Now that the baby has arrived, everyone is clamoring for pictures. But when you take pictures with your flash camera, the baby just does not look like the beautiful baby you see before you. Here are some tips to take some natural photos of your newborn that can be used for an artistic birth announcement.

- Should you use film or digital? Whichever type of camera you have the easiest access to will be fine. If you are using a film camera, use 400 or 800 ISO black & white film for best results for this project. If you are using a digital camera, the image can be turned black and white or sepia tone on your computer later or you can use an online service that offers these options when ordering your prints.

- Make sure the flash is turned off! Using window light will yield a beautiful soft result which is key to capturing the beauty of the newborn baby. To achieve this, find a window that has good light coming through. You do not want direct sunlight, just a nice amount of indirect light. Morning light works great if you have a room with the right exposure, and morning is also a great time to capture the baby.

- Simple is always better, so remove visual clutter. Use a white sheet or solid colored blankets under the baby so that the look is simple, classic and totally focused on the baby.

- Photograph newborns without clothing for the best, most organic results. You can keep on the diapers if they do not have a bunch of cartoons on them, or you can use a diaper cover or fabric to cover the diaper.

- Turn the baby towards the light so that their face and body are well lit by the natural light. Look through the camera and take pictures, trying to fill the frame of the camera with baby and solid colored blankets. Avoid any additional clutter or items in the background. Do not shoot with the window as the background - look at the light on the baby and take your pictures where the baby is well lit.

- Do not try to get the baby to smile, just take a series of images from different angles, with some of the baby looking at the camera and some of the baby's profile, some of the top of the head etc. Keep working your way around the baby talking and singing to your baby to try to engage them. If the baby starts fussing, soothe them as needed and when they are calm, try again.

- If the baby falls asleep, no problem - photograph them while sleeping! When they are asleep you can take pictures of feet and hands as they are not moving. Think of the beautiful images by Anne Geddes, who became famous for her sleeping newborns images. When newborns are awake they tend to move constantly which can make it challenging to get still images without motion.

- While you are photographing, take lots and lots of pictures. The more you take, the more you are likely to find ones you will like. Take full body shots from different angles, half body shots, close ups of faces, hands, feet, wrinkly shoulders, fuzzy hair lines, etc

- After you develop the images, look at them with an artistic eye and try to find the pictures that really captures what the baby looks like to you. Find one or more that you like or love to use for a birth announcement.