Digital Photographs and Images
- If
you are using a print photograph, we prefer that you
send us the actual print and let us scan it professionally.
This insures the highest quality image for your cards.
- If
you are using a digital camera, you can email us the
image or send it to us on disk. We prefer that you do
not send images stored on CD by the photo processing
company that printed your photographs. Generally, these
images are stored at about 480 x 640 resolution and
that is much too low.
- We
strongly recommend digital images be at least 1800x1200
pixels. This will allow a small bit of room for cropping
and zooming, without compromising too much quality.
Digital images with resolutions at least 1492x1104 can
sometimes be used, but be aware that at this resolution,
there is not typically room to do any zooming in. If
you plan to do a vignette style announcement, digital
images of 1280x960 may possibly work if the baby is
quite large in the photo and if it doesn't require a
lot of zooming in. Lower resolution images cannot be
used and cannot be changed to higher resolution. Although
images smaller than 1280 x 960 dots look good on your
computer screen, they will produce poor pictures with
jagged edges and possibly with pixels showing. This
is especially true once the images are cropped, edited,
and resized. Please refer to your owner's manual for
more information about setting the resolution on your
camera.
- Images
should be sent to us in jpeg (jpg) format.
- When
sending us a digital image, send us the full, uncompressed,
non-resized version.
Perfect photo birth announcements will reveal both the
mood and the charm of your new baby. We offer the following
suggestions to help you capture your baby's spirit on
film or disk.
Preparing your baby…
- Sleeping babies make beautiful photo birth announcements.
They are also easy to move around. Try to get baby's
little hands tucked in near the neck and face.
- If you photograph your baby while awake, plan your
photography session for right after a feeding. Keep
the photo shoot short and try to draw the hands close
in towards the neck.
- We often suggest laying your baby on his/her tummy
or side, facing the camera. Pillows placed under a blanket
can be used to prop your baby up, if needed. Babies
can also be photographed in a car seat or bouncy seat
that is covered with a blanket. If you choose to photograph
your baby in more of a sitting position, be sure that
the seat is reclined so that your baby is not slumped
over.
- We recommend dressing your baby in just a diaper or
light colored clothing that is free of bright, busy
patterns. Remember that you want people to focus on
your baby's precious face, not on the clothing. Check
to be sure that the room temperature is very comfortable
to avoid fussiness.
- Use a little baby lotion on any obviously dry areas
of the baby's face.
- There is no perfect age to take birth announcement
photos and each stage displays a different quality.
You might consider taking photographs over the course
of a week or two, or even a month, to determine the
look that best suits your baby.
Setting the scene…
- The most important thing to remember when setting
up the scene is to make sure that you have good lighting.
Natural lighting, lamps, and your camera's flash can
all work well to make sure that your baby is lit from
all angles. You especially want to be sure to have good
lighting around the head so that you minimize dark shadowing
on the face and hair. This can be achieved by placing
a table lamp near the head of your baby or setting up
your scene near a bright window. When using a flash,
natural sunlight and table lamps can also be used to
minimize shadows behind your baby.
- Naturally sunlit photographs can be both artistic
and beautiful. However, they can also be too dark, too
light or quite grainy, depending on your camera and
skill level. We suggest taking some practice shots ahead
of time to see how your camera cooperates. You can take
beautiful, naturally lit photographs inside next to
a window or glass door. Choose a time when the sun is
not shining directly into the window. You want a soft
glow, with light shadowing, to flood your baby's skin,
rather than harsh, direct sunlight. Cheaper and older
digital cameras often produce grainy photos, if a flash
is not used. If you have a digital camera, take some
practice shots and look at them full size on your computer
to see if they are grainy. Graininess cannot often be
reduced in the final product without compromising the
quality and clarity of your announcement.
- We suggest draping a white or light colored sheet
or blanket over the entire background area for the photograph.
Try to avoid bright patterns in order to keep the attention
focused on your baby. A simple, dark background can
also work, depending on the style announcement that
you choose.
- Themed photographs can also work nicely, as long as
you set the scene carefully.
- For a soft and interesting effect, layer and/or "wrinkle
up" the blanket or sheet around or over your baby.
If you cover your baby, keep the blankets a bit loose
and try to keep his/her arms and upper chest showing.
- Finally, once the entire scene is set, take a good
look around. Too much color, pattern, or clutter behind
the baby will detract from the finished card. Try to
avoid unsightly objects, like kitchen clutter, electrical
outlets, furniture, other people, Etc. If you don't
want it in your announcement, try not to include it
in your photograph. While we can retouch your photo,
it is sometimes difficult to achieve completely natural
looking results. And it is always better to start with
a great photo.
Taking the photograph...
- The first rule of taking a great photograph is getting
to know your camera. Many people acquire new digital
and traditional cameras when a new baby is on the way.
We highly recommend that you experiment with your camera
prior to taking your birth announcement photos.
- Try getting down at your baby's eye level to take
the photos. This angle is generally more flattering
for the baby than those photos taken looking down from
above. Move in closely and try to center the baby in
the photo.
- Take A LOT of pictures. Don't be afraid to take 25-50+
photos in order to get the perfect shot. Try taking
photographs from various angles, with the baby in various
positions, and with different types of lighting. Depending
on your baby's temperament, you may need to break the
photo shoot up into several sessions.
- If there is to be a sibling or other people in the
photograph, try to have everyone's heads close together.
- If you are using a digital camera, set your camera
at the very highest resolution possible. The higher
the resolution, the better your announcement. We strongly
recommend digital images be at least 1800x1200 pixels.
This will allow a small bit of room for cropping and
zooming, without compromising too much quality. Digital
images with resolutions at least 1492x1104 can sometimes
be used, but be aware that at this resolution, there
is not typically room to do any zooming in. If you plan
to do a vignette style announcement, digital images
of 1280x960 may possibly work if the baby is quite large
in the photo and if it doesn't require a lot of zooming
in. Please refer to your camera's owner manual for instructions
on setting the resolution. Lower resolution images cannot
be used and cannot be changed to higher resolution.
We also recommend that you read over our digital camera
information webpage. We'd be happy to assist you if
you have questions about digital camera resolution or
your image. Please feel free to contact us at bluedaisycserv@bluedaisygreetings.com
- If you are using a 35 mm camera, 200-400 speed film
tends to produce the clearest photographs, especially
with today's auto focus cameras. We suggest avoiding
800 speed film to prevent graininess, unless you are
experienced with using it.
Choosing the perfect picture…
- Considering the style announcement that you like,
narrow your photos down to your favorite top five or
ten. Then, carefully analyze each of the photos for
graininess, lighting, shadows, color, Etc. before choosing
the perfect one. If a photo is blurry or grainy, then
the announcement will be the same. So, please choose
carefully.
- If you can't decide on just one, feel free to send
us more than one photo to consider. Please do not send
any photos that you would not like us to use in creating
your announcement. If you have a favorite, please let
us know.
- Try to choose a picture where the baby is not too
close to edges of the photo in order to leave plenty
of room for zooming and cropping. If the baby is too
close to the edges, part of the baby's face or head
may get cropped out of the photo.
- If you don't like any of your photos, don't hesitate
to take more pictures. There is no harm in delaying
your announcements for a couple of days, when the perfect
announcement will ultimately be treasured for a lifetime.
- We prefer high resolution digital jpeg images and
35 mm photographs. Photographs printed on glossy paper
tend to reproduce a little bit more nicely. But, matte
will work, as well. We do not recommend sending Polaroid
photos or photos printed on your home computer.
If you need further suggestions, or have any questions about
your photograph or camera, please feel free to email us
your questions or photos before you place your order.
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