Your Baby in Pictures: The New Parents' Guide to Photographing Your Baby's First Year

I LOVE this book!!!

If you are a new parent or just wanting to learn more about photographing babies, you too will love this book. I even think you will love it if you are new to photography and just want to better your skills and learn about telling stories with your images - even if you don't intend to photograph babies. There is such a wealth of information within these pages.

Here is what the author's goal is with this book (from the preface pg. viii), "This book isn't about wowing you with my abilities. Rather, this book is about empowering you to capture the first year of your baby's life, whether you have a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera or a point and shoot model. My goal is to remove as many obstacles as possible and inspire you with photographic ideas you may not have otherwise considered." And she starts right off in Chapter 1 with great pointers on choosing a camera, easy camera settings for taking better pictures, tips for finding great light, common mistakes to avoid, and 10 tips for getting great shots. Chapter 2 focuses on storytelling elements and how to get away from "Cheese" pictures.

Then, the rest of the book digs in to capturing your baby's first year with 40 photo recipes broken down by the different stages of baby's life (0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, & 9-12 months.) Every photo recipe tells you when to plan on taking the shot, what kind of preparation you might need, what to focus on if you have a point and shoot and what to focus on if you have a DSLR, tips on how to compose the image, and then actually taking the picture. That is just the bare bones of what's in this book. Beyond that, it is filled with other tips, from getting good focus, to capturing silhouettes, to how to deal with grainy pictures, to how to make mom and dad look good, to tips on photographing a busy on the move 9-12 month old and more - all mixed with beautiful imagery, design and writing. AND one more bonus to this book... there are 9 different behind the scenes videos that you can find out how to watch by reading the book, where you don't only see MeRa in action, but you hear her talking about the photo recipe. So good!

This book is definitely on my list for top 10 baby shower gifts!!!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Must have book for all new moms!

I fell in love in with photography when my first daughter was born. I also found that what everyone says couldn't be more true ... they really do grow SO FAST! However, through photography I felt I could capture and remember each special moment along the way.

I first learned about Me Ra when I read a review of her DVD's "Refuse to Say Cheese" and "Beyond the Green Box" on a mommy blog. I bought a DSLR because I wanted to capture beautiful pictures of my family, but I wasn't really getting the results I wanted. People had explained ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to me before but it all seemed way too confusing and scary. When I watched Me Ra's DVD's for the first time it was like someone finally turned the lights on for me. It all clicked and made perfect sense! I finally understood how to get the results I wanted from my camera. Me Ra has such a gift for teaching you how to get great results from your camera. With this book she delivers countless tips and brilliant photo recipes to capture all of those fleeting moments from your baby's first year! This book is a must have for all new moms!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is the book to buy if...

You are wanting to document your baby's first year of life in pictures. I agree with the other reviewers here. There is straight forward, easy to follow helps and photo recipes whether you have a fancy camera or just a little point and shoot. And the reviewer that said they will use this as baby shower gifts is brilliant. I think I'll make this my gift for new parents too.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended

This book is so practical and easy to follow. It is going to be my go to baby shower gift.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

MeRa is the best teacher you will ever find!

If you want to take AMAZING photos of your baby then THIS is the book for YOU!!! I have had the opportunity to learn directly from Me Ra and my images have improved 100%...and I credit it to her! I have been an avid reader of her blog for 2 years now and her style of writing is so easy to follow and helped me even put my camera on manual (gulp!). So even if you do get the opportunity to meet/learn from Me Ra directly I would say this is still the MUST HAVE book to take the best pictures of your baby's 1st yr. All my girlfriends with new babies will be getting a copy for sure!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Book for moms and photographers!

I was excited when I found out that Me Ra was writing a book. I follow her blog and web site since I am a budding photographer. I have ordered her instructional DVD's also, and they are great. This book takes the fear out of learning your DSLR, and makes everything more down to earth. I promise if you want to learn to take wonderful pictures of your baby, this is a must have! After you read it, the ease you will have in learning your camera and taking great pictures will almost be a shock! Reading the book you almost feel that Me Ra is right there with you....helping and encouraging you!

A must have for any parent, new or not.

Beautifully written recipes are easy to understand and very easy to execute.
As a photographer I am proud to give this as a gift to an expecting client. (and personally take enjoyment out of looking at the photos ;-) Enjoy!

Beautiful and easy read

An artful instructional book on taking all photos, but terrific suggestions for a child under a year. There are specific settings for your dslr or point and shoot camera also ideas on where to focus during each stage. The thoughts are very specific and will be great for new or experienced parents for a fresh perspective. The photo examples are just beautiful. The text is broken into sections and boxes so it is not dry, easy to understand. I'd recommend for anyone with a baby in their life. Bought one as a baby shower gift, getting another for myself.

Not worthy as professional advice

Just the cover of this is in such poor taste. It is NOT even a likable image. I find it offensive to think that this is even sold as advice from a Professional.

0 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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