The precious opportunities can occur anywhere, like in the bath, tasting new foods for the first time, or during cuddles before bed. Even when out and about, the expression they have while feeding the ducks down at your local park. Keep on the lookout and keep your camera near by.

Other fantastic photo opportunities in your child’s life happen every year, like their birthday parties, Christmas, Easter etc.

These opportunities in the past have not been well represented with amazing photos; the photos are kept because they are your family not because they are terrific photos. Have you ever had anyone exclaim, that the birthday photo you have of your child is amazing? Potentially yes though in most peoples realities the answer is unfortunately no!

Yet they happen every year so it can be mastered.

What are some ideas that can help to shoot great birthday shots; these can be applied for any party or event.

Preparation for the party is important, if you have planned the party you will already know the room layout or where the majority of time is going to be spent. Look around before the party starts and mentally note down some angles that the lighting would be great for shooting photos from and that there are no ornaments or obstacles in your line of shot.

Know your obstacles, as mentioned above. Though in reality are you going to a have the time to take the photos as well as organising everything else for the party? Maybe have someone else as the photographer? Or someone else brings the cake in? Can you manoeuvre into the perfect place or is it easy access for you? These are all things to think about prior to the party starting.

Where is the main table set up? Is it rectangular or not? If it is rectangular then take the photos from facing the long end of the table, this way all the children will be in focus.

To use flash or not! Try some with the flash and some without, if organised ahead, try different ISO settings on your camera to see how high it can go before the shots become grainy looking.

For the really key photographs take many shots, you can always erase them afterwards. For blowing out the candles on the cake, set your camera to continuous shooting, that way you will have a shot of the candles going out, not a just missed shot of prior to or after the fact.

Consider the background. What colour scheme is it? Neutral? Dark? If it is unfortunately ugly, minimise your depth of field so that it blurs the background. It is the smallest possible F-stop.

Don’t bother checking the LCD screen, other than to make sure you haven’t beheaded someone from the shot. Just wait to after the party to go through the pictures and look at contrast and image quality.

Equipment: Plan the day before and get the batteries all charged up, and the memory cards empty with enough room for the new photos. Other accessories if you have them like tripod, different lens attachments, external flash, chargers etc. Have them all ready just in case you choose to use them, then you know where they are, without having to remember where they are kept in a rush at the time.

It pays to have a list of photos you want to take: e.g. blowing the candles out, opening presents, etc

The candid moments are always to be looked out for during the birthday day. The looks of joy whilst playing a game, or the look of excitement at the bowl of lollies are truly special shots when they are caught.

If you are really organised and have some time before the guests arrive then use that time to take some “posed” pictures of your child, they will look clean and lovely in their “costume” or “party frock/clothes” they will never look better than this during the party. Pick a spot in front of the cake and get some big smiling photos, remember the younger the child the less likely the smiling is, so don’t push it.

Just have a fantastic time taking pictures of your children as they grow up, you never need an excuse to pull out the camera, so just have fun and snap away.

Shoot from your perspective

Try a new perspective Get down to your baby’s eye level and see the world through their eyes. Sit on the ground, or lay down if you need to. Physically moving to their level will give you a new and unique perspective. Move around and experiment with cropping. Make sure to come in close and observe the little things in those moments too- their hands, feet, smile, etc. Play around with the perspective and you’ll find some amazing little moments to capture that you would have otherwise missed standing up! ® Amy Postle

Keep it simple Choose solid colors, or simply patterned clothing so that the focus is on your baby and not on what they are wearing. Remove things from the frame that have logos or emblems or any other visual distractions. The more simple you keep the photograph, the more your baby will be the focus. ® Amy Postle

Turn off your flash Even snapshot cameras have this option. When indoors, try and position your baby near a window- window light provides beautiful natural light. If the window light is not enough, bring in a lamp. The constant light from the lamp will be much more soothing to your baby than the startling light from a flash. ® Amy Postle

Go outside Cloudy days are the best days to shoot outside, but if it is sunny, find a shaded spot. Direct sunlight causes harsh shadows and is hard on your baby’s eyes. Plus, you’ll get a much more realistic, beautiful and naturally lit image from the evenness of open shade. Put down a blanket and enjoy all the wonder and awe of nature with your baby. ® Amy Postle

Shoot in Black & White Black and white strips away the “noise” of every day life and really brings focus to the child and the moment. It is classic, timeless, and always beautiful. Plus, if you are photographing your baby indoors, it will help you avoid the normal color shifts that occur on film when shot without a flash under standard household bulbs.

® Amy Postle

Keep the room calm Do away with distractions and extra people. Avoid the urge to constantly talk to your baby, just silently watch and photograph his or her natural tendencies. Watch them move or look around their environment and capture their expressions. Most babies are fascinated by cameras and easily show their curiosity and intensity!

® Amy Postle

Be a part of the moment Have one parent (or friend) photograph while the other parent participates. Embrace the opportunity to interact with your baby and be photographed with them. Don’t just stand up and smile- play, interact, and have fun. Capture the moments that mean the most to you as a parent. ® Amy Postle

Document their day Photograph your baby when they first wake up in the morning, and continue to document them at meals, bath time, naptime, playtime, and every other major moment in their day. Pull a lamp near their crib if it’s dark, but try and keep everything very typical to their schedule. Have a proof sheet made from the film and you’ll see a full day-in-the-life story of your baby by you. ® Amy Postle

Take pictures often! Your baby is going to change quickly. Appreciate the little things, enjoy every moment and have fun taking pictures as they grow!