Your Baby in Pictures: The New Parents' Guide to Photographing Your Baby's First Year

If you are a new parent or just wanting to learn more about photographing babies, you too will love this book. I even think you will love it if you are new to photography and just want to better your skills and learn about telling stories with your images - even if you don't intend to photograph babies. There is such a wealth of information within these pages. Here is what the author's goal is with this book (from the preface pg. viii), "This book isn't about wowing you with my abilities. Rather, this book is about empowering you to capture the first year of your baby's life, whether you have a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera or a point and shoot model. My goal is to remove as many obstacles as possible and inspire you with photographic ideas you may not have otherwise considered." And she starts right off in Chapter 1 with great pointers on choosing a camera, easy camera settings for taking better pictures, tips for finding great light, common mistakes to avoid, and 10 tips for getting great shots. Chapter 2 focuses on storytelling elements and how to get away from "Cheese" pictures. Then, the rest of the book digs in to capturing your baby's first year with 40 photo recipes broken down by the different stages of baby's life (0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, & 9-12 months.) Every photo recipe tells you when to plan on taking the shot, what kind of preparation you might need, what to focus on if you have a point and shoot and what to focus on if you have a DSLR, tips on how to compose the image, and then actually taking the picture. That is just the bare bones of what's in this book. Beyond that, it is filled with other tips, from getting good focus, to capturing silhouettes, to how to deal with grainy pictures, to how to make mom and dad look good, to tips on photographing a busy on the move 9-12 month old and more - all mixed with beautiful imagery, design and writing This book is definitely on my list for top 10 baby shower gifts!!! edit: One more bonus to this book... there are 9 different behind the scenes videos that you can find out how to watch by reading the book, where you don't only see MeRa in action, but you hear her talking about the photo recipe. So good!

This is an awesome book that shows behind the scenes of pictures and pictures of 'this setting' vs. 'this setting'. And it really doesn't tell you what is better... just shows you the difference and with a photographers eye... you can clearly see what makes the better picture. Sometimes there are 3 pictures with 3 different settings. It really just matters the 'look' you are going for. Shows settings and lens type... everything you need to know to get your shot. Minus the perfect lighting! But I really love how natural the pictures are inside and outside. It's a great book for portrait photography needs and most defiantly baby photography needs. Great for a beginner or fine tuning of advance skills in some other photography area. It's presented in a basic fashion but it isn't common sense photography... so it's very useful! Really awesome. 5 stars!

Love this book! Although, my daughter is about to turn 1 - it wasn't too late to buy this book! The book has so many great suggestions/instructions on how to set up the shots that can be applied to children of various ages. The book is broken into sections by age but there are also pages dedicated to quick tips on subjects on how to make mom look good, capturing light, and avoiding common mistakes. I also liked that this book is for both those with a simple point and shoot and a DSLR. Overall, this is a great book with lots of easy to follow directions and inspiration! If you are interested in capturing beautiful photos of your child, this would be a great book for you.

I couldn't be more pleased with this book. First, it is attractive to look at, filled with inspiring pictures that are sure to make you want to grab your camera and go take pictures of your friends or loved ones. Second, the step-by-step details are sure to aid you in creating successful pictures of your family's story. With plain, easy-to-understand terminology, photographers and camera newbies alike can both gain inspiration and knowledge from this book. And if you are worried that your children are too old for you to benefit from reading this book, worry no more! The principles and techniques taught will benefit all of your photography, whether you have a baby at home or not.

Great book for those who are interested in taking photos of babies. I am about to have my first grandbaby and I am ready to take mass photos! Thanks to the tips in this book!

This book is beautifully done. I love this book! It is so easy to understand, and gives you clear tips and instructions on not only the technical aspects, but the ideas behind the photos. It explains the concept of storytelling, which is so needed when photographing your baby. Such a great book to not only read, but use as a handy guidebook. plus, it is not only for DSLR usesrs, but also the Point and shooters out there. I would totally recommend this book for anyone with a new baby, or anyone who may be interested in getting into the business of photographing babies and children.

If my memory is serving me correctly, I've purchased 7 (maybe a few more) copies of this book. It's part of every baby shower gift I give, and it's so well received! I even bought one for myself when our son was born, and I'm so happy I did! If you want to capture the best of your baby's growing years, don't hesitate in purchasing this book. Me Ra is so fabulous at explaining just how to get the shots you're looking for that will be treasures in the years to come. Full of plenty of pictures and many poses at each stage, it's easy to follow along and capture the precious growth of your little ones. Me Ra and this book are favorites, for sure!

If you want to make very nice, bright and natural pictures of your baby at first year, than you really need this book. Full of tips and secrets from professional photographer!

I am an amateur photographer who enjoys taking photos, but I'd always mainly done landscape and travel photos. So when I had my first baby I was looking for some inspiration on how to capture his first year and this book has proved to be an excellent source of inspiration. It is split into different sections by the age of your baby, and has a variety of suggestions of images to capture at each age, up to when they are a year old. I found tips such as placing your baby on a table to capture a tummy time shot to be really useful (it saves you lying on the floor trying to get the correct angle). Each image is accompanied by useful advice, plus shutter speed and aperture guidelines. This would make a lovely gift for first time parents - something different to baby vests and bibs - and I plan to buy it again in the future for just this purpose.

Great tips and well written

O conteúdo do livro é ótimo, mas depois de andar com ele por duas semanas, já está todo desgastado. Sou muito cuidadosa e normalmente meus livros não ficam assim. Achei que a qualidade de impressão não deve ser das melhores.

Está bien pero debes saber que a nivel fotográfico es realmente básico. Aún así lo recomendaria para cualquier pareja de padres que quieran ver buenos ejemplos de fotos que les inspiren y que no tengan mucho conocimiento de uso de DSRL.