On family outings, my husband is the one who lugs around the paparazzi-style camera and bag with additional flashes, fancy lenses and other accoutrements. When I’m at the playground alone and have one eye following my 5-year-old who is scaling the slide backwards and the other on my two-year-old who is bound to get clocked in the head because he’s walking too close to the swings, all I have time for is a quick cell phone snapshot. I’ve actually been able to take some pretty good photos this way (like the ones in this post!). Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks to help you channel your inner Avedon:
Stop asking the kids to say, “cheese” Not every photo has to be posed (and honestly, what kid can sit still long enough for a photo session?). Capture everyday moments and turn them into something unexpected. A cool wall texture, colorful mural, or dramatic lighting can provide a great setting for your photo. Don’t center your subject — moving slightly off-center will make for a more interesting composition. Not happy with how it turned out? Just delete and keep snapping.
Have fun in post-production Most of us have probably sepia-toned our babies with Instagram by now, but there are other easy-to-use apps that allow you to manipulate and apply filters to your cell phone pics. Snapseed ($4.99, iTunes) brings Photoshop-esque capabilities right to your fingertips in a surprisingly easy way. My current obsession, PicFrame ($0.99, iTunes), lets you compile multiple photos into a mini-inspiration board for easy sharing.
Pimp your phone There are several peripheral camera lenses available that you can attach to your phone. We have Olloclip’s 3-in-One Photo Lens for iPhone ($70) which quickly switches between fisheye, macro and wide-angle lenses. The only bummer is that you need to remove your phone case to use it.
Ready to show off the gallery-ready shots of your cuties? Share them on your own baby website
