Naptime Blog

One thing I have learned during my two plus years of being a mom is you can’t really plan special photo ops with little ones. I have learned one trick for getting really good photos of the kids though. Be prepared!

What does this mean? It means always having a camera at the ready. I have two cameras, one is a point and shoot and one is a little bit nicer model. I also keep the point and shoot in my diaper bag when I’m out and about and by my laptop when I’m home (I never lose my laptop so I know where the camera is at all times). I keep the nicer camera near the kid’s rooms on a shelf so that I can grab it quickly. This way I am prepared to not only snap photos if one of the kids decides to up and take off walking for the first time (which happened recently). Most digital cameras also have a video shooting mode so you will be prepared to take video as well.

The good thing about digital cameras is you can snap away without the worry of wasting film. Later, you can sort through the photos and find your favorites while deleting the poor shots. I also love doing videos on a digital camera or digital video camera (so many affordable options out there) because you can upload your clips to any of the free editing websites and splice them together, delete scenes, add text, music, etc. and have a keepsake for years to come.

I made this video of my youngest son’s first steps online at One True Media and it was super easy and tells a story we can look back on when he’s older. You can download your finished product or buy a DVD. Several sites offer this service.

First Steps

As far as photos go, if you use this technique of always having a camera at the ready and just snapping away (get down on their level), you are bound to get at least one or two good shots. There are many online photo sites that offer canvas prints, poster prints, framed prints, etc. for a fraction of the price you’d pay a professional. I love nice looking art that is personal.

I always get comments asking me how I take such good photos of my kids. Honestly, only about 10% of the photos I take are even halfway decent. I am not a professional and I’ve never taken a class. In addition, both of my cameras are on the low budget side. It’s the quantity and always being prepared. After all, you never know when junior is going to paint his next spaghetti sauce masterpiece on the dog.

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/