20 tips from Anne Geddes for taking great photos..

As a new momma I keep up with Babycenter.com on a regular basis.. This site helped me out soo much during my pregnancy and even now as Kellen grows each month I stay up to date with his age development. During pregnancy, it was a place for me to go and read that millions of other women were experiencing what I was going through...An outlet to help keep us paranoid occassionally over dramatic self, SANE!  I ran across this article and wanted to pass the great info along.. Our daily reality has evolved into a Facebook crazed world and everyone and their dog are snap happy and busy documenting their every breath.. and thats ok! I read several comments weekly of how 'annoyed' everyone is with each other for their daily posts of life and pictures.. I find myself thinking there is a line of sharing and just taking it to the extremes.. well, here's the deal,  if you dont want to look at it don't, if you dont want to read it, dont.. its that simple.. ya heard! Read what you want, take in what you want and ignore the rest..
and if you are someone that has joined the ranks of posting and sharing, let me stress to you how important it is to make sure you have your images saved and keep printing them..don't rely on the internet, blogging, fb, shutterfly, etc. to do the saving for you, keep your pictures saved on file elsewhere.. Otherwise you chance losing all these valuable and meaningful copies of your cherished moments.. The ol memory bank is great, but its not fool proof. save save save your pictures on a back-up.. This article mentions this as well, along with other great tips on how to get great pictures of your little ones.. My opinion is to let the professionals or the person you believe captures great images of your family continue taking your family portraits each year, but take plenty of snapshots of your own along the way. ok I think im off my soapbox..  These are helpful tips for anyone, even for every day snapshots. thought I would share :

(http://www.babycenter.com/0_20-tips-from-anne-geddes-for-taking-great-photos_10338944.bc?page=2)
We asked world-renowned photographer Anne Geddes for advice on taking great baby photos. Her tips and tricks can help you capture memories that’ll last a lifetime.


Do your own thing
Please don't try to replicate any of my images. They are created after hours of preparation and under careful controls in my studio, where I am supported by a team of talented professionals.

Be prepared
Keep your camera at the ready at all times. The more familiar your baby is with a camera, the more natural your photographs will be because your baby's curiosity won't be aroused by the camera. And with a camera at hand, you'll always be ready for those special spontaneous moments.

Consider the background
Keep your background simple to let your baby take "center stage" in the image.

Change your perspective
For a more personal point of view, get down to your baby's eye level.

Get ready
Ensure that your baby is safe, well fed, happy, and comfortable and you can be guaranteed some lovely images.


Time it well
Choose the time of day when your baby is happiest. Every baby is different.

Let there be light
I love using natural light. It is always more flattering to use the soft directional light coming in a window than the flash on a camera.

Go early or late
If you are photographing outside, try to take advantage of the early morning or late afternoon light. The mid-day sun doesn't bring out the best in anyone, and it can be especially harsh on your baby's perfect skin!
Don't splurge


You don't need an expensive camera to take a great photograph, because the best image begins in your heart, inspired by the baby.

Candid camera
The loveliest shots of your baby will most likely be candid ones.

Forget the props
The photograph is not about the props (no flowerpots please!). It's just about your beautiful baby.

Make it personal
Take pictures in settings that have meaning for you. Make your images personal; this will give them an even deeper resonance.

They grow so fast
Remember, babies are only this tiny for such a short time. You might not believe it now, but you will forget how small your baby was in the beginning, so try to show your baby's size in relation to the surroundings. For example, images of a baby's hand in a family member's hand are so poignant because they capture that sense of scale.

Put it in context
Try for a sense of place, as well. You might think that you'll always remember that day or the story behind the image, but it's not always the case, especially as more wonderful events occur as your baby grows. If you can use a background that "sets" the image for you, it helps bring the story back to mind when viewed years later.


Put yourself in the picture
Do try to include yourself in as many photographs with your family as possible. Your children will want to know what you looked like "way back then" when they were newborns and as they grew up. They'll thank you for it later!

Save, save, save
I enjoy working digitally and with film. With your digital images, do try to download them from your camera on a regular basis, saving them to files grouped by months when your baby is young (so many changes occur so quickly in the early years).

Get organized
When saving your images, try to add a key word that will help you find the image when you're seeking it later for a holiday card or scrapbook. Instead of "Amy Summer," try "Amy 6mos in hat" – something memorable, so you can locate it more easily months or years later.

Back it up
Always, always back up your digital images. They are as valuable and irreplaceable as film negatives.

Try a video
Try out the short video feature on your digital camera. Those "small" spontaneous moments will be precious additions to your keepsakes.

Use technology
Have you sampled any of the new digital photo frames, apps like those available for the iPad's multi-touch screen, or features on Flickr? They are a lovely way to share treasured images with family, open albums with a tap, scroll through smaller "thumbnail" images to find favorites, play and share slide shows, manage photo sets, geo-tag photos, favor photos, comment on them, and much more.

Nine (9) months old...

This little whipper will be 9 months old tomorrow, craziness!

Jon and I were running some errands and needed to check out an upcoming

wedding location so I through an outfit together and we got some shots of K..
Like most children whos parents have discovered dslr cameras

he is all too familar with a lens, and when I break out the camera he breaks out

the 'serious' expressions.. I have our daily routine down to a science, but when it comes to breaking out of the mold of routine and running errands or traveling, 9 months later I'm STILL trying to get the momma to-do list down pat... 

 1.) bring the baby  2.) FEED the baby 3.) pack plenty of snacks 4.) pack plenty of supplies 5.) leave room for a nap.. things like that.
It's a blessing for me that he is an easy going baby!
Saturday night he had his first 'play date'. Some friends invited us over for dinner. They
have a baby girl named Sydney a little older then Kellen. Miss Sydney is a doll. K is around
older kids alll the time but other babies not as much. She was a good sport to put up with
his face tugging and pushing her down. He opted to give her a Kellen kiss which was
stinkin cute. Kids are so entertaining.. Surprisingly enough I left the goods at home and wasn't able to
document the evening. we'll get it next time.

Tidds and Bitts...

As you can see here, we now have SIX teeth...

How could this happen you ask ? I have NO IDEA! 

One day we had 2 going on 3 and now this.

unbelievable how fast these babies grow.

Jon thought it would be entertaining to see the expressions

he made if we gave him a taste of a lemon.. guess again dad!

This baby didnt even skip a beat, he loved it and just wanted

another bite... he's a tough cookie

Standing and holding on to tables and chairs and balancing well enough

to hold on with only one hand, I bet hes walking by Christmas.

His favorite treat so far are Gerber's yogurt melts, peach flavor. (His Gramma

is helpful with keeping these in supply.)

We gave Luvs a whirl because of the price difference compared to Pampers and Huggies..

Pampers are by far my favorite but I was impressed with the Luvs (didnt think i would be). no leaks and no issues.. our experience is they work the same for a cheaper price!

A few baby quirks of his... we have a highchair seat that straps into one of the chairs to our
dining room table (saves room in a small dining room).. There are long blue straps that hang off the back
of it and onto the floor.. K loves to set and play with the straps, tugs and pulls them and just giggles and  laughs and thinks its so funny.. and watching him do this makes me smile and laugh and giggle.. its a WIN/WIN for both of us!
I bought a jumbo pack of white wash cloths at Wally world specifically for cleaning up after Kellen,
even keep them in his designated section of the kitchen.. Somehow we manage to go through a minimum of five of these things daily... sigh

Another first.... first Halloween!

Kellen's first Halloween was a good one... Of course the main event was last weekend for our family's Halloween partaay. For actual Halloween our church has an annual Fall Festival and invite the community out for costumes, games, popcorn, candy, treats, lots more games and TONS of candy! It's a great way to offer all members of the community a safe place to take their kiddos for trick or treating... I signed up to help out with the inflatable our sunday school class had for the little tykes.. Kids flying in all directions, little ones, bigger ones, runny noses... fortunately there were no broken bones on my watch.. wooo! My parents came with us and watched Kellen while I helped out.. I'm still trying to learn how to juggle a baby, a camera, a stroller, walk, and function all at the same time.. so needless to say, we forgot the stroller and I opted not to bring a camera. K's 'spot the dalmatian pup' costume didn't stay on too long due to the fact it was way too hot inside...oh, and he thinks he is 5 years old and big enough to play with all the kids, so the fact that we were holding him the entire time was clearly frustrating... It was clear he thought he could just get down and crawl around right in the middle of everything going on. Oh the stresses of only being 8.5 months old must be rough! My parents said that while I was inside holding down the fort at the inflatable, they had him outside at the little petting zoo, looking at baby chicks and some other live stock. My mom said he loooved watching the baby chicks. I do believe he will be an animal lover like myself and that makes me very happy... (sigh of relief!) Here are a couple of pictures we took before the Festival just to have a couple of him on his first actual Halloween day...

My dad arrived later to our Halloween party last week so in the chaos of everything

I didnt get ONE single darn picture of him and that made me very very sad.. SO, on

Kellen's first Halloween I made SURE we got a picture of him with his Pops! (and Mimi)

and speaking of Mimi, I'd like to share a little something here... My mom knew how much I've been wanting a 'hobo wallet', but knows that I wont pay $80+ dollars to buy one, that is just obsurd, and I dont

have time to shop and gallivant very often so I hadn't even been able to locate

a 'knock-off' wallet with the same style.. So, she brought Kellen, Jaxson, Jon and

I treat bags for Halloween. Jon's was chocolate and mine was a hobo style wallet.. and

I love it! My mom has done little things like this my entire life. There is thought and love behind

her little gifts and it makes them so very special to me. My parents are a shining example

for me in understanding whats really important in life... LOVE and concern for others and not myself.

Happy very FIRST Halloween to our sweet baby Kellen!