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I am having a love affair with my camera, you guys.
I go through these spurts, usually when we are on vacation and there is gorgeous outdoor scenery to snap, but this time? I blame a cute little baby, named Avery.
In the past, we would take the kids for professional portraits every few months. With the first child this was easy, with the second – it was a slight challenge, but do-able…. with the third? Triple the time, triple the stress… I’m sweating bullets just thinking about it.
So, I’ve been documenting the baby’s first year monthly with my own “faux pro photography” skills, and from wardrobe to editing its quickly becoming a new love of mine.
The truth is I am by no means even close to a professional photographer. When I pick up my DSLR, I fumble with settings, my pictures aren’t perfect but I’m challenging myself, learning along the way and have some adorable pictures with fun memories attached to them, so it’s a win in my book!
As an expert curator for Ebay, I created a new #IWasBornTo collection, which supports The March Of Dimes. My #ImBornTo Snap collection includes a plethora of cute and low-cost photography props and equipment . I have to say, I was surprised at the affordable price tag on some of the “pro” things that I found.
If you’re looking to take pictures of your baby or children that look profesh, here are some Faux-pro tips that have worked for me, as well as some of the surprisingly affordable props and equipment in my #ImBornTo Snap Ebay Collection.
DIY Newborn and Children Photography Tips
The Camera
While you of course can use a simple point and shoot (there are some great ones these days!), the camera I use is the Cannon t3i. It’s a bit of an investment but you can score a T3i for a great price these days because Cannon has since came out with the t4i, which is honestly VERY similar. The Nikon D3200 and D3300 are also suppose to be great for newbie digital photographers. In addition to the manual mode, these cameras have some great automatic settings, such as the Aperture Priority setting– which is one of my faves for portrait because it puts your subject in focus while blurring the background.
Wardrobe
Multiple children– Have a color pallet in mind. If you are taking pictures of multiple children, you want to make sure your colors compliment and coordinate- but aren’t too matchy-match.
One child might have a pattern that includes all of the colors in your pallet, while the other children may only wear one or two of those colors in solid clothing. You can also pull together your color pallet by having the kids wear coordinating accessories- for example matching a girls headband with a boy’s tie.
Newborn and babies– There are a plethora of adorable knitted costumes you can purchase for wee-ones that you can score under $20. The Minnie Mouse one below is just $12!! Seriously.
Backdrops and props
You can easily create your own backdrop in your home by draping a solid color sheet, blanket or textured area rug. The below Valentine’s Day pics I took of Avs, I used a small faux fur rug we have in his room draped over a bean bag. After the pictures were taken, I cropped and edited out any areas where the beanbag, rug or wall plugs were visible.
If you are serious about honing your skills and are planning to take these types of portrait pictures often, you may want to look into a low-cost backdrop stand. Backdrops aren’t as pricey as you might think and you can easily score a variety of really cute ones on Ebay.
Lighting
Taking pictures in a well lit room with a lot of natural light is always best. Basic lighting kits can be surprisingly inexpensive, and again if you are going to be doing this on a regular basis, it might be worth the investment.
This whole kit is available on Ebay for $89.50
You want to keep the window or light behind the camera. Check out some more advanced lighting tips here.
Editing
You see what I mean by faux-pro? The lighting is far from perfect, but still a cute picture regardless. The baby is propped up on a futon and beanbag that is covered by a draped comforter.
Editing software is an amateur photographer’s BFF. Editing allows us to fix things like lighting, cropping out things that shouldn’t be in the shot, and just over all puts a more professional touch on portraits.
Programs like Photoshop can be pricey but editing your DIY photo-shoot doesn’t have to be.
If you have a general understanding of Photoshop, I’ve worked with Gimp and Pixlr which are both FREE online photo editors that are similar to photoshop and did the job for me. Recently, I’ve switched over to an editing app for Macs that is also close to photoshop, called Pixelator. It is $29.99 and has been great so far.
If you have never worked with photoshop before, PicMonkey is a no-fuss, user friendly online editor that is free or low-cost. I use this often for quick editing for web-shared pics. However, if your intention is to print the photos, be careful. I find that the pictures usually save a bit darker than it appears on the screen.
I still have much to learn, so if you have any simple tips or tricks- feel free to share them!
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You can view and follow my full #ImBornTo Snap Ebay collection here.
Curate For a Cause + Enter to WIN!
Ebay believes that everyone was born to be SOMETHING GREAT. This month, Ebay is partnering with the March Of Dimes to donate $1 (up to $25,000) for each newly created #imbornto ebay collection that is created.
Creating your own #ImBornTo collection also enters you for the chance to WIN a $5,000 Ebay Shopping Spree!
So what were you born to do? Accessorize, Travel, Shoe Shop?
Create your #ImBornTo collection today!
Just follow the easy steps below–
- Log into eBay.
- Find an item you like.
- Click “Add to Collection” located under “add an item to your wish list”.
- Name your #ImBornTo Collection or add the item to an existing one.
**Be sure to include the #ImBornTo hashtag to the name of your collection! **
Disclosure: This post was written as part of a paid partnership with eBay. All thoughts, opinions and obsessions are my own.
