Babies are usually beautiful and angelic looking when they sleep, so you’ll want to capture that anyway. But here’s a fresh angle to it: Place something unexpected next to or around baby while he sleeps. Something meaningful to you, or fun, or artistic, whatever your bent is. Some ideas:

1) a guitar or other musical instrument. If you’re a musician, you’ll then have two of your most beloved things in the world side by side. It’ll also give you an amazing contrast of scale and show just how tiny your little bundle is.

2) oranges, lemons, or other fruit with bold color and graphic shapes (round always looks harmonious). Arrange them any way you like. Try different configurations. Have fun with it. You are creating art!

3) flower petals. I know, it’s been done before. But not with your sweet baby! A bouquet right at his side would look good, or try sprinkling flowers around her.

4) stuffed animals/loveys. Find every single one in the house and surround your sleeping wonder with his new friends.

5) valentine’s day heart candies. Do a closeup of baby’s face so that your zoomed far enough in to read the cute phrases on the candies.

6) pictures of you and your spouse as babies. Here again, you’ll have to get close to make out what’s in the pictures.

7) all your jewelry. Fanciest stuff you can find! Drape it all over her and around her, as if she’s lying in a treasure chest!

How to get the best shots:

1) Get a ladder and place it as close to crib, bassinet, bed as possible. The taller the better. I know it sounds like a drag but it will be worth it!

2) Pick a time of day when there’s beautiful light coming in through a nearby window and a stage of baby’s nap when he isn’t likely to wake up, and throw open the curtains and shades.

3) Keep the camera very steady, increase ISO and shutter speed if camera will allow. All these can be done with camera phones, too. Experiment with the settings and turn off the flash.

I have to admit that I don’t have much to show here. I did not follow my own advice because I didn’t really think of these things back then when I was a new mom and sleep deprived. But if I could do it all again, I’d have a huge repertoire of these pictures! I would also lose the very distracting outfit and either don a white onesie or diaper with diaper cover. Or, if you don’t mind living on the edge and want the most artistic and beautiful images, remove his diaper while he’s sleeping and photograph him in the buff.

1) Family Self-portrait.

You can do this! You all need to scrunch together. And then get a little closer. It’s fun when everyone’s heads touch. Whoever has the longest arm gets to hold the camera. Take several shots in a row. Hold steady! Practice makes perfect. This is a great skill to have and will yield that most coveted and elusive image: the family (all of you!) out and about or just at home having fun. It doesn’t matter if someone’s eye gets cut out. We get the picture. And you will enjoy the memory.

No one ever photographs me and my son. (My husband would rather have his teeth pulled out. Although he does relent for birthdays and other special occasions.) So just to make sure that when he grows up he remembers that I was part of the family, I take pictures of us every now and then.

I use a Canon Powershot S90. I throw it in my purse. It comes to the beach with me in a Ziploc bag. It sometimes gets a little sand in it and I’ve been known to drop it, but it’s better to have a beaten up camera and fun family memories than a perfect camera that gets lonely sitting in a drawer at home. If an extra camera is too much to carry, familiarize yourself with your phone’s camera and how it will perform under different lighting conditions and distances from your face.

Here are my “boys” waking up in the morning after a little slumber party. It’s a little hard to figure out where one ends and the other begins. When I rolled out of bed and saw this, I ran for my camera. It was a sweet, tender, and serendipitous moment and I wanted to capture both of them waking up.

What caught my eye first, besides the juxtaposition of feet, were the haphazard and magnificent rainbows of color. It was all unplanned, but that’s what made the photo opp so alluring.

Here are some thoughts on approaching family photography:

1) Have your camera handy all the time. I carry a point and shoot in my purse and my pro equipment in a special cabinet in the house where I can have quick access.

2) Taking photos of your kids sleeping is usually not top of mind but should be—they often look angelic. My son could sleep through a tornado (even if it lifted the house up) so I just flip on the lights in the middle of the night and conduct my photo session with him unaware. In fact, last night I even hopped on his bed and pressed myself into the corner to get just the right angle. Most kids are in a deep sleep at some point during the night so try to figure out when that is. If you have light sleepers, you will need to be more stealthy. A camera that allows very high ISOs is preferable (I took these at around 4000 ISO—non flash pictures always look more natural) but if you must use the flash, and you can do so without jolting them out of sleep, you will have a lovely memory. You could also sneak in there at first light and open the shade a bit. Natural light is the most flattering.

3) Try to remove clutter from the background. There was a box, a side table, and an art easel behind the bed. I didn’t want to risk spending time moving things (or waking them with the noise) so I left the eyesores and removed them later in Photoshop. As you can see in the first photo, the space above the bed is completely white. If there were a hint of a room, that would look fine, too, but you really don’t want a busy jumble in the background because it will detract from your subjects.

4) Try different angles. Crouch. Stand on a chair. The best perspective may not be the most obvious and easiest one. Don’t be afraid to hold the camera very low with your cheek practically on the ground. After all, you’re usually pointing down at your kids when photographing them, and it’s refreshing for the angle to be looking up at them.

5) Zoom in. Either with your camera, or preferably with your feet (which will render a higher quality image). Crop out unnecessary pieces of furniture and body parts. Focus on what’s really interesting, or funny, or beautiful. Go as close as your camera will allow you to focus. Always focus on what’s most important, and don’t worry if the rest is somewhat blurred. This provides a nice focal point for the eye and is how the pros approach their subjects.

6) Take lots of photos. Be patient. If there is a funny or magical scene at hand, you are certain to get great pictures if you keep shooting and/or wait for just the right moment to click. Remember, you can always delete the outtakes once you get the winner!

My boy finally woke up. And look what he did when he saw me with the camera!