This morning, I took the latest addition to our family to meet my Mom-in-law.

Carl is two months old today, and Granny – well, let’s just say she’s a little older – but just as beautiful as ever.

I was very lucky to get these lovely photos of their first meeting. I used my Canon 60D with my 50mm f/1.4 prime lens, hand-held and only natural indoor lighting.

Post-processing was in Lightroom 4 – I adjusted the exposure slightly and applied a sepia-toned filter but left in a bit of de-saturated colour. I think this effect really brings out the beautiful skin tones of both Gran and Baby.

Can there be anything more wonderful than holding a bonny baby boy in your arms for the first time 🙂

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Tips for photographing babies:

• Pick a time when his tummy is full, his face is clean and he’s happy
• If he’s VERY wriggly, use a faster shutter-speed – about 1/125th second, and a wider aperture setting
• Try to capture his expressions, and those of the person holding him. You can see the tenderness in a mother’s/gran’s eyes – catch those moments if you can
• Use natural light – a flash is likely to make the baby jumpy
• Babies look good in pale colours – it brings out their delicate skin-tones
• It looks great when both the adult and the baby are wearing similar toned clothing.