Welcome to our Parent Tips!

Because you have questions and we have answers!

 Check out our articles in the following categories…

Hiring an APNPI Certified Newborn Photographer

Hiring an APNPI Certified Newborn Photographer

Enjoy peace of mind knowing you are placing your baby in the hands of a Safety Educated APNPI Photographer.

Our directory listings will connect you with APNPI Newborn Photographers.  Each listing identifies the skill level of the photographer, so you will know what you can expect from them and from your session.

Each photographer listed has been Safety Educated in the unique needs of infants.

Currently the APNPI has three main levels of certification that comes after the Safety Education.  All members are Safety Educated and have attained their QNP before they can market themselves as APNPI members.  The three levels are as follows:

Qualified Newborn Photographer (QNP) – this certificate demonstrates proficiency as a photographer skilled in lighting, camera functions, artistic composition, and working with a range of family scenarios including multiples, siblings, and family portraiture.  You can expect that a QNP photographer is either well established in business practices, or emerging in that area, have successfully passed an extensive business portfolio review, and are striving toward, or have completed levels of Accreditation.  They are capable of taking on a wide range of photography challenges, and have demonstrated competence and proficiency in producing a well rounded and satisfactory gallery for any given client.  This certificate is an excellent indicator that separates a skilled professional from the hobbyist.

Accreditations: At the accreditation level, photographers are now taking their art to a higher level with the fine tuning and honing of their specialties within their field.  They must achieve a minimum standard in order to earn their accreditation in specific accreditation categories.  Hiring an APNPI Accredited Photographer will give you peace of mind that you are hiring an educated, experienced and professional photographer competent in both their craft and in business.

Masters Designations: The Masters Designations level indicates a newborn photographer who has achieved outstanding results in photography and business, and is now starting to give back to the community in various leadership and mentorship roles.  Hiring a photographer of this level is nothing short of a real treat.

Being your family’s journalist

Being your family’s journalist

Written by: Amy Tripple and Heidi Peters

Being your family’s journalist

I’ve always believed that one of the biggest privileges of owning a decent camera is the opportunity to capture my children’s lives. In fact, a number of years ago I deemed myself the “Family Journalist” and began to look for opportunities to capture the life of our little clan. Of course, I’m always sure to document the big events and special occasions, but deep down I think the most important part of my self-prescribed role is the way I can document the “everyday” beauty of our family’s existence.

It’s easy to lose motivation in this role, however, because the everyday is just that: every day. Often, we’re uninspired by the things that are constantly around us: another day eating breakfast at the kitchen counter, squirming through homework after school, playing in the sprinkler on hot summer days, brushing teeth and getting ready for bed… and yet…

As a mom of a ten, nine, and six year old, I can now say with 100% certainty that those seemingly endless days of footie pajamas, baby food in the high chair, preschool pick-up, and evening tubbies do, in fact, have an end. I can also guarantee that you’ll be grateful for every single photo you took of those everyday events.

When I’m having a hard time finding motivation to fill my role of “Family Journalist”, I find that there are a few things that help get me back on track:

Change it up

Sometimes, I switch my focus from the kids to their things. Your children’s special things (their lovies, rooms, craft sets, collections, etc…) are important to them and represent a part of their childhood. Pictures of these everyday objects will evoke warm feelings for them years from now… it’s an amazing gift to give each of them!

Change perspective

If you tend to shoot from eye level, try capturing things from an aerial view. If you like to shoot close-up, step back and tell the story from a more epic perspective. You’ll enjoy the shift and you might just find the challenge motivating.

Pull out old pictures

When all else fails, it’s time to excavate some pictures from the past. Take time to revel in the changes your children have made in the short time between now and then. It’s a powerful reminder that our everyday moments grow exponentially in value as the years go by… and there’s no better motivation than that!

Amy Tripple and Heidi Peters are award-winning photographers. Their work has appeared in Parents Magazine, US Weekly, People, The Chicago Tribune and Professional Photographer Magazine. They created Shoot Along to give themselves structure and accountability to capture their own families and decided it would be a great concept to share with other parents.

What began as a personal project has grown into a friendly and rewarding passion, offering support and instruction to parents on six continents. The goal of Shoot Along is to give parents the tools they need to document their families through photography.

Over 3,500 parents have taken part in Shoot Along since it started in 2014.

For more exciting information about Shoot Along, visit www.ShootAlong.com