Yesterday we had some beautiful weather, so while Jack and I were playing outside I decided to bring out the camera and snap some photos of this growing boy! Because I get a good amount of photography questions, especially from those just starting out in photography, or other Mom’s who want to capture their kids, I thought I’d share a few tips…

First of all, I simply used our driveway, a cute baby, and one of his toys. :-) Throw in some gorgeous late afternoon/evening light (which you don’t have to have; I know it can be hard to find in the winter, but snow works great too!) and you’ve got some keepsake photos. You don’t have to have a fancy location, expensive props, or even a planned outfit (the overalls were totally random– I was just looking for some thicker pants for him to put on since he likes to crawl down the driveway) to capture some super cute shots and a variety of “poses” (I really hate that word but can’t think of a better one to use). If you don’t have kids, pets are great to practice on too! Lord knows my cats have been photographed more than actual human models.

For those with a DSLR camera: If you live in a neighborhood like we do, shoot as wide open (low aperture) as you can to make the other houses and background distractions less noticeable. Play with shooting at different angles, heights, and move yourself around your subject. I shot these over a period of about 10 minutes, so it can be done in limited time as well!