Your new baby is the cutest living creature you’ve ever seen and you want to capture his sweetness and personality – maybe even enter his photos into some baby photo contests. Whether he’s lying on a crocheted baby blanket gazing into the camera or wearing a face full of frosting from his first birthday cake, you want to try and see if your photos can win any fun baby contests.
Baby Photo Contests
All babies are cute. With their round cheeks, huge, innocent eyes, tiny teeth and petal-smooth skin, their images can make almost anyone melt. When you and your partner decide the time is right to enter your baby’s cute photos into a contest, you need to know just a few basic rules. Read the rules of the contest in which you decide to enter your cute baby photo. Look for age limits, photo file and print sizes. Take your baby’s photo yourself because these contests usually disqualify photos taken by professionals. Of course, if you are a professional photographer taking cute kid photos of your baby, use a setting in your home and snap away.
Picking The Perfect Photo
Your baby’s photo should give a few hints about his personality. The judges want to see his grinning face or the mischievous glint in his eyes. As you work with the photo on your computer’s photo program, crop the image so your baby’s face is the focal point. Look through all of the photos you have taken of your baby and choose the ones that show his personality and cuteness best. For instance, a photo of your baby’s determined face as he is reaching for something just out of reach can show just a bit more of who your baby is than another photo – and it could become the winning entry in some baby photo contests.
While you don’t want the photo you eventually choose to show him wearing the best outfit he owns, he should look neat, presentable and adorable. Take candid shots as you notice him doing different things – when he captures his foot and brings it to his mouth, snap a picture. Maybe a picture showing him wearing a dot of strained veggies on the tip of his nose and laughing will say, “This is my baby!”
After you have a good selection of photos, look through every single one with a critical eye. Discard those with obvious flaws or errors. Of the ones you keep, look for something unique in each photo. Is your baby wearing a huge, floppy hat? Is one eye closed and the other half-open as he sips from his bottle? Is he walking unsteadily toward the camera with a look of amazement and determination on his face? These are the photos from which to pick and choose. Keep in mind that your entry will be competing against hundreds of other entries, so it should be as individualistic as you can make it. Give the photo contest judges something to hang onto in their minds as they sift through all the baby contest entries. Should you have decided you’re going to enter your baby’s picture in several baby photo contests, your chances of winning cash for your baby increase when you choose “just the right photo.”
Does your baby have red-eye in that cute photo? Use the photo app on your computer and correct that, so his eyes shine through in all their beauty. If the lighting is a little dark, work with the photo app on your computer and adjust the lighting to make sure your baby’s gorgeous looks and personality shine through. For photos with too much light, adjust this on your computer, especially if the excess light washes your baby’s appearance out.
Oh, the Possibilities!
Don’t be afraid to go all-out on your baby’s photo. Think of a theme, such as southern glamour. If your baby is older, dress him up like Rhett Butler from “Gone With the Wind.” If you have a little girl, dress her like Scarlett O’Hara. Just capture your cute kid and his personality in an award-winning photo. A “theme” photo could be the winning entry in several baby photo contests.
Because your baby is such a little cutie, why not think about beauty pageants? You tell the people in your community that you are rightfully proud of your child – as well you should be. If he wins a few contests, you can bank the money into his college account. If he doesn’t win the biggest prize, you could still take home some valuable gifts, such as baby formula or diapers, both of which you’ll need for a few years. You may also be able to obtain a modeling contract for your baby. He can model toys, baby foods, clothing or diapers. Again, his winnings can be set aside for his college years. College isn’t getting any less expensive, and the sooner you start saving, the farther ahead you’ll be when he’s ready to apply to the colleges of his choice.
You’ve heard of the Gerber® baby. While the rumors made the rounds, saying the baby was Humphrey Bogart, in reality, the baby was a 5-month-old bright-eyed cutie named Anne Turner Cook. Her picture was drawn in charcoal and became the “face” of Gerber’s line of baby foods. Cook’s drawing won the first Gerber baby contest during the Depression. While Cook didn’t win a huge sum of money, the Gerber company trademarked her image, ensuring that her appearance at five months of age would be wrapped around every bottle of baby food through today – and that is an impressive accomplishment for one so young. Why not give your baby a similar chance? After entering his photo in a few baby photo contests, he may stand a chance at winning some prizes, all of which you, as his parent, can put to good use.
Winning Photo Contests (Money!)
Think, too, about the opportunities your baby’s photo could open up for him. For instance, winning this cute baby photo contest could open him up to baby modeling. He could win great prizes, which you can invest for his college years. As you think about the prizes, look at entering free contests or ones that charge an entry fee. If a baby photo contest charges a high entry fee, the sweepstakes parents can win should be larger so you can justify the entry fee.
Of course, when you enter your baby’s photos into a cute baby photo contest, your hope is to win money. Some contests pay money to the $2,500 winner. That’s a good chunk of change that you can put aside for your baby or use for his foreseeable needs. Other baby photo contests pay on a much higher scale. If you enter your baby’s cute photo in another photo contest $25,000 could be the grand prize winnings for the lucky entry. After you and he achieve this lofty goal, baby modeling agencies may be much more likely to begin working with him and using him in commercials and baby ads. Once he becomes a baby model, his earnings can be placed into a savings account or invested for his future use in college. After all, the earlier you begin his college fund, the better.
