How to Take Your Baby’s Portrait in Your Backyard

Getting your baby’s portrait taken by a professional photographer every few months can be expensive. You can save money and still capture your sweet, growing baby on film by taking your baby’s portrait in your own backyard. With minimal equipment and a little creativity, you can take a beautiful portrait of your baby that will look fantastic framed and hung on your living room or office wall.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Digital camera
• Tripod (optional)
• Computer
• Printer
• Photo paper
• Photo frames

1. Make sure your backyard looks presentable. The time it takes to mow the lawn, pull weeds or trim back a few bushes will be well spent when you consider that your backyard is going to be the backdrop for your photo.
2. Choose an area in your backyard to serve as the background for your photo. An old fence can give a rustic feel to a black-and-white photo, colorful fall leaves add a rustic touch, and bright-green grass conveys a sense of summer.
3. Select an outfit for your baby that compliments the time of year and background you’ve chosen. A colorful sweater with a matching knit cap will look fantastic against a snowy background, while a sunny yellow bodysuit will provide perfect contrast against a green lawn.
4. Set up your camera and tripod before bringing your baby outside. You don’t want to have to try to juggle a squirmy baby while assembling a tripod. If you don’t have a tripod, enlist a friend or family member to help you take the photo.
5. Make sure your baby is well fed and rested before taking him outside for the photo shoot. He’ll be much more likely to smile for the camera if he is feeling content.
6. Take the photo in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun is not at its full strength. Deep shadows will occur if you shoot when the sun is at full strength at midday.
7. Focus your shot on your subject (your baby), but pay attention to the background in your viewfinder. Make sure there aren’t any tree branches or other objects directly behind your baby as they can look like they’re “growing” out of your baby’s head in the finished shot.
8. Take lots of photos. It’s hard to get a baby to smile for the camera sometimes, so you’ll need to put on your best silly face and patiently wait for that toothy grin.
9. Download the photos to your computer, order prints online (or print them on your printer) and frame your favorites.