There's a saying from Vincent Van Gogh, "If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle."

And yes, babies are indeed pure, lovable and adorable. As soon as a baby arrives, parents would start taking pictures of them at every imaginable occasion. Their pictures are simply touching, heart-warming, angelic and irresistible. That's why they belong right HERE at 123RF!

Did you know that baby images are one of the most sought-after images here at 123RF.com? Searches for keywords like "baby" and "babies" score frequent top hits in our keyword search lists! Capturing the perfect shot needs tonnes of patience and a little know-how. We'd like to share this tutorial on how to steal the perfect shot of your little angel!

Pre-shooting

1. Hey, don't forget your Model Release! :P You can sign off as the parent and the photographer but get another grown up to be your witness!

2. Set your own version of "home-studio" and have all the props ready.

3. Do make sure your toy props look generic, stow away your Fisher-Price, Mattel, Disney and Sanrio products, they'll be sure to be rejected for copyright issues.

4. Plan your shoots in the morning or late evening where there will have sufficient supply of natural light through the windows. (You don't want to flash bang your precious little one!)

5. Make the place comfortable by placing a blanket or towel on the floor/carpet to make it nice and soft for the baby to sleep on (Use a plain colored blanket or towel as you do not want the pictures to end up with a distracting background).

6. Test to make sure all you see through your camera lens is just the baby and the blanket, not the unnecessary diapers, bottle, napkins, toys (unless of course it's meant to be there), etc.

7. Get your baby working!

Shooting

Be as natural as you can get with the shoots but never be afraid to add in some creativity. Try these for example:

• Big babies - Make them look big in their little ways. Try shooting them from below.
• Small babies � Capture the proportion comparison, like a baby's foot to a mother's mouth.
• Babies in peculiar places � Babies in the garden, street, beach, etc.
• Babies in peculiar hours - When baby is sleeping, feeding, bathing, just awake, etc.
• Babies's expression when they are angry, surprised, mischievous, etc.
• Babies in close-ups � Taking in just parts of the body.
• Babies' view - Capture what you see from their perspective.
• Babies in different angles - From above or back, etc.
• Babies in blur backgrounds - This makes the babies stand out even more.
• Dirty babies - Messy hair, food-stained mouth, dirty clothings, etc.

If your baby moves a lot, try setting your camera to a continuous mode and get a helper to entertain your baby while you concentrate on taking the photographs. This will create more opportunities to capture that particular 'moment'.

A word of advice, yes, at times you'll feel like tearing your hair out, please bear in mind that a baby is a baby, not a model! Their ability to pose very much depend on their strength and age. Don't push it, wait, be patient, anticipate the moment and you will have amazing results! Who knows maybe one day your baby photo might end up here (http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101080602,00.html)!

Post-shooting

Once you are ready to upload your photos in 123RF, try keywording your baby pictures with words like cute, eating, smiling, birthday, dirty, etc. Make your pictures cover a broad range of keywords because this will in return make the pictures more search-friendly and more likely to be downloaded.

As for those who are searching for baby photos, 123RF's intelligent search engine allows you to exclude unwanted searches by typing in keywords such as "animal animals" in the "do not include these words" section. One more trick is to exclude baby "boomers" � a specific term used to describe our elders who were in the post-war era. Always try to be more specific about your search item. If you want to find images of baby animals, these are the keywords you should be using in your searches:

• Alligator � Hatchling
• Bear - Cub
• Cat � Kitten
• Chicken - Chick
• Deer � Fawn
• Dog - Puppy
• Duck � Duckling
• Fish � Figerling
• Goat � Kid
• Goose - Gosling
• Horse � Foalt
• Kangaroo � Joey
• Lion � Cub
• Ostrich � Chick
• Rabbit � Kindle or Kitten
• Seal � Pup or Whelp
• Shark � Pup
• Swan � Cygnet
• Turkey - Poult
• Zebra - Foal
  

Have fun with your baby and we hope you have a pleasant time on 123RF searching for the young 'uns!

Here's our LightShow for good measure!

Credits: Compiled from various online resources...

• http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/baby-pictures.html
• http://www.dptutorial.com/baby-photography-tips
• http://www.purplestork.com/Photo-Tips.html
• http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=281219
• http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/photographing-babies/
• http://www.digitalpicturezone.com/types-of-photography/10-useful-baby-photography-tips/
• http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/blog/beginner-tips/baby-photography-tips.html

by alex@123rf

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