of babies (this is not a new phenomenon since giving birth to Ruby--I have always had this hobby)! While I am nowhere near a professional photographer (I honestly know just about goose egg of anything technical), I do really enjoy taking photos, critiquing them, and savoring them for years to come. When we live in the age of digital with so many options for taking, storing, and printing pictures, I am often surprised at just how bad people's photos can still be. It is such a shame to see sweet babies being captured forever in ultra-crappy photos.

Here is my take on simple photography that is not going to hurt your brain or swallow up your time.

First things first: you need a decent camera. This being said, I hate it when people see your photos and immediately assume you have a fancy camera. With a discerning eye, you can take good pictures with anything--I even use my phone a lot these days if that's what is nearby.

My oldest brother once gave me the advice that you should choose a camera from a company that's primary focus is in cameras, because they are the most committed to quality photography. I have been using only Olympus cameras (with the exception of one small Canon) for about 12 years now and I love them. For a mid-range camera that is as nice as you should go without going for a digital SLR, I am a big fan of the 500-series ultra-zoom line. The one I own is the SP-500 UZ below, but it has limited availability these days as everything is getting megapixel-ized like crazy. The newest version of the same camera is more expensive but has twice the megapixels--if that's important to you, by all means get it, though I personally don't think the extra megapixels are going to help you take any better of photos (unless you want to blow up your photos the size of your living room wall, it doesn't really matter). I love this camera because it has a great zoom lens and, more importantly to me, a great macro setting that allows for high-quality close-ups.

Although my 500 UZ is what I use most often with Ruby since I can leave it out and grab it whenever the moment strikes, I also own a digital SLR that I love for traveling and more heavy-duty photography. It's an investment to get a new camera, but if you can take great photos of your baby yourself, you may take her to a professional less often. If you do splurge on an SLR, I recommend getting a nice macro lens for amazing close-up baby photography and one good lens that has a big range for zoom and nearby. Below is the Olympus Evolt camera that I bought a few years ago. It's great, but I originally made the mistake of buying the package deal that includes two lenses. I say this is a mistake because if all you're going to have are standard not-that-great lenses, I actually don't think this is very much of a step up from the 500UZ non-SLR camera that I was talking about earlier. To be honest, I think that if you feel compelled to buy an SLR, then you need to do it right and get good lenses. In that case, my recommendation would be to buy the body-only and separate lenses. Since I bought the two lenses listed below, I have literally never again touched the two that came with my package deal.

Okay, regardless of what camera you are using, here are my tips--in no particular order--for capturing good photos that will showcase the beauty of your little darlin' in all of his or her glory:

1) The background does, indeed, matter! Plain backgrounds for photos of your baby look the best, especially when she's so young that all your photos are of her lying down. Spread a blanket down underneath her, or a bed sheet, or a piece of cloth--anything that will serve as your background. When I say "plain," I don't necessarily mean a solid color...Actually my favorite backgrounds are the incredibly beautiful quilts that our friend Mary has made for us (one for our wedding and one for Ruby's birth) that are anything but "plain." More so, I mean just have one background. For example, if I use my busy quilt, I will make sure that when I frame my picture the entire photo will have the quilt (rather than some quilt and some of the room behind the quilt). Also, find interesting backgrounds when you're out--living in a city lends itself well to finding exciting backgrounds--like graffiti, brick walls, city skylines, etc.--for photos.

I had Ruby at the farmer's market one day in October wearing a pumpkin hat and jack-o-lantern t-shirt. My photos at the market weren't anything that special, but, when I got home, I took off the black scarf I had been wearing and happened to lay Ruby down on top of it. It struck me that this was a great background, so I stuck two small pumpkins that we had bought on either side of her head and--voila!--I had a great shot that I ended up sending out as Halloween cards.

A lot of times, especially as baby gets older and can sit up, a solid-colored wall is a great background. Just think about what is behind her, though--is there an electrical socket in the photo that will cause eye traffic in the shot? Then move the baby a few inches to the side to avoid it or just take the picture from a different angle. My apartment may be cluttered, but my photos don't show it!

2) Natural lighting is your friend! Photos outside are always brighter, shinier, and more vibrant than indoor flash pictures that wash out and unflatter even the most gorgeous of people. Whenever possible, snap your cutie's pictures in natural light. And it doesn't have to be outside--just sit baby down to play next to a window and you have your shot. If you don't have enough light, then your pictures will turn out fuzzy (especially if your hand isn't steady). I tend to take most of my pictures on the auto settings, so my flash pops up when it wants to based on the light. I usually just hold it down manually if I don't want it, but then just brace myself against furniture or something that helps me keep a steady arm while shooting.

3) If you can't fix it, fake it! I am not somebody who does a lot of modifications to photos on the computer. For one, there's no time for it. But I also don't own Photoshop or any fancy post-production tools. That being said, the very basics are sometimes super helpful to someone (like me) with little technical photo knowledge. For example, all those photos from in the hospital when Ruby was only minutes old and Jude looked tired, Ruby looked bright pink, and I looked like...well...like I had been in labor for 36 hours with no drugs! Turn them all black-and-white! Everyone will look better and all those nasty hospital lights that accentuated your imperfections are a moot point. When I take random flash pictures in my house, too, they sometimes get so washed out or the colors are just so "off" that I will just switch them to black-and-white on the computer and see if it helps.

I have also recently gotten an iPhone, which makes it so easy to text real-time photos to my parents and siblings. My new favorite app is a 99-center called ShakeItPhoto, which lets you turn any photo you took on your iPhone into a "Polaroid." I love it! Instead of fretting about the graininess or poor quality of my iPhone pictures, I embrace it and glorify it by making it into a retro-looking little square. So fun!

4) Use a couple of your camera's basic settings! Like I said before, I don't actually know anything technical about photography. However, I have learned what "looks good" through playing with my camera. Use the macro setting on your camera (depending on the lens, some will be better than others), which is the little flower icon, to take close-ups of your baby. Combine this with natural lighting from a window in the morning and you're in business! If you're taking macro pictures, then you need as much light as possible and to hold the camera very still. I took a bunch of close-ups of Ruby's face and body parts recently in my living room by the window.

Here are some from the beginning: the first one is Ruby at about three hours old in the hospital, next to a window. The next one is next to a window in my living room when she was about a month old.

The other setting I tend to use a lot is the action setting (the running man icon). This one I use whenever there is water in the photo because it catches droplets and waves really well. Also, if something is moving in the background, like the subway below or cars on a busy street. It helps to blur the action that is not being focused on.

5) Props help! Babies are going to do what they're going to do--don't try to force a "pose" for a picture or it's just going to end up looking unnatural and/or cheesy. I like to give Ruby props to hang out with when I'm going to take a picture and just catch her interacting with them (as opposed to interacting with me as the photographer). A Boppy pillow is a good thing to have a young infant stationed in. Stuffed animals make cute and fun additions to a photo. The red tutu picture below I recently took in an effort to make some Valentines. I wanted her to have something to play with while I snapped pictures, so I just cut out some hearts from pink paper and--sure enough--she was enthralled!

6) You can get in your pictures, too! I can't tell you how many times I have been on a trip or at an event where I'm taking pictures like crazy, only to realize later that it doesn't even look like I was there at all because there are no photos with me in them! I cherish photos that I have of me with my parents when I was a baby, and I think it's important for Ruby to have photos with us in them, too. We might be trying to remember her in all of her baby cuteness now, but someday she is going to be trying to remember us the way we were "way back then," too!

Of course, if there are people around, you can just ask someone to a take a picture of you. However, if you've ever had a photo of you and your best friend's feet and an ancient Greek ruin at the Acropolis (no joke!), you know that asking a stranger to take your picture can be pretty disasterous. My advice to you is this: look around and scan for people carrying fancy cameras or looking like they're taking their pictures very thoughtfully--they will likely take the task of your family photo very seriously. And when someone then says to check and make sure you like it, take them up on it!

I usually prefer to set up a timer. This way, I can control exactly what the frame-up will be. I love to have a tripod and highly recommend having a simple one on hand, but I so rarely think to carry one (and who needs one more thing to lug around when you've got a baby and a diaper bag). You can get creative and scout your location--you may end up setting up your camera on a garbage can, a railing, or once my clever friend Coral even hung our camera from a tree by it's strap (which gave us a unique--albiet slightly crooked--picture)!

splish splash, I was takin' a bath (with Ruby)

Ruby wholeheartedly loves the water. Not only does she get so excited about bath time that she starts kicking her legs and squealing in anticipation as soon as she hears my husband turn on the water for it from the next room, but she is mesmerized by the sight of running water and can distinguish its sound and look for its source.

My best friend, Coral, suggested that it's because she is a water sign (Cancer). I don't know about that, but what I do know is that Ruby was never all that interested in the water until--at about eight weeks--we started to do the baby baths in tandem. Until then, she was indifferent at best about bath time. Now it is something we all look forward to each night as part of our nightly bedtime ritual. I have found that it's great for bonding and fun for all of us.

I usually take the baths while Jude sits and supervises (for safety purposes, since a baby can drown in even a half an inch of water). Every once in a while, though, Daddy takes on the role of the bather (which brings about the whole question of whether or not he needs to wear a swimsuit: I don't think it's necessary, but he always does because he says it seems strange not to).

In the very beginning, though, it's hard to do your baths together. For one, mommy needs rest and may be healing from childbirth and told not to take a bath (I was told only to shower for six weeks). Also, baby is floppier in the first couple of months and can't sit up on you very well. People commonly buy baby bath tubs these days--mini tubs that can sit in your tub or outside it. But, if you live in the city, chances are you are trying to conserve space and don't need yet another hunk of plastic that you'll only use for a few months. To save space, I suggest a bath cushion like this adorable one from Safety 1st. This is what I used with Ruby. It didn't have anything to hang it up by, so I pierced a hole in the bottom of the frog and ran a little bit of rope through it to make a loop to hang it up by.

For entertainment in the tub, it's simple: she likes anything that involves water being poured. Her consistent favorites are a squirt bottle (the one that they gave me in the hospital after giving birth for my "home care") and a cup. She also likes squirting toys, too. I am pretty careful that anything Ruby comes in contact with is BPA-free, but especially anything for eating and/or bathing, since the chemicals can leach out into the water. Haba makes some good squirters and cute cups for bath time. Also, I love the Skip Hop bath toy storage unit--it stretches to fit all your stuff and the mesh lets the toys drain and dry.

As for cleaning products, I keep it simple here, too: Burt's Bees Baby Bee shampoo/body wash and their bar of buttermilk soap. The scent is heaven and I have been using the same bottle of the shampoo/body wash and the same bar of soap for the past six months and they are each only about half gone (and we bathe her with soap-down every night and shampoo every two-three nights).

hungry mungry

We thought we were going to wait the widely-recommended 6 months before we gave her anything besides breastmilk, but Ruby was showing so many signs of being ready earlier (speck of a tooth coming in, lunging for our food with her mouth wide open, and insatiable appetite) that the pediatrician told us to go ahead and give her some rice cereal. So, at 5 1/2 months, Ruby has officially ended her liquid-only diet.

First thing we needed: a high chair. We couldn't fathom adding yet another stand-alone object to our little apartment, so this Fisher-Price space saver was a great find! It fits securely onto most standard chairs and Ruby seemed comfortable and happy in it from the first time she sat in it.

Next order of business: a bib. Because we don't have a washer and dryer in our apartment, we need to conserve throwing stuff into the laundry as much as possible. The Bumkin waterproof superbibs are actually exactly what they are called: superbibs. They are cute and functional and can be wiped down between feedings rather than laundered.

Next, we can't actually feed her if we don't have any food. Jude--a chef--has for months now been making all her fruit and veggie foods that she's going to start eating in January. He wants her to eat local and organic foods, so he thought to start making (and freezing) the foods this fall so that she can have more variety than what's available at the farmer's markets in the dead of winter! For starting to eat, though, we chose rice cereal (the most common starter food) because it can be mixed with breastmilk and it's very unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. We chose HappyBellies brand brown rice cereal (below link is for 6 canisters, which will last a long time).

We have a couple of beautiful silver and/or stainless steel spoons that Ruby was given as baby gifts, but those will be used later. For now, we needed to find a spoon with a soft tip so that--as she learns to chew and eat--she doesn't damage her tender little gums. My other criteria, of course, was that it had to be BPA-free. These inexpensive spoons from Munchkin did the trick.

And lastly, we got these matching bowls--also BPA-free--for her cereal. Pretty cute, and so much cheaper than most of the other dishware out there that is advertised as BPA-free.

jetsetter baby

Let's be honest: the prospect of flying with your infant is terrifying, especially around the holidays when planes and airports are chaotic and full of anxious travelers. I have heard lots of people recently talking about giving their children Benedryl or other sedatives for flights, but I am wholeheartedly against giving anyone--much less a BABY--any medications that they don't need. Clearly, if I can break my foot while 4 months pregnant and walk around in a cast in NYC for two months without even taking one Tylenol, I am not somebody who is about to shove chemicals down my baby's throat for a plane ride! I also recently read about a plane that had to be diverted for an emergency landing because a sedated baby stopped breathing (no, thank you)!

That being said, a whole day in airports (with an almost 4 hour layover in Detroit--yuck!) with a 5-month-old is not exactly my idea of a fun day.

My biggest worries are Ruby's safety in my lap (we did not pay for an extra seat) in the event of severe turbulence, her ears popping upon takeoff and landing and scaring her into a crying fit, diaper changes in an aiplane bathroom, and her ability to nap in the bright airports and aircrafts.

Here are some things I am carrying with me to combat said worries:

1) Safety Harness

This is a pretty clever little tool that allows your baby freedom of movement on your lap, but holds her close in case of intense turbulence. To me, it's worth the price to have an added safety measure in place.

2) Pacifiers

During take-off and landing, I think breastfeeding is the best option to both soothe baby and help keep her ears clear. However, if baby's not hungry, a pacifier will help do the trick. Also helpful in the airport and for getting to sleep on the flight. For travel, I like the Haba chains that clip to the baby carrier so she can't knock her pacifier to the ground. Also, the soothie pacifiers are BPA-free and my daughter LOVED hers from the first time we offered it. Wubbanubs are also great--they have a Soothie pacifier attatched to a little stuffed animal that makes it easier for baby to hug and hold onto it.

3) Hooter Hider

Breastfeeding is definitely the easiest way to feed (not to mention soothe) baby on the flight). No need to worry about how much milk you're bringing with you in case of delays or layovers. The Bebe Au Lait covers are great because of the boning at the neck to help make a line of vision between you. However, I love-love-love the Busy Baby Wrap because they are simple and stylish enough to leave on as an extra layer on-flight or could double as a blanket for baby.

4) In-flight Entertainment

The key to bringing toys on the plane is that you want stuff that is small enough to pack and also quiet enough to not bug your neighbors (ie. not rattles or squeaky toys). Here is an assortment of some non-toxic toys and teethers that fit the bill.

5) Clean-Up and Cuddling

They are a splurge, but I adore Aden & Anais muslin blankets. They are oversized, which makes swaddling easier, but they are so thin that they can fold up tiny in your bag. I use these for everything--burb cloth, wiping up spit, peek-a-boo, swaddling, cuddling, sun shade, nursing cover, etc. Plus, they're adorable.

6. Diaper Station

There's not a lot of room to change a diaper on an airplane. Keep everything in one place so you're not dragging baby plus five other things into the lavatory.

jumperoo? don't mind if I do!

Ruby has been loving her jumperoo since she was 4 1/2 months old. She bounces around like a drunken sailor and giggles and coos. At 5 1/2 months, she is still slightly too short for the contraption, so we put a yoga mat and a board game box underneath her feet to give her a boost. This was incredibly quick and easy to put together, too!

Ruby enjoying her jumperoo at about 5 months old:

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

I'm writing this a lot later than I wanted to, but I have been busy moving apartments (moving + full-time jobs + baby + Thanksgiving weekend + jury duty + painting old apartment back to white = chaos; thank goodness for my mother-in-law's help!). Now that we are settled in, though, I can focus more on my favorite time of year: the winter holiday season.

Starting a family has made me and Jude start thinking more carefully about what kinds of family traditions we want to uphold in our household. We want Ruby to have a sense of her own history and have consistent things to look forward to that punctuate her years with warmth, kindness, and excitement. We've thought about our own family traditions that we celebrated growing up and some others that we want to start on our own to be special to our new little family. One great place to start getting your creative juices flowing is Cafe Traditions. Their website and blog have all sorts of fun things from crafts to ideas for traditions for different holidays and occasions.

One of my favorites that we do here is directly stolen from a Cafe Traditions reader. The year we got married, Jude and I bought a simple journal (we chose one that doesn't have pictures or designs on it so we won't get sick of it and it won't go out of style) and wrote on the first page: "giving thanks." That year, we each--separately--wrote a journal entry in it on Thanksgiving about everything we were thankful for in our lives and in the past year. Now, each year, we do the same. We have had three Thanksgivings so far in our marriage and it's so much fun already to look back and read what we wrote before. This year, of course, we added Ruby to our family, so there is a lot to be thankful for. As time goes on, Ruby will eventually write entries, too, as well as any other family members we may add in the future. Our hope is that this piece of history becomes a coveted family heirloom for generations to come.

My mother-in-law is starting a nice tradition this year. She got Ruby a special Christmas ornament at an art fair in California and said she will continue to give Ruby a new special ornament each year at Christsmas so that she has her own collection of ornaments. I love this tradition, and there are so many variations. Maybe when Ruby gets older, the two of them will do art projects and make Christmas ornaments as well. If you're looking for unique holiday decorating, I love all the handmade ornaments on Etsy.

Mothering magazine's most recent issue had a great article entitled: "Sustainable Season's Greetings" with lots of wonderful ideas for making a warm and merry holiday season with green practices for entertaining, cooking, and decorating, as well as interesting traditions borrowed from various cultures and different winter holidays. They are selling a digital reprint (immediately available for download and/or printing from your own computer) of the article, along with a collection of staff favorite holiday recipes and tips, on sale for $3.99 this month!

Jude and I try to make a unique gift each year to give to family and friends who we see during the holidays. Two years ago, Jude jarred picked shallots and an herb mustard and I made little paper baggies with the dry ingredients to make my favorite ginger cookies (see below for recipe). We use http://myownlabels.com/ to create the stickers for packaging. Last year, Jude canned a sweet apple butter and a savory apple butter and I made all-natural holiday apple crisp layered soaps.

Jude's parents have a holiday party almost every year at their home in Los Angeles. In the past few years, my mother-in-law has begun to make some sort of craft each year for the guest to take home with them. Two years ago, she made hair clips from found objects around the house. Each guest could choose one. Last year, she used up old scrap quilt materials to make various pot holders everyone could choose from.

I also love making holiday cards. Usually I put a lot of thought into making a fun and unique card, but this year there was too much going on with work and the move to find the time. So this year we just took a family photo (with a tripod) and I'm just doing a simple photo card through Kodakgallery.

One of my many favorite things about the holidays is holiday music. I tend to sing Christmas carols year-round, which--quite simply--drives Jude totally nuts. Now that it's December I have the green light on "Silent Night" as a suitable lullaby to put Ruby to sleep. One of my favorite winter music albums is The Hotel Cafe Presents: Winter Songs with a lovely assortment of sweet songs by various artists. My favorite is "Winter Song" by Sara Bareilles. Another is This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday, Volume 1.

And what is the holiday season without baked goods, really? My mom comes from a big family of people of who love to bake. She herself is a great baker, too, but she rarely graces us with her talents. Thanksgiving and Christmas, however, are another story. Each year growing up, I so looked forward to "helping" mom make cookies and pies and cakes and bars for the holidays. By helping, of course, I mean standing around ready to pounce on the leftover batters and doughs to lick from beaters and scrape from bowls. And, naturally, making snickerdoodles by taking the excess pie crust scraps and dousing them in cinnamon and sugar to bake into cookies.

I have turned into my mom in this respect--I can bake pretty well, but I only do it for these two favorite occasions. My all-time favorite cookies were aptly-named "Ginger Delicious Cookies" in our household growing up. My mom got the recipe from a "crazy lady" she knew when my parents lived in Beirut. Below is the recipe. Enjoy!

Ginger Delicious Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup oil

2 t. baking soda

1 cup sugar

¼ t. salt

¼ cup molasses

1 t. cinnamon

1 egg

1 t. cloves

2 cups flour (plus a pinch more)

1 t. ginger

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Form small balls. Roll in sugar. Place round balls on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Pull them out before they start to brown and let them cool on baking rack. These should be moist and chewy.

Makes 3-4 dozen small cookies.

Tip: I highly recommend you use a mixer to form the dough – I can never get the texture right by hand!

no, you won't get a booger in your mouth

I'm not going to beat around the bush on this one: my sweet little daughter has a LOT of boogers. She has since the day she was born. Jude and I have worked tirelessly to keep her little nostrils clear, but it's taken a lot of patience (both from us and from Ruby). We had a nasal aspirator that came in a baby care kit we were given as a gift. We would stand over her at the changing table and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze, but it would take up to 10 or 15 tries before the booger blockade that was restricting her airflow would dislodge and be close enough to the outside that it could be grabbed and pulled out. I can't tell you how many times this sentence has been uttered in my apartment: "How can something so big come out of that little micro-face?" We tried a couple of different drugstore aspirators, but nothing worked well.

The NoseFrida changed everything.

This little contraption is everything I love in a product: a common-sense idea-turned-incredibly-useful-and-simple gadget. It was originally created in Sweden by pediatricians and ear, nose, and throat specialists. All the thing is is a little plastic tube compartment that you place at the edge of baby's nostril. That is connected to a longer, skinny, soft tube that runs--yes, it seems strange--to your own mouth. There is a little rubber mouthpiece there for you to suck the snot and boogers right out of your baby's nose.

Clearly, the first reaction to this is: what?! I may be her mother, but I don't want her boogers in my mouth! But this is the beauty of this product...you get to control the amount of suction to clear your little darling's nose, but there's no way you could get anything but air into your own mouth.

Firsts of all, you'd be flattering yourself if you thought you were powerful enough to get anything more than an inch into the plastic chamber that catches the nose treasures. Second of all, there is a filtering sponge that separates the plastic chamber from the long skinny tube that goes to your mouth, so even if you are a human vacuum cleaner, you're still safe.

The NoseFrida is easy to use, clean (dishwasher safe), and store (comes in it's own little hard case). And, best of all--it's safe for baby and works significantly better than a regular bulb syringe aspirator.