1.   Plan as much as you can ahead of time- scout out some good locations, think of the poses, lighting and composition that you want for your photos.

2.   Scratch all of those plans because the baby doesn't care! You're working on her schedule.

3.   Be flexible; improvisation is the name of the game.

4.   Consider investing in a good set of knee and elbow pads . . . see #5 for more details.

5.   In the words of Flow Rider- Get low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low . . . in order to get a compelling image, you've got to get down to the baby's level. As adults, we're used to seeing the world from 5 to 6 feet off the ground (sorry if I left anyone out); when you allow yourself to see things from the baby's perspective, it's as though you're stepping into their little world.

6.   Bring an assistant along. Working on the baby's schedule means that you must be attentive to her needs and ready to go where she wants, when she wants, in order to keep her happy and smiling. In doing so, you don't want to forget your bag full of expensive gear on the Santa Monica Pier, then run around in a panic for 10 minutes trying to find it.

Those are the key learnings that I took away from doing Audrey's 1 year baby photos this past Tuesday. It was a blast. Mom, dad and baby were a joy to photograph. Here are some of my favorites from the day . . .