You can accelerate your chances of winning an online child & baby photo contest by paying attention to details and realizing that the winning "mind-set" begins before the photograph is even taken. The advice and tips below were compiled from judges, contest rules and experienced parents. One of the most important things to remember is that by following these tips the entire experience should be fun and rewarding.

Contest Tips:

1. Read the fine print of the contest rules. A good idea is to check the contests website to look at the gallery of past winners. That will give you a good idea of what types of photos the judges seem to prefer for that particular contest.

2. Never use makeup on your child/baby. Natural is always better! Keep baby very natural in the photo. There's no need to dress your little girl in big elaborate dresses and hair bows. This only takes away from your babys personality. In order to win a baby photo contest you need to make your photo stand out. By no means does your baby have to look perfect but it helps if baby has clear skin, bright eyes and a happy disposition. Another thing that seems to come up often is uniqueness. Many companies tend to choose babys who look different or stand out in the crowd. The more exotic your baby looks, the better. That doesn't mean that your all american blonde haired blue eyed child won't be accepted. These conventional looks can get your child very far too!

3. Only submit quality photos. Grainy, poorly done photos never win. There really is a trick to taking winning online baby photos. Just because you have a beautiful baby, doesn't mean that anyone else will see that if the photo is of poor quality. The key to winning is a cute baby AND a nice, high quality photograph. Some contest judges are quick to identify those photos that are posed and just as quick to pass over them. Instead of spending time trying to get the perfect pose, keep a camera nearby so that you are able to take advantages of those spur-of-the-moment, one-of-a-kind photo opportunities.

4. Composition of the photo is also of primary importance. The baby is the focus of the contest and should be the only person is the photo. Also, since the judges want to see how adorable your baby is, they really need to be able to see the face. Avoid big hats, sunglasses or profile photos, instead take photos of the baby facing directly into the camera. The baby should take up most of the space in the photo. In other words use the zoom to close in on the babys face and avoid having too much background. A little background can add flair and interest, but too much can be overwhelming.

5. Is the contest being held close to or in conjunction with a holiday? If so, consider incorporating the holiday into the photo. For example, pumpkins near Halloween, bunnies near Easter, elves or reindeer near X-Mas etc...This could give you the winning edge, especially if you can take a "spontaneous" pose.

6. Check your digital camera directions to learn how to set your camera to the highest quality settings. Also visit the website of your cameras' manufacturer for photo-taking tips. The worst thing you can do is to submit a grainy photo or one where the baby's eyes are red.

Following these few simple guidelines will definitely increase your chances of winning online baby photo contests. It will also take some of the stress out of the process, make it more fun and hopefully even rewarding.

To read more go to: http://www.onlinebabyphotocontest.com