Archive for the ‘Fun Stuff’ Category
August 17th, 2009 | 
Author: There are few things easier or more important that photographing your baby. The day you are born is such a momentous event; it deserves to be documented and celebrated. Even if you are too shy or too preoccupied to photograph your children’s actual entry into the world, take pictures of them making their place in this world and your heart. You’ll want your child to look back at the photos of days he or she will have been too young to remember, and to know how loved they were and are.
Those first days of you child’s life are perfect for getting your feet wet taking photographs of them. The little ones move very little and there are plenty of special people who want their picture taken with the baby, or who would be happy to snap a few photos of you and the new arrival. If you are indoors and you don’t want the flash to startle the baby, simply turn the flash off and raise the camera’s ISO to about 800.
Firsts
Take a look at the lighting and see if it is incandescent or fluorescent light. Lights on should be just fine, and if you are using a digital camera you can probably choose an adjustment on the camera for the type of light in the room. You can then check the photo in the LCD on the camera back and keep increasing or decreasing the ISO depending upon how light or dark the photograph is.
Check For Your Shadow
The only thing to look out for when the flash is off is where your own shadow falls. Make sure it isn’t blocking the light source from reaching the baby. Don’t forget to get pictures of those little fingers and toes because they will never be that tiny again. Snap photos of every little expression, from smiles to yawns, because they can change in a heartbeat and will never be seen again.
Get Baby Used To Being Photographed
If you start taking photographs of your child from the start your baby will become more used to the camera with every photo you take. As they grow they will then expect that cameras and photography are simply an ordinary part of their lives, allowing you to capture incredible images as they grow and mature.
Get Down To Baby’s Level
Once your little one is more mobile, you will find the best pictures are found at the child’s level. When they are swaddled and held, you just have to stand near them to find a good shot, but tummy time opens up a whole new world of poses. If your baby is on its belly, you should be too. Don’t wait for a smile; just start photographing your child in his or her environment.
Discovery
Reaching for a toy or discovering he can fit his whole hand in his mouth is a major accomplishment. Treasured memories are waiting to be found at bath time and meal time; even nap time. Children grow up so fast, without photos how much of it will you even remember past your sleep deprivation. Taking pictures of these precious times, even sporadically, will give you and your child wonderful memories to look back on for years to come.
It gets harder
After you have been photographing your child for a few weeks or months you will become aware that you will have to work a little harder for the shots that you want. This is particularly true when your child is active enough to move away from the spot where you put him. It actually becomes easier to move around your baby instead of trying to make him stay put.
That works to your advantage as well because it puts your child more at ease, and even makes her think that you are playing with her, particularly when you are down on his level crawling around with her. Don’t limit your photography to shots of your child; instead include his perspective of the world in some of the photos. Aim the camera over her shoulder and take pictures of what she is engaged in. Your photo of her fingers trying to catch an ant will make the photo of her concentrating face even more adorable by adding context.
Capture Their Attention
For getting those happy faced shots looking right into the camera, you need to capture their attention by being entertaining. It is unlikely that “smile” or “look over here” will do the trick; instead sing a song or make a funny noise. The more animated you are the more it will reflect in your child as you photograph. It is also a good trick for changing the diaper of your little escape artist.
The older your child gets the more important it is to get into the action yourself. Crawl and bounce and play with your child. The more fun you make it for both of you, the better your pictures will be and the more likely you will be to continue taking photos. Don’t forget that you can always crop the pictures later if all the play leaves them less than centered.
Take The Time
As long as you take the time to capture the precious moments in your growing child’s life you can rest easy that those memories will be there to savor and share for generations to come. Grab a camera today, whether your little one is on its way or is already here, it’s not too early to start taking photos, even if it is just belly shots. A picture is worth a thousand words, but there are no words that will sufficiently illustrate a childhood not photographed.
About The Author
Betty A. Muscott is a successful child photographer who provides valuable tips and advice for young parents on how taking photos of children can enrich their lives. In addition, she provides some ideas on submitting some of the photographs to a baby photo contest with a chance to win baby a college scholarship. Another suggestion is to print the best picture to canvas and create warmth and interest in babies room.
Baby showers are lively get-togethers usually composed from four main activities: socializing, eating, playing games and the best one of all, opening all those baby presents! Planning a memorable baby shower is an important part of creating a fun event for the new mother and other guests.
Continuing roughly 2 to three hours, it’s always a good concept for the host to outline a schedule of baby shower activities beforehand so the speed of the party remains steady.
Planning the Baby Shower Schedule: The beginning of a special baby shower is the time for socialization. The majority of the guests will wish to greet one another and talk with the mother-to-be to find out the details of her pregnancy.
Something to eat is always anticipated at a special baby shower and it need not be elaborate. It’s just got to be planned. Finger foods are simplest and guests can eat across the entire length of the shower, with a special time, usually towards the end, dedicated to eating the cake.
One of the activities usually included at the party are baby shower games. These are fun and there is no end to the game possibilities, either. Nearly any game can be refurbished to make it appropriate for a special baby shower.
With a fun group, plan on playing several different baby shower games. Just be sure to decide on the games about 3 weeks before the shower so you know what games that may be played, as the host will have to make sure she has lots of game pieces and obligatory supplies. And she’ll need to get a prize to award the game winners, too!
Figuring out the circumference of the expectant mother’s belly is a traditional baby shower game that is played at many baby showers. An easy game involves filling a baby bottle with jelly beans or q-tips and having each guest make a guess how many the bottle holds. 
When the project is finished, it will be given to the honored guest as a way to remind her of this big day.
Creating a recommendation book is straightforward. Get a notebook full of blank pages and pass it around to each attendee, who records a piece of parenting advice for the mother-to-be.
Saving the Best for Last: Opening the baby gifts is unquestionably the high point of any special baby shower (at least from the expectant mother’s standpoint).
Be certain one person is in control of recording a list of the baby gifts and the name of the guest who gave each. Save the bows, too so that when it’s all over, the honored guest can be crowned with a crazy bow hat!
That is just about all you need for a special baby shower: A plan, organization, food, and some friends and relatives of the expectant mother.
Tags: Sending shower invitations is the appropriate way to invite guests to an upcoming shower. There are many reasons why showers are thrown and there are many different types of shower invitations for each type.
Bridal and wedding showers are traditionally hosted by the maid-of-honor and she sends out the shower invitations to female friends and relatives of the bride. Today, more and more showers are designed for couples, rather than for just the bride.
Wedding showers are normally held about two weeks before the big occasion and should be mailed well in advance to reach guests in time so that they can save the day for the party.
The date time and venue of the party including a map, if required, should be clear to make arrival easy for the guests. Guests who are invited to the shower should be, as a rule, invited to the wedding.
Since showers are essentially parties where gifts are given, some shower invitations carry the details of the registry of stores to which the bride subscribes. In today’s busy world, guests find this a big help when looking for a gift that will be cherished for many years.
While showers on their own are normally lots of fun, those that are based on a theme can be even more so. If you are planning a bridal shower and the bride has a favorite hobby or something that she just loves to do, then you could choose to use this as your theme and plan the shower around it.
If this is the case, then make sure you include this information in the shower invitations. While you could go with a more traditional shower idea, those that are fun and lively always make for an interesting and fun time.
All shower invitations should have a RSVP cut-off date. This helps the host to correctly make food and drink preparations, which will make guests more comfortable. When informative baby shower invitations or custom invitations such as are sent, it is sure to help make the party memorable.
This will allow the hostess to be more efficient in planning for the party.
