Photo Tips: Baby Hands and Baby Feet

Proud parents love photos of their perfect baby's hands and feet. Unfortunately they are not the easiest to photograph, which is why we have asked photographer Tanya Tindale to share some of her trade secrets.

Helpful free advice Sign up to our monthly newsletter for tips on capturing your memories. Email:

A newborn  or babies hands and feet are always great to take photos of - especially against a parents hands. This shows the size difference beautifully. Remember they will never be this size again. I wish I had taken more shots of my twins hands and feet when they were newborns!! I love big burly dad's hands that are rough and knocked about, against the newness, freshness and amazingly perfect newborn skin. So I tend to take most of my newborn shots with the dad's hands against the newborns.

Backdrop
The first thing to do is to get some black fabric, anything will do, about 1 meter should be enough. Use that to drape behind or underneath the baby that you are taking a photo of.

Black and White - Timeless!
Photos of a baby's hands and feet are timeless when they are in black and white. You can either take the photo in black and white using your camera or if you have an editing program (like Photoshop Elements or Picassa) convert it to black and white afterwards. Often newborn skin can appear red or blotchy, converting the photo to black and white will also hide this.

Below are examples of 4 poses

	1. You will need two people to create the photo to the left; one to hold the baby underneath, and the father to hold his hands above the baby and then place the baby's feet between his hands. Lay the black fabric around the rest of the baby and the legs so then to draw attention to the baby's feet and nothing else.
	2. Taking the same photo from different angles can also be very effective. As the baby's feet are the most important part, ensure that you do focus on their feet. Here a piece of black fabric was used as a backdrop behind the father.
	3. Whilst the mother is holding the baby, have her gently pick up one of the baby's hands. Once again this shows the size difference of the two and really creates a softness and intimacy to the image. Try to keep the focus on the baby's hands to draw your attention to that part of the photo,
	4. Your baby lying in the palm of your hand, with their body down your arm with legs either side. For this photo use a black backdrop, and have the father wear black so the baby becomes the main focus of the shot. This will help show the size of the father's hand against the smallness of the baby. Once again just something simple but can be made look stunning in black and white.

Taking photos of newborns is very time consuming and require lots of patience, so have a cuppa before hand and put on some nice music and just have fun. It will be worth the effort and in years to come you will be able to look back and see how much your baby has grown.

Enjoy!!

This article was supplies by Tanya from Tindale Images. Tanya is a Sydney Family Photograher capturing treasured moments from still in the belly to all the way to grown ups.

Now that you have some beautiful photos of your baby, why not incorporate them in a stunning Birth Announcement or Baby Thank You Card. Sunrise Creations designs will transform your baby thank you card into stylish memory that will be cherished by all. Find the perfect design to announce your pride and joy in style. Browse through our designer collection of modern birth announcements, vintage birth announcements, classic baby thank you cards, contemporary baby thank you cards and more.

Other articles which may interest you include:

• Organising your Photos
  Find photos on your computer in less than 1 minute;
• Creating a Connection Between Your Subjects
  When you know what to look for, it's easy;
• Preparing for a Family or Baby Portrait
  Explains how the timing of your photo shoot and your clothing can impact the end result;
• Taking Photos of your Newborn Baby
  Learn how to set up a simple home studio;
• Organising your Photos
  Find photos on your computer in less than 1 minute;

Home  |  Products  |  Custom Designs  |  FAQs  |  Photo Tips  |  Testimonials 
  About Us  |  Contact  |  Links  |  Terms  |  Privacy

            (C) Sunrise Creations 2010 , All rights reserved.