Parents Magazine Offers Photography Tips to Moms and Dads Entering Pictures of Children in Cutest Baby Photo Contest

Amateur photography contest on Parents.com seeks pictures of babies 3-24 months old and pictures of kids 2-6 years for entry into Parents Magazine's annual cover contest. Two winners will be featured on the magazine's November 2009 dual cover.

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 29, 2009 -- Parents magazine is offering photography tips to hopeful moms and dads who are entering pictures of their chidren in the annual Parents.com cutest baby photo contest. The editors of Parents are holding the amateur photography contest to find the cutest pictures of babies 3-24 months old and pictures of kids 2-6 years old. Two winners will appear on special dual covers for the magazine's November 2009 issue.

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"I'm really impressed with all the pictures so far! But I'm even more blown away by all the cute kids. I'm so excited to find out who the winners will be!"
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Sharon Elcock, Sittings Editor at Parents, shared 10 photography tips for moms and dads entering pictures of children in this year's cutest baby photo contest:
1. Take photos with a really simple, but pretty background. You can keep the dirty dishes in your kitchen sink a secret! Instead, go for natural scenery in front of lush greenery or pretty flowers.
2. Pictures with food on the face are cute for Grandma's refrigerator - but not so much for the judges.
3. Try to capture your child in a care-free, happy moment. Photos that are too posed usually don't show your child's true energy and personality.
4. Try not to submit extreme close-ups please! It makes it hard to see the whole child.
5. Be honest with yourself about your child's temperament. Does he truly enjoy taking pictures or does he burst into tears the moment you point the camera at him? If he doesn't enjoy posing, get shots while he's engaged in an activity.
6. Avoid taking photos of your child with hats on, or with a towel draped over their head - we'd prefer to see the kid hiding under the towel!
7. Try taking pictures using interesting, fun angles.
8. We like happy photos! Leave the cranky faces for family members.
9. Have your camera ready at all times so you don't miss the money shot!
10. Take tons of pictures! Don't edit yourself as you go along, Professionals take hundreds of pictures to get the keeper!

Elcock says, "I'm really impressed with all the pictures so far! But I'm even more blown away by all the cute kids. I'm so excited to find out who the winners will be!"

About the cutest baby photo contest:
The entry period for the 2009 Parents cover model contest began on April 1 and ends June 24, 2009. Visit http://www.parents.com/cover-kid and complete the registration form, then follow the links and instructions to upload up to 6 current photos of your child into one of the two contest age categories: (1) children between the ages of 3 and 24 months on the date of entry, and (2) children between the ages of 25 months and 6 years on the date of entry. Photos must be recent, taken by the entrant, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image formats and cannot exceed 3 MB.

By submitting a valid Contest entry, you will automatically be entered for a chance to win the Parents $10,000 Sweepstakes. Contest entry is not required to enter the Sweepstakes. To enter the Sweepstakes without entering the Contest, go to http://www.parents.com/cover-kid and follow the instructions for Sweepstakes entry.

To view the Official Rules of the Sweepstakes, click here.

Parents magazine judges will review all of the photo entries and choose 40 semifinalists, 20 from each age category, based on the criteria set forth in the Official Rules. From July 28 to September 3, visitors to the Parents Magazine Cover Contest website are invited to cast their vote for their favorite semifinalists. Voter recommendations will not be used as criteria in the judging of entries in any round.

Ten finalists, five from the two age categories, will be selected to fly to New York City for a professional photo shoot. Two winners from the photo shoot, one from each age category, will be chosen for the November 2009 cover. The winner of the $10,000 sweepstakes will be notified by mail on July 8.

The child of each of the Grand Prize winners will be featured on the special double cover of the November 2009 issue of Parents magazine. The winner in the 3-24 month age category will be featured on the front cover, and the winner in the 25 month-6 years age category will be featured on the second, inside cover. Each of the Grand Prize winners will also receive a Macy's First Impressions or Greendog outfit, approximate retail value $75.00 and a $500.00 gift card to Macy's. Gift cards are subject to issuer restrictions.

To enter the Parents magazine cover kid photo contest, upload up to six cute baby pictures before June 24, 2009. Enter either at Parents Magazine Cover Contest (3 mos - 2 yrs) or at Parents Magazine Cover Contest (2 - 6 yrs).