The Chooch’s First Word

Choochie’s first birthday was two days ago, and I had a plan to write the big “We survived the First Year” post, complete with thoughtful, funny, and decidedly not-boring reflections on the past year and all the ways in which this lovely baby has changed my life.  I was going to tell you about how she has developed a personality, and preferences, interests, and even a few skills (not many, but a few).  But life is busy, and it got really busy this week with class and work and my Mom visiting for the Big Day, and planning for (and pulling off!) various celebratory activities, so the post never happened.

Fortunately, something more interesting did.  The Chooch said her first word.  (We think.)

Just to be clear, she’s been making noises and sounds for quite awhile now.  I think we’ve heard all the vowels and many consonants in a variety of combinations.  She’s even said “Dada” to Josh and “Mama”  to me and looked at her bottle and said “Baba”.  However, these words happen inconsistently, and she’s also Da’ed at the chair or a toy, or Ma’ed at the cat or her shoe, and so we didn’t count the few times that she got it right as words.  According to our rules, saying a word means saying the right word at the right object (and not other objects) on more than one occasion.  Not surprisingly, we thought for sure that her first word would be Dada or Mama.

Wrong.

Her first word was “Eeeee!”  Now, Eeeee! might not seem like a word, but you must consider that it was directed at EeBee.  EeBee was a birthday gift from some dear friends, and Choochie’s affection for this plush doll was quite a shock to Josh and me.  Chooch has expressed little or no interest in any stuffed animals or dolls until the arrival of EeBee.  I must confess that my initial reaction upon opening the package was, “Great.  Another toy that Choochie will completely ignore.  It has no zippers or buttons or snaps or straps, and it’s not even wearing shoes.”  (The Chooch’s interest in shoes is consistent and long-standing.)  The thing is, she loves it.  Really loves it.  She grabs it around the neck, squeezes it, and drags it around.  After Josh and I called it “EeBee” a few times, she began shrieking “Eeeeeee!”  (I think she even got the Beee in there a few times, but I might be wrong.)  If I asked her where EeBee was, she would crawl over to it, put it in a choke hold, and once again, “Eeeee!”

So, there you have it.  Two days after her first birthday, Choochie has her first word.  And EeBee, even though you are an “eccentric looking toy,”* Chooch loves you, so welcome to the family.**

* My mother’s description of EeBee.
** After months of trying to get Chooch attached to a small toy or blanket, it would be just my luck that she would choose a 17″ plush doll as her attachment object.  Great.  Well, it hasn’t happened yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

Photographing children (and a shameless plug)

Remember that time I wrote endlessly about photographing babies?  Yeah, forget that.  Instead, check out “How to photograph children and other ways to entertain kids for half an hour” by Tobia Imbier.  (There’s a reason why she’s the professional and I’m not.)  Anyway, Tobia is a good friend of mine, and an amazing photographer.  Her advice is great, and her pictures are lovely.  You should also check out her business website, and if you’re looking for someone to shoot your children (no, not that way, silly) or family event, you should give her a ring.  She’s terrific.

WTF is this??

She’s fine, really.

The Amateur’s Guide to Photographing Babies – Part 3

Here’s where we get down to the nitty-gritty of picture taking.  There are a lot of different techniques that go into getting a good shot, but here’s my number one rule:  avoid the flash whenever possible.  (Actually, that’s my number two rule.  My number one rule is TAKE A LOT OF PICTURES.)  Let me explain.  Actually, before I explain, let me give you an example.  (You can click on any of the pictures here to get a larger view.)

The shots on the left were taken with a flash, the ones on the right weren’t.  I hope you will agree that the images on the right are less washed-out, have richer colors, and generally look better.  If you don’t see any difference in the lighting or colors, or if you see a difference but have no preference, stop reading.  Keep taking pictures the way you always have, and you will be happy with them.

So, that’s your goal – minimize your use of flash.  (The exception to this is if you have a totally sweet rig with an external flash.  In that case, flash away.  I’m talking to those of us who have regular old cameras with built-in flashes.)  Normally we use flash in all situations except for bright sunlight, but I took these pictures in our dining room on a gray, rainy day with mediocre interior lighting.  I did this by using the manual settings on camera.  Let me explain:

1.  First, I set the ISO (also known as ASA or film speed for all you old-schoolers) to 800.  Briefly, ISO is a measurement of the film’s sensitivity to light – the higher the number, the more sensitive it is, meaning you can get more of an image in less light.  The down side is that the pictures end up much grainier.  In general, you want to use the lowest ISO possible – in bright sunlight, you want 50 or 100, for example.

Here is an example of a grainy image that’s too dark:

3.  I adjusted the aperture (the size of the hole in the lens that lets the light through) so that the lens was all the way open, allowing in as much light as possible.  I set the camera to aperture priority (usually labeled as A, AV, or AP on the dial), which allowed me to choose how wide open I want the lens, and the camera set the shutter speed (how fast that hole opens up and the closes again) to get the best exposure.  If your camera doesn’t have manual settings, or it does but you don’t want to fiddle with them, look for a “portrait” setting, which often looks like a little face on your dial.  That should do roughly the same thing.
(Speed priority, labeled as S, SV, or SP, allows you to choose the shutter speed you want, and the camera sets the aperture.  P, or program, allows the camera to set both, while still giving you control over the ISO and a few other features.  M is manual, which means that you set both the aperture and shutter speed.)

3b.  In addition to allowing the most light in, opening the aperture all the way up has an added benefit – because of the way depth of field works, your baby’s face should be in focus, while the background will be out of focus.  The face will really “pop” – it’s a great effect.

4.  Now, this might seem all fine and easy – you just open up the aperture all the way, which lets a lot of light in.  No problem, right?  Well, not so much.  The thing is, unless you have a lens that can open all the way up, you will also need to go with a slow shutter speed.  The benefit of the slower shutter speed is that you get more light.  The bummer is that your image may end up being out of focus, depending on how fast your subject is moving.  Here’s an example:

F’s head is in focus, because she wasn’t moving it much, but her hand was moving too fast for my camera.  You can use this to your advantage, because when something is out of focus in this way it often conveys motion.  However, if it’s not the effect you’re going for, or if the whole image is fuzzy, then it’s a bummer.

5.  I have cameras with a great lenses, and in my case, that means that the lens can open way wide, allowing a lot of light in, meaning I can take pictures in low light with no flash.  My husband, the maven, is going to write a guest post about this, but I will tell you which cameras I have.  My point and shoot is a Panasonic DMC-LX3 with a lens that goes down to F2.0 and my SLR is a Canon EOS Rebel XT with a Canon 50 mm F1.8 lens.  (If you read the Digital Photography School post on aperture, you would know that those funny F numbers refer to the aperture, and the low numbers mean that the lenses open waaay up.)  The Canon 50 mm lens is amazing for taking shots in really low-light without a flash, but it’s not a zoom lens, so you have to be ok with that.  I am.

So, that’s that for now.  The next post will be on deciding when it is a good time to photograph your baby.  In the meanwhile, I’ll leave you with this:

The Stroller Zone

(I’m taking a brief detour from the photographing babies series because I need to rant, but don’t worry, I’ll get back to it soon.)

Usually J and I are pretty good about not getting sucked into the evil commercial vortex that leaves so many parents spinning out of control and feeling a bit nauseous.  At least, we were.  Until we entered the stroller zone.  After spending a fair amount of time researching on the internet, talking to friends, and trying out strollers in the store, I have only this to say:

Are you fucking kidding me?

This is ridiculous.  I used to look at families with six strollers in wonder and amazement, and, I won’t lie, a bit of judgment.  How could anyone possibly need six strollers?  To all of you, I can only say that I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.  I get it now.  I really do.  Especially because we’re only three strollers away from having six, and we still don’t have the one (or apparently two) that we need.  We have a Snap N Go that I’ve been using with the car seat bucket, an older Graco convertible that can take a bucket or a toddler and is super bulky and annoying, and a hard-core, no-frills jogging stroller that F won’t fit into for several more months.  The good news is that we spent a total of $20 on all three, thanks to the generosity of family members.

All we need is a sturdy stroller that I can use on a daily basis – meaning that it doesn’t weigh a ton and doesn’t require a degree in physics to fold and un-fold.  Easy enough, right?  Wrong.  There are so many strollers, and so many features.  Will we be doing mostly city walking?  What about the bumpy, cracked sidewalks of our town?  How about trips to the beach, or trail walking?  What if I finally get off my duff and start jogging with the baby?  Do we want a stroller for one child, or should we spring for the models that can take another seat should you need one down the future?  (NO, people, I’m not pregnant.  Please.)  How far does it need to recline, and how big should the sunshade be?  Does our daughter need a footrest?  A five-point restraint system with padded straps?  Extendable handlebar?  Swivel or fixed front wheel?  Pneumatic tires?  If so, how many?  Three is more stylish, but four may be more practical.  (And what the hell are pneumatic tires anyway?)  And what about my needs?  How big is the basket underneath?  Will it hold everything I buy at the mall?  Why am I worried about trips to the mall when I never go to the mall?  Are there other pockets and storage spaces for my tchotchkes?  And where is the damn cupholder??

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you should be.  My husband and I have successfully purchased two cars and a house without this much of a headache.  (Well, that might not be exactly true, but it’s pretty darn close.)  Even if the perfect stroller was out there, it would probably cost $800 or more, which is about $750 more than we really want to spend on a stroller.

We went to the local “justify-spending-too-much-money-on-baby-gear-because-you’re -buying-it-from-a-locally-owned-store” store to try out strollers, and we took one for a test drive up and down the street.  We thought it was a decent stroller, but the saleslady was concerned that it might not work on the bumpy sidewalks or ice and snow of the Northeast.  She recommended we get one with pneumatic tires.  I couldn’t decide if she was right, or trying to convince us that we need a Hummer to navigate the streets of Boston.

After we got home, I did some more research online, and found it fairly unhelpful.  For every positive comment I found about any given stroller, someone else hated it.  Blergh.  In the end, we chose the Baby Jogger City Mini.  It’s a bit more than we had wanted to spend, but my in-laws were nice enough to get it for us.  It’s super light-weight, obscenely easy to fold, and seems a bit sturdier than your average umbrella stroller.  It seems to get universally positive reviews.  I had hoped we would find one stroller that would meet all of our needs, but sadly, I don’t think that’s going to happen.  Don’t be surprised if you see me writing about our next stroller purchase sometime in the future.

The Amateur’s Guide to Photographing Babies – Part 2B

One of my readers recently made the following comment, and I think it is worthy of a detour from my previously scheduled plan for part 3 of photographing babies.  Hence, part 2B.  Here is the comment:

“So your blog about cameras and taking pictures of babies could not be more timely for us! We are in the market for a nice new camera to take pictures of future baby, so my husband has been doing some research. He thought he found a Canon that would be suitable for us, so he ordered it last week (hasn’t arrived yet). Apparently, though, the NYT reviewed it this week and basically said, it has all kinds of cool features, too bad it takes lousy pictures. So now we’re probably going to return that one and look elsewhere. I’m definitely pointing my husband to your blog posts and to the digital camera review website you recommend, so thanks!”

This comment raises an excellent point – I’ve given advice about picking a camera that is within your budget and is something you would be willing to carry around.  I’ve also made the point that it is important that you are able to use the camera, and I’ve warned against getting suckered in by how sexy the camera is.  Finally, I’ve talked about needing a camera that has manual settings so you can take pictures without a flash.  Well, that’s all fine and good, but I haven’t mentioned the quality of the camera.  Let’s take a minute to discuss this.

I don’t have the foggiest idea what makes a camera good.  (Just what you wanted to read, right?)  I can talk to you about what makes it useable, and I can warn you against the barriers that may make it less likely that you are going to take LOTS OF PICTURES.  I can also talk to you about the few features I think you do need (ability to adjust your settings manually is the big one).  But I’m not a techie, and so I can’t talk to you about lens quality or how many pixels* or whatever else may affect the actual quality of the image above and beyond what you can control (like not using a flash, for example).  Since I’m going to leave you hanging in this department, I will recommend that you turn to one of three resources, depending on what you are most comfortable with:

1.  Your friendly neighborhood maven.  As so aptly described by Malcom Gladwell in The Tipping Point, mavens are those folks who know everything about whatever it is they know about.  I happen to be married to a maven, and he happens to be a technology maven, which is extremely handy for when I want to, say, buy a camera.  Let me give you an example.  My father was thinking about buying an HD flat-panel TV.  He called the hubster to talk about it.  Our current TV is neither flat panel nor HD, and we have no intentions of buying such an item.  Yet my husband was able to tell my Dad which one he should buy, why he should buy that one, where he should by it, and how much he should spend.  Off the top of his head.  It’s freakish, to be sure, but it can come in handy at times.  So, if you know a maven, go pick his or her brain.

2.  Your friendly-neighborhood camera store.  Now, I am not talking about a big-box electronics store (of which there are fewer and fewer these days).  I’m talking about your good ol’ Mom-and-Pop, still sells film behind the counter, and has a crapload of cameras for you to look at store.  Find out where that store is, and go talk to them. (Alternately, you could also talk to a friend who is a serious camera buff or a professional photographer, but they may or may not know about a wide range of cameras, including point and shoots.)

3.  If you’re like me, and you feel a strong responsibility to hold down the couch for several hours a day, then you can use the interwebs.  There are two ways to do this.  As I mentioned in my last post, you can go to dpreview, which is generally regarded as the best website for digital camera reviews.  I’ll say it again, it can get a bit techie, but be strong.  You’ll survive.  Or, if you think you have found a camera you might be interested in, google search it.  See what people are saying.  You never know when you might finnd a review in The New York Times, for example.

So, that’s all I have to say about that.  As with everything in life, it’s a balance.  You want a camera that takes quality pictures, but it has to be in your price range, and you have to like it enough to carry it around and actually use it.

In the next post, I’ll talk about why you want to decrease your dependence on the flash, and how to do it.  Future posts will include how to decide when it is actually a good time to photograph your baby.  (Seems obvious, right, but it isn’t always.)

*Note about pixels – more isn’t always better.  We searched a long time before we found a camera with fewer pixels.  The best way I can explain this is to say that more information and detail isn’t always better.  Talk to your maven or camera guy if you really care.

The Amateur’s Guide to Photographing Babies – Part 2

So, by now you’ve decided that you care enough about getting good pics of your little monster that you want to learn a little bit more, and take a lot more pictures. If you have a camera that you like, and use a lot, that’s great. Stick with it. But if you don’t, and you’re willing to help stimulate the economy a bit, here are my tips for choosing a camera. (Just so you know, I’m not going to tell you which camera to buy. I will, however, give you some ideas for how to go about the process of choosing a camera, and I’ll tell you which ones I have.)

1. Figure out how much money you want to spend. This is your limiting factor, so you need to decide on a budget before you do anything else. The good thing about digital cameras is that you don’t have to pay for film or processing, so the camera is pretty much your only cost. You can pay as little as $100 for a point and shoot, as much as $1000 or more for a digital SLR, and everything in between. I won’t lie to you here, more money can make a difference. It doesn’t always, but it can.

2. Decide how big of a camera you are willing to carry around with you. Be honest with yourself – are you a packhorse who carries three bags wherever you go, so schlepping a bigger camera won’t be a big deal?  Or do you take pride in being able to fit diapers, wipes, spare clothes, bottles, toys, and the kitchen sink into the smallest bag possible?  In that case, you’re going to want to stick with a point and shoot.  Don’t worry, you can get good pictures with either type of camera, but only if you carry it with you and take lots of pictures.  (Did I mention that you need to take lots of pictures?)

3.  Don’t be suckered in by that cute pink camera (or in my case, blue).  Yes, we all like a sexy camera (if you don’t understand how electronics can be sexy, just skip this paragraph), but you need to be strong.  Sexiest is not always best, at least when it comes to digital cameras.

4.  Now, here’s the kicker. I’m going to share my secret of taking good baby pictures with you, but it involves getting a camera with manual settings, which means that you can control the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.  All digital SLR’s will let you do this, and some point and shoots will as well.  These are easy concepts, but if they make you feel a little twitchy and uncomfortable, and may be beyond your ability to care, then stop reading here.  Just make sure you have a camera you like, know how to use, are willing to carry around, and go TAKE A LOT OF PICTURES.  You’ll get some images that you are pleased with.  However, if you’re cool with some technical stuff, read on.

Here’s my secret to taking good baby pictures, and what you really need to know about whatever digital camera you buy.  Unless you plan to spend a lot of money on a fancy SLR with a fancy-pants external flash AND learn how to use the aforementioned rig, you need a camera that will take good pictures in moderate light without a flash.  That’s right, WITHOUT A FLASH.  Flash is bad.  Ok, let me amend that.  Good flash used well is good.  Cheap flash (meaning those that come built into most cameras) is bad when you want to take good face shots of babies.  Cheap flash can be good when you really want to take a picture in low light, and the point is to document the scene rather than capture a great image.

To summarize what we have for today:  figure out how much you want to spend, be honest about how big of a camera you are willing to carry, and be willing to get a camera with manual controls so you can take pictures without a flash.  There are a few more tips I’ll have in the next post, but this should get you started.  If you’re feeling a little randy and want to read about cameras, this is the best digital camera review website, in my opinion.  It can be a bit technical, but stick to the summaries if you need to.  Or, head down to your local camera shop, and have a chat with the guy or gal behind the counter.  They’re generally pretty knowledgeable and helpful.

Ok, I think that’s enough for today.  Let it all marinate, and if you’re still interested, come back soon and I’ll post some only-slightly-technical stuff about how to use the manual settings on your camera to get great flash-free shots.  In the meanwhile, go take some pictures!

The Amateur’s Guide to Photographing Babies – Part 1

I’ve had a number of people ask about the pictures of Choochie on the blog – they want to know how I took them, and how they can get similar shots of their babies.  I have taken some photography classes, and I worked for the college paper, but those were back in the film and darkroom days.  So, while I know a little something about photography, I’m no digital expert.  Most of this information should be accessible to any budding photographer who wants to get better at taking pictures of babies and children.  Which brings me to my first tip:

1.  Decide you care.
I’m not kidding.  If you are going to get good pictures, you need to decide you care enough to put the time, energy, and money into it.  This is true for anything, but sometimes we forget about it with something that has become as common as taking pictures.  Taking, editing, and posting good pictures takes time and a minimal level of commitment, and you need to decide if you care enough.  There’s no right or wrong here – it’s jut what’s important to you.  I happen to care about photography, so it works for me.  There are many, many things I don’t care about, including, for example, window treatments and home furnishings.  I know that hanging curtains can be a quick and inexpensive project with good results, but the truth is, I just don’t care, which is why we still have the same crappy blinds that were in the house when we moved in and the place looks like it was decorated by college students. (Just to clarify – if you decide you don’t care, that doesn’t mean you should stop taking pictures… it just means you should be happy with the pictures you have, most of which are probably good enough.)

2.  Take a lot of pictures.  And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT.
When I used to work for the school paper, I would take 40-50 pictures of one event, in the hopes of getting one or two good images.  In the age of digital photography, there is no reason not to take many many shots every time you pick up your camera.  When I decide to take some shots of the little one, I take at least 20 each time.  If I know the angle I want, I may take many many shots from the same position, in hopes that I will get at least one when Choochie has her eyes open AND is looking at the camera AND is smiling (or at the very least, not looking psychotic).  If I’m not sure what will look best, I’ll spend time moving around, getting closer and farther away, zooming in and out, fiddling with settings, etc.  Whatever you’re doing, make sure you take a lot of pictures.

3.  Do what it takes to make sure you can, and will, take A LOT of pictures.
The first, and most important step to taking a lot of pictures is to have a camera that you will a) have available and b) use.  I’ll talk a bit about buying a camera later, but for the purposes of this post the most important thing is that you buy a camera that you will carry with you and that you know how to use.  There are many, many good cameras on the market these days, and yes, there are better cameras and there are worse cameras.  However, for most amateurs, even the most basic camera can be good enough, *as long as you know how to use it and keep it with you*.  Take a minute and think about your current camera.  Do you know how to use the most basic settings on it?  Do you like it?  Do you carry it with you?  If not, would you be willing to?  Do you know where your battery charger and memory cards are?  Do you know how to get the pictures onto your computer?  If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you either need to learn more about your camera, or get a new one.  But don’t do it yet.  Not until my next post.

Up next:  choosing a camera (the low-tech way), and deciding when the time is right… for taking pictures, that is.

Until then, I leave you with these shots (If you click on them, it will take you to my Flickr account, where you can see all the pictures I took that did not make the cut.)  I’ll say it again, take LOTS of pictures.

Jews love swimming…

… or perhaps more accurately, we love not drowning.  According to the Talmud, parents have certain obligations to their children, including teaching them a trade by which they can eventually earn an income, and teaching them to swim.  So, one swim diaper, one rubber cover, and one swim cap (required by the JCC) later, here she is: