Infant Portraits Top Ten Tips

Some of the first records of your child's life are infant portraits. Before you know it your kid will be all grown up. He or she will leave home and begin a family of their own. Once they are gone you will have these priceless memories to look at. These pretty pictures record the different milestones that make up childhood.

Quality pictures that hold up overtime are important to have. Begin when your baby is a newborn and continue the tradition. Regular portrait sittings insure you capture the different stages of your baby's development. Ten tips for great infant portraits are listed below.

1. Take your baby for several photographic sessions during his or her first year of life. They change so much during the first year of development. Make sure you record these changes with many portraits.

2. A well rested baby is a happy baby. Luckily newborns sleep a lot so this is an easy task.

3. It is important for everyone involved in the session to be relaxed. This includes your infant and other people to be in the picture. The other people in the photo might be the parents and or siblings of the baby. The star of the portrait, your infant, is sensitive and smart. He or she can pick up on a lot more than you might be aware of. The photographer will also sense a relaxed atmosphere. Overall a calm atmosphere is the most desired setting to get the best work out of the session.

4. Before taking your infant to the photo shoot, make sure he or she is well fed. Have extra outfits ready in case the baby spits up the formula or breast milk.

5. Have extra diapers and wipes on hand just in case. Your baby will be more comfortable in a clean diaper. Also, it is common to have the infant photographed without a diaper. You will want to have diapers ready to put on the baby during breaks.

6. The room temperature is an element that is often overlooked. Make sure the room, studio, or outdoor setting, is comfortable. Imagine if everyone in the photograph was uncomfortable; that would surely show on their faces.

7. Some of the best infant portraits come from having the baby in his or her own home. A familiar environment is important. This type of session is common and helps the family as well. Sometimes it's difficult for a new mother to get out of the house. Having the professional portrait photographer come to your house makes the session easier. There are mobile studios that can quickly and easily be set up in the baby's home.

8. Don't underestimate the importance of quality. You will want to keep the photos for a lifetime. Keep in mind these portraits are not replaceable. Don't skimp on quality. Get the best photographer and product within your budget. Make sure the package you purchase includes images that are printed on archival paper. Specifically ask how long the images are expected to last. Ask if there is any kind of guarantee with the product.

9. Have the first session scheduled for when your newborn is between 5 and 14 days old. This timing is not absolute. It is a guide that many professional infant photographers agree upon. If your baby is older than that, still make the call to schedule. The babies are growing daily. Although they already may look like they have grown so much, they are small next to how they will look a month from now.

10. Keep the number of family members around to those who are going to be in the portrait. Extra people around can be distracting for both the photographer and the baby. It is a good idea to have only one parent at the session, unless both are going to be in the portrait. Remember the saying, less is more and stick to it. Remember the goal is to create infant portraits that are the best possible.