We are smack in the middle of our Cover Baby Photo Contest and cannot believe how many entries we’ve received! The deadline is June 21 so you still have a lot of time to get a great snapshot of your little one.  If you’re overwhelmed with the idea of taking your wiggly wriggly tot’s picture yourself we’ve listed our fave five tips for getting a great shot with no professional equipment or training!

1. Happy Baby = Great Picture

When planning the picture pick a time that your baby is normally happiest. Don’t try to squeeze it in right before nap time, or on an empty belly or full diaper. That is just asking for trouble!

2. Natural Lighting is the way to go!

Most point-and-shoot cameras nowadays have indoor settings, and you can get decent picture quality with lamps but for GREAT images and amazing quality you can’t beat natural light. Even if you’re stuck inside you can still throw open your windows to flood the room with sunlight. the best times of day are early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is low in the sky and not streaming straight down and casting weird shadows.

3. Limit Props

Great pictures don’t need piles of cutesy hats, toys or backgrounds. Your little one is gorgeous all on their own- let that shine through! Simplify the props to one eye-catching item, and be careful that it’s not a choking hazard! And please please do not attempt to hang your newborn in a yarn sling or bag without a professional photographer- those images are 99% composites to create the illusion of a hanging baby!

4. Embrace the tears

Babies cry. It’s a fact of life that a lot of mom-photogs try to avoid. I say let the tears roll. If you can’t calm your tot down, just snap a picture anyway. It’s just a different side of their personality! You’ll want to remember their crocodile tears and scrunched up faces when they are older.

5. Baby is in control

If you try to get a child under the age of 2 to look in any particular direction AND smile you’ll be disappointed quickly. I’ve had the best luck by giving my daughter a simple toy that looks cute and just letting her play. I move to where she is looking instead of trying to get her to look at me. This also works great for outdoor shots. I let her run loose in a pretty field or play in the stream and just follow her with the camera, snapping the whole way.

All photos in this post are contestants in the Cover Baby Contest- click HERE to browse our full album and VOTE today! (Being featured on the blog does NOT count as a vote and doesn’t determine the winner at all.)