I’ve taken an unusually large amount of photos recently. You see, I have a brand new model to photograph, and I can’t help but want to capture her in all her newborn glory. And with all the funny little faces she’s pulling, it’s hard to stop taking photos even when you’ve got some good ones.
Part of what makes taking these baby photos so satisfying is the nuances in her facial expressions. They change so quickly, and I don’t know that she even knows what emotions go with what faces, but as she learns to use the muscles in her face, it’s fun to capture all the little looks she gives us.
These looks are fleeting though. Try catching a newborn smile…it’s tricky since they’re completely involuntary at this point and while they pop up here and there, they happen for no rhyme or reason. That’s part of the reason why I’ve been shooting on the continuous burst option. It’s easy to delete the ones you don’t like (or already have tons of), but you’re more likely to catch those fleeting grins that seem so elusive.
So how do you know if your camera has a continuous shooting mode? Start with the owners’ manual. I know, who reads those, right? Well, I do, and I’m amazed at what I learn from them. You may also be able to locate the mode by an icon on your camera or in a camera menu (if you’re more familiar with these menus and you can’t seem to locate that darn manual). Not every camera is made with the same icons, but on the two cameras I own, the continuous shooting mode is indicated by three rectangles stacked on top of one another. My point and shoot camera will take up to three shots with one push of the button, but my digital SLR takes quite a few.
The speed of the continuous shots depends on your lighting and whether or not the flash needs to be on, but it’s fun to play with for those fleeting moments of babyhood or for other summer events (like swinging a baseball bat or any other summertime activities that are best captured in a series of shots).
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