Take Pro Shots at Home

When your kids are little it’s really important to take a lot of photos of them. They’re changing so fast it feels like if you blink you’ll miss something amazing. It’s not always practical to come to a professional photographer. But don’t fret, I’ll give you some quick tips how to take some impressive, professional looking shots at home.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A camera, anything will do, an iPhone, a portable camera etc.
• A large, thin, white sheet (must be white or it will affect skin color).
• An optional large piece of white cardboard, foam core board or even a piece of cardboard covered with aluminum foil.

Find a window in your house where direct sunlight comes through. When the sun is really blazing through the window, hang the white sheet so it’s completely covering the window.

Look through the viewfinder of the camera and place your model as close to the sheet as possible without being able to see the sheet in the shot you’re setting up. He will stand sideways to the window so one eye is close to the sheet (You’ll probably want to stand by the wall next to the window where no sun is coming through).

Take a few shots and then look at the results. The camera tends to see less shadow detail than your eye. If the side of the face furthest from the window looks too dark/shadowy then have someone hold up the white cardboard sheet very close to the dark side of the face. This will fill in the shadows for a more evenly lit shot.

Have fun, play with different angles and proximities from the window to find out what you like!