Macro Baby Pictures
The Macro button is one of the most useful features of the compact camera, and it can also be a creative tool for shooting pictures of your baby or kiddos. The biggest challenge, of course, is finding a moment when baby is still enough to keep them 
in focus! But there are sometimes Sesame Street moments when baby is still and engrossed in the moment. Here’s how to do it…
1) Turn off your flash! The flash will not only blind your poor baby, but will result in totally blown-out shots.
2) You will get your best results if you have a decent amount of light in the room to allow you to get the best focus. I took the top two shots 
this afternoon while Chloe watched Little Einsteins. The light was soft, cool, and beautiful, and she was uncharacteristically still.
3) Use your camera’s widest lens. This is usually the lens you get when you first turn on the camera.
4) Hold the camera as steady as you can and place it very close to baby. You’ll be surprised at how close you can hold the camera and still get focus.
I took this shot when Chloe was 2 weeks old, and by some miracle, I captured one of her first smiles (and a little dose of mischief). It was shot with my Pentax 35mm film camera and a set of close-up filters. I took 2 or 3 rolls of film to get this one shot, but it’s one of my very favorites. Macro photography is a great choice for very little babies because they’re so often asleep and still and cherub-like.
Responses and Conversations
Your site is inspiring me to dig out my camera. Thank you for the great tips!
Comment by Melinda on June 1st, 2007 at 7:24 am
Nice! Go for it!
Comment by Stephanie Simpson on June 1st, 2007 at 7:27 am
It seems like when I use the macro button for baby shots, all I get is blurriness. Any suggestions? Other than the tripod that I haven’t bought yet?
Comment by Melinda on June 1st, 2007 at 8:30 am
Hi, I’m somewhat new to photography, and I have a DSLR. What does “widest lens” mean? Does that mean the aperture?
Comment by Michelle Potter on June 1st, 2007 at 10:47 am
Hey Melinda.
It’s probably the squirm factor combined with low light. Try increasing the ISO on your camera and shooting in brighter light. You don’t necessarily have to buy a tripod, but have something solid to brace the camera on, such as the arm of the sofa or a table.
If you’re successful using the macro button with stationary objects in the same kind of light as your baby shots, then you’ll know that it’s the squirm factor. Practice on the stationary objects and you’ll get an idea about how far away you need to be from baby to get focus.
Finally, make sure to use a wide lens. That will help you to increase your depth of field and get focus. Good luck!
Comment by Stephanie Simpson on June 1st, 2007 at 11:49 am
Hey Michelle. The widest lens means the lens with the widest view. Zoom out all the way so you see as much as you can.
Here’s an article I wrote about lenses a while back. I hope it helps.
http://ispeakfilm.dpblogs.com/2006/05/10/camera-lenses-101/
Cheers,
Stephanie
Comment by Stephanie Simpson on June 1st, 2007 at 11:52 am
Ooooh, ok. That explains the trouble I’ve been having with some of my flower shots lately. I was zoomed in all the way, and my camera wouldn’t take the picture.
Comment by Michelle Potter on June 1st, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Your pictures are gorgeous and your advice is great! Thank you for both!
Comment by Tirzah on June 1st, 2007 at 6:28 pm
[...] know about the Macro function? Click here for more [...]
Comment by i speak film - » Macro Shots with Compact Cameras on September 6th, 2007 at 5:06 am
I discovered quite by accident that when I used the macro, I also needed to hold the button down halfway and give the camera time to focus. I had tried to get close-ups quickly and it just didn’t ever work… I’m so excited now to be able to get pictures of little fingers and toes as I visit orphans in a local hospital…
Thanks so much for all of your tips. This rookie is excited to try your suggestions!
Comment by ukrainiac on September 6th, 2007 at 8:14 am
[...] trees. I think it’s beautiful. I shot it with my point-and-shoot Canon ELPH camera using the macro setting. I held the light bulb up to the sky so I wouldn’t see anything behind it and the background [...]
Comment by i speak film - » Light Bulb on September 19th, 2007 at 5:02 am
[...] Turn on the macro function on your camera for really close-up pictures. I took this shot of Chloe when she was about 10 days old, using close-up diopters. But the macro function on your point-and-shoot works great too. For more on macro baby shots, click here. [...]
Comment by Digital Photography Blogs » The Archives » 11 Easy Tips for Taking Baby Pictures on August 21st, 2008 at 7:17 am