Photo tips for taking digital baby pictures

Digital cameras give us the ability to see our pictures right away, and then to share them with family and friends through the Internet, either as attachments to e-mails or as photos posted on a family Web site.

The sharing aspect of digital photography is popular among all photographers, amateurs and professionals. But there are picture-takers who take special joy in sharing their pictures: proud new dads and moms.

If you are a parent, or soon will be one, here are a few tips that will help you get good baby pictures with a digital camera.

Keep your camera ready

To ensure you are ready to take a picture when your child is ready, keep your batteries charged and have a memory card (or memory stick or CD) in your camera with available space for several photos.

Set the lowest ISO

As you increase the ISO setting on your digital camera, the amount of grain (technically called "digital noise") in your photos also increases.

Shoot in soft light

Babies, and children of all ages for that matter, look better when photographed in soft, natural light. Indoors, you'll find soft light near windows, especially if the window is draped with a white, sheer curtain. Outdoors, overcast days produce beautiful soft light. Try to avoid taking pictures outdoors on sunny days and indoors with a direct flash.

Take lots of pictures

A baby's expression can change in the blink of an eye. To capture the perfect expression, you need to take a lot of pictures especially if your digital camera has shutter lag (the time between the time you press the shutter release button and the time the picture is actually taken).

Have fun in the digital darkroom

Even if you are happy with your pictures, you can make them look better in the digital darkroom. Even basic software programs let you sharpen and soften pictures, as well as enhancing their color, brightness and contrast.