How to Take Memorable Photos for Your Baby's First Birthday

Its your baby's first birthday and you'll never forget these special hours. Just a year ago he or she came into your world and won your heart for a lifetime. Since they will not be able to remember this day, taking wonderful pictures is even more important than usual to ensure that many years from now you'll have pages of wonderful memories to share together.

You don't have to be a professional photographer or own an expensive camera to get the amazing first birthday pictures that will grace your walls, wallet and computer backgrounds for years to come. Just keep a few ideas in mind for the best pictures you've ever taken of an event.

Know what you want in your baby's first birthday pictures

Look at other first birthday babies--either friends or online--prior to the event and see what shots you think are especially cute. Do you love the photos of cuties covered in cake or the ones ripping wrapping paper and grinning? Is there a special toy they will be getting which will be especially exciting and possibly get a special reaction?

Make a list of what type of shots you really want and make sure that the person taking pictures knows about it. An often forgotten favorite for the last page of a first birthday photo album is the sleeping birthday boy or birthday girl--still dressed up in first birthday finery--sleeping soundly from the excitement after everyone has left.

Lighting & level tips for great inside shots

Sometimes when you upload photos to your computer, you'll find that the light wasn't right and your pictures aren't nearly as good as you hoped they would be. Always keep the light behind you and never behind your subject. If in doubt, turn on an extra lamp and circle the baby, taking pictures from many angles. Be aware of shadows and make sure that you're not causing them.

Get down to the eye level of the baby in as many shots as you can to avoid getting lots of photos of the top of their head. Make sure that you're in comfortable pants so you can get on the floor and crawl around if needed. The best pictures require a little bit of work but you'll be thrilled with the up close and personal photos you get of your baby's face.

Take sample shots

If you're serious about getting what you want, take sample pictures the day before, in the room you're planning on using for the party, with your child in their birthday clothing. This will give you a chance to look a the lighting, background and color scheme in order to get the pictures set up just the way you want them. You might not realize until too late that you have a pile of books stacked behind the birthday girl or your curtains look dirty behind the birthday boy's white sailor suit! This gives you time to take care of issues and bring extra lamps into the room for the event.

Have a dedicated camera person for your baby's first birthday pictures

During a wedding, nearly everyone hires a camera person who doesn't participate in the party to take photos so that nothing is missed. You can use this concept for important moments in the party with a dedicated family member as official first birthday photographer. The camera person shouldn't be the one who has to carry the cake or light the candles. They shouldn't be the one helping with the meal or gifts, or even taking care of the baby during important moments. They should be able to hold the camera with both hands and take as many pictures as they can.This doesn't mean that they can't have fun at the party. This means that when the cake and presents come out, their job is to get the picture--not pour drinks or keep the ribbon out of baby's mouth.

Choose the right digital camera and equipment

Make sure that you're using a digital camera so you can take as many pictures as you want and review them immediately. This is not to delete them, but to ensure you will keep taking pictures until you get your desired perfect first birthday shots.

Its also great to use a digital camera with a short delay so that when you see something special about to happen, you can catch it. Some cel phones have very long delays, so consider using a traditional digital camera for such a special event and have a cel phone for supplemental shots.

If your hands aren't steady, consider a tripod or an inexpensive water bottle tripod to avoid blurry pictures.

Make sure your lens is clean and fingerprint free, especially if you're using a camera phone.　

Stage what you miss

The concept of staging pictures is making sure that you get all the shots you're planning on, even if they don't happen spontaneously. Hopefully most special moments during this first birthday celebration will be candid but you can redo them if you don't get a good shot the first time or something doesn't happen as expected. This includes giving the baby extra cake to squish and having extra wrapping paper on hand to let her rip it if the first few shots weren't very good.

Find ways to make your baby laugh often during the party. He or she could be overwhelmed if there are more people than normal or too many strange things going on and may not have as much fun as you'd expect them to. Tickles, funny songs, or anything that you normally do to delight them is perfect. This helps them enjoy this special first birthday party more--as well as getting more pictures with wonderful smiles.

Take more pictures than you think you need

There is no such thing as too many digital pictures--especially of a first birthday. Snap at least 1/3 more than you think you need to, then edit and print only your favorites. Your favorite first birthday pictures may be ones you'd never have taken if you put the camera down early.　

These ideas work for first birthdays, second birthdays, & hundredth birthdays as well as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween or any other special holiday event. Get used to taking great pictures now and you'll have every special moment from now on documented forever. Taking memorable pictures for your baby's first birthday can be done by anyone with just a little bit of planning and practice. Happy First Birthday little one!