Sweet Shot: Retro Mercedes, plus some sweet stuff from Kodak

Another sweet shot from the Allure of the Automobile exhibit at the High Museum:

For more Sweet Shots, visit Life with My 3 Boybarians!

If you’ve got a baby, here’s something sweet from Kodak that you won’t want to miss: free photo birth announcements, plus a special promotion for My Home Sweet Home readers: Buy 2 Photo Magnets at KODAK Gallery and get a third free (Code is 3MAGNETS).

To celebrate the fact that Kodak Gallery is now offering free Photo Birth Announcements to new parents around the country, Kodak is launching “KODAK Moment of the Month” Baby Photo Contest. From May 12 – 28, 2010, parents (or grandparents, friends and family) can share their most precious baby photo for a chance to win $10,000 and a prize pack from KODAK and KODAK Gallery – including a photo shoot with famous baby photographer Amy Postle. The photo of the winning baby may also be featured on the KODAK Gallery website and Kodak billboard in New York City’s Times Square.

FREE PHOTO BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS: KODAK Gallery is now offering parents everywhere up to twenty (20) free Photo Birth Announcements. From whimsical to classic, Gallery’s free Photo Birth Announcements come in a variety of styles with designs to suit everyone’s taste. To take advantage of this offer, parents can visit www.kodakgallery.com and choose one of the specified announcements.

BABY PHOTO CONTEST: To celebrate the offer above, KODAK Gallery has also launched a Baby Photo Contest. For those interested in entering the contest, just follow these easy steps:

Take a creative, well-composed and well-lit photo of your baby.
Visit www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/babies-the-movie.jsp and upload the photo.
Verify your baby was under two-years-old at the time the photo was taken.
Submit only one photo per entry.

Photos will be judged on adherence to theme, creativity, composition, lighting and focus. KODAK Gallery will narrow the entries down to nine finalists, and a first/second/third place winner, which will be announced on June 18, 2010.

Please see below for contest rules and prize details. Also, visit KODAK Gallery’s tips and products pages for additional ideas for sharing baby photos, including creating photo products such as: Photo Books and Photo Mugs.

Tips for Taking Great Baby Photos:

You can visit Kodak.com for baby photography tips from famous photographer Amy Postle, which include:

Shoot from your perspective: Document your interactions with your baby. Try including your arms in the photo as you interact with your child. If you’re giving them a bath, shoot from the angle you are really at in that moment. Capture things as realistically as possible and from the angle that only a parent sees.
Try and new perspective: Get down to your baby’s eye level and see the world through their eyes. Sit on the ground, or lay down if you need to. Physically moving to their level will give you a new and unique perspective. Move around and experiment with cropping. Make sure to come in close and observe the little things in those moments too- their hands, feet, smile, etc. Play around with the perspective and you’ll find some amazing little moments to capture that you would have otherwise missed standing up!
Shoot in black and white: Black and white strips away the “noise” of everyday life and brings focus to the child and the moment. It is classic, timeless, and always beautiful. Plus, if you are photographing your baby indoors, it will help you avoid the normal color shifts that occur on film when shot without a flash under standard household bulbs.
Keep it simple: Choose solid colors, or simply patterned clothing so that the focus is on your baby and not on what they are wearing. Remove things from the frame that have logos or emblems or any other visual distractions. The more simple you keep the photograph, the more your baby will be the focus.

First Prize:

$10,000 check—can be used for your child’s college fund
Professional Baby/Family photo shoot by Professional Photographer Amy Postle (approximate value, $5,000)
KODAK EASYSHARE M530 Digital Camera ($129.95)
KODAK PULSE Digital Frame ($129.95)
KODAK Zi8 Pocket Video Camera ($199.95)
$250 Gift Card to KODAK Gallery

Second/Third Prize:

KODAK EASYSHARE M530 Digital Camera ($129.95)
KODAK PULSE Digital Frame ($129.95)
KODAK Zi8 Pocket Video Camera ($199.95)
$250 Gift Card to KODAK Gallery

Finalist Prize (9 total):

KODAK EASYSHARE M530 Digital Camera ($129.95)
$250 Gift Card to KODAK Gallery

Contest Rules:

U.S. residents only
Baby in photograph is under 2-years-old
No purchase or payment of any kind necessary to enter or win. Purchase will not increase your chance of winning.
The prizes are non-transferable, and may not be substituted or redeemed for cash.
There is a limit of one prize per person.
Gift cards are subject to the terms and conditions set by issuer.
Photo shoot dates and times are at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

For additional contest information, including full contest rules, visit www.kodakgallery.com.