6 Questions About Taking Great Baby Photos
Kia Wood
Every camera-happy momma faces this frustration: no matter how much you try, it's difficult to capture all the unbearably cute things your baby does. They're only this small for a little while, so what's the best way to tell the story of your baby's first years?Enter photography expert Me Ra Koh. This mom of two is a Sony Portrait sponsored photographer, a guest expert on The Nate Berkus show, and author of "Your Baby in Pictures: The New Parents' Guide to Photographing Your Baby's First Year." The book provides great step-by-step photo ideas and suggestions to help you document all the developmental milestones of your baby's first year.
Ready to take some great photos? Here's what Me Ra had to say about becoming a better mamarazzi, stepping up your light expertise, and why you should never, ever tell your kids to say cheese.
Your book opens with a strong statement– refuse to say cheese! Why is that important to you?
It really is a philosophy that I wanted to drive into the ground for new parents especially. My husband and kids and I travel all over the world, and no matter what country we are in, people may not know a word of English, but they totally hold up the camera and say cheese for their kids. I'm blown away by it.
What would it be like if we stopped asking our kids to perform? Because really when we tell our kids to say cheese to the camera, we're not capturing the natural spirit of who they are, we're more so asking them to give us something. What would it be like for parents to turn that dynamic around and become documenters and observers of their kids? So that one day when their kids are grown they would be able to look at these hundreds of photos their mom took of them and feel like they knew themselves better, because they saw these stories in these photos, instead of just snapshots of smiling at the camera. There's totally a place for that, but don't stop there. Let that photo be the single shot that it is, but then tie it in to the story of where your kids are in this developmental stage.