Your Guide To Taking Great Photos

Taking just the right photo of your baby is easy: fool-proof step by step

Here at Talk For Tots we are all about babies! Picture invitations and birth announcements follow suit with our passion and we will help you create the perfect photo invitation or birth announcement. The finished product is only as good as the photo, so we've put together some tips & tricks to help ensure that your photo design will be as beautiful as it possibly can be!

Camera/Digital Camera/Scanner Settings
Read your camera's manual. Find out what the closest focusing distance is. Don't get so close that your baby is blurry while the background is crystal clear. If your camera has a setting for automatic adjustment, use it and give it time to focus in on baby. If you are using a digital camera, make sure it is set to the highest possible resolution. We recommend that photos be at least 1800 x 1200 pixels. Photos that are taken at low resolution do not make for good print quality. If you scan your photos, clean the scanner before beginning. Fingerprints and dust show up and affect the quality of your photos. Make sure that the scanner is set to at least 300 dpi/resolution. Save scanned photos as .jpg files.

Lighting & Background
Recommended background? Go as neutral as possible! Baby is the focus; loud patterns and colors in the background tend to be a distraction. Drape a neutral colored cloth or sheet down first to make the background in your photos consistent and even.

Natural lighting is preferred and is the most flattering. Take photos in a well lit area or near a window. By all means, use a flash! But ensure that there is other good lighting available to cut down on harsh shadows in the photo. Don't hesitate to use the flash in outdoor shots! Using the flash in a shady area under a tree when the sun is bright behind your subject will produce fab results!

Clothing
Bare Babies are beautiful and make for beautiful announcements! If you opt to dress your baby, choose solid colors for clothing or blankets. Avoid patterns and bold colors ~ they distract from baby and your announcement or invitation design.

Focus, Baby!
Your baby is the focus of your announcement or invitation ~ make baby the main focus of your photos! Speaking of focus, we can't sharpen a photo that is blurry or that has been taken out of focus. Invest in a cheap tripod to eliminate movement during the shot ~ sharp photos will make you happier... Your finished product will only be as good as the original photo!

Finally...
Take LOTS of photos and experiment with different positions, places and angles! Go for variety ~ you can never be sure which ones will be your faves! You will never go wrong with digital cameras ~ you just delete those that you don't like or won't work!

You can upload your photo directly via our secure order processing area.

Label your photo: Your-Last-Name.jpg. We want your order to be the best and these tips & tricks will help you receive the best product possible!

QUESTIONS?
Call 1-888-219-8687 or email us at
Customer Service Department

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