Guides/Monthly baby photos with a phonePhone photo tips

Monthly baby photos with a phone

A phone is enough for the monthly photo. The picture gets sharp when the light is steady, the lens is clean, and you take more than one frame.

Close-up of Happy Patterns tie stickers

Clean the lens

Wipe the lens with a soft, dry cloth before you start. A phone that lives in a pocket picks up grease. Every photo then looks soft, and the baby is not the cause.

Check the glass at an angle toward the window. If you see a smear, wipe it again. This takes a few seconds, and it fixes a whole set of blurry frames.

Use window light

Take the photo in the daytime, near a window. Let the light come from the side, not straight into their eyes. Turn the flash off. Flash startles a baby, and the picture goes flat.

If the window is behind the baby, the face goes dark and the background goes white. Turn the baby so the light reaches the face. You can stand between them and the window. Don't stand where you block the light.

If a hard patch of sun falls on the floor, step out of it. Bright shade next to the window keeps the sun out of their eyes. A dim evening is a reason to wait until morning.

Close-up of blue, turquoise, and gray necktie stickers

Get to eye level

Sit or kneel on the floor. Hold the phone about level with their eyes. A photo from above shows the top of the head and a lot of floor.

The month sticker sits on the chest. Keep the phone high enough that the sticker stays in the frame, and low enough that you still see the eyes. If the crop cuts the sticker, take one step back and shoot again. Don't zoom in on a frame that already missed it.

For a baby who is lying down, lie down too, or prop your elbows on the floor beside them. The phone stays steady when your arms are supported.

Close-up of Happy Animals tie stickers

Tap to focus

Open the camera. Tap their eyes on the screen so the focus lands there. If the phone shows a box, let it settle, then take the photo.

The sticker has to be sharp too, because it is the month label. Tap the sticker once and look. If the eyes go soft, tap the eyes again and take the photo while both are still clear. A small step back gives the phone more that it can hold in focus.

If a background-blur setting leaves a fuzzy edge around the hair or the sticker, turn it off. A normal photo is the one to keep.

Hold still, then use a burst

Tuck your elbows in. Rest your arms on your knees if you are sitting. A small sway is enough to soften a close photo.

Press and hold the shutter so the phone takes a short burst. The sharp frame is often in the middle of the burst, between blinks. Take one burst, look, and take another if the eyes were shut.

If you need both hands on the baby, hand the phone to someone else. Don't prop the baby and step away to get the shot.

Necktie onesie stickers with month labels for a onesie photo

Use one spot

Pick a corner you can use again. Use the same blanket or the same wall, and about the same distance. The sticker is what changes.

Move the laundry and the toy pile out of the frame before you start. A plain corner is enough background. Monthly baby photos at home covers that setup, and a time that fits around naps. Month-by-month baby photo ideas has one idea for each month once the phone is ready.

Blue, turquoise, and gray tie stickers, full set

If the photo is still soft

  • Wipe the lens again. A smear hides in the middle of the glass.
  • Wait for brighter light. A dark room makes the phone slower, and the photo smears.
  • Tap the eyes again. Focus often lands on the blanket behind them.
  • Step closer and shoot again. Cropping a tiny face out of a wide photo enlarges the blur.
  • Hold the phone with two hands, or rest your elbows. One hand is hard to keep still.

Delete the soft frames after you pick one. You need one clear photo for the month. The rest can go.

Necktie onesie stickers labeled Just born, I can smile, and One year

The sticker in the frame

Press the month sticker onto a clean, dry onesie, take the photo, and peel it off when you are done. Monthly Onesie Stickers and Happy Heroes both mark the month on the onesie. The onesie stickers page lists the sets.

Newborn onesie photo ideas walks through the first session on the floor, if this month is the first one.

Things you should know

Stay with the baby. Never leave a baby unattended on a raised surface. A bed or a couch is a fall if they roll. If they can't sit yet, get on the floor with them.

Keep pillows off a young baby's face. Don't leave the sticker where they can chew it. Stop when they have had enough. You can finish the month on another day.