Babies and toddlers make challenging subjects for photos. After all, they don’t necessarily smile when you want them to, or look at the camera, and they’ve been known to wiggle right out of a shot. Here are some things you can do to get better baby shots.

“Get into your child’s environment,” urges Bob Watts, owner of Enterprise Photo, a professional photography business in Kimberly, Idaho. If your baby is playing on the floor in the living room, you (the photographer) should get down there, too. “You don’t want to be standing up, shooting from above,” says Watts. Your baby will think, “What’s Mommy or Daddy doing now?” That may yield a confused or fearful expression.

Respect your baby’s personality. Don’t expect a baby to turn into a ham just because you have a camera in hand. “You want to capture your baby’s personality so that later you’ll say, ‘I recognize that look or that attitude,’ ” Watts says. If your child is shy, you might want to click the shutter when his chin is down a bit. If your baby is a spark plug, you want to capture those bright eyes and big smile.

Recruit an assistant. Have your spouse, a sibling, friend, aunt, or uncle play with your baby while you wield the camera. “You’ll get a more natural shot if your baby is doing something rather than simply looking at you,” Watts says.

Use the power of persuasion. When you want your baby to look at the camera (while playing with a toy, for example), “say, ‘Show that toy to me,’ or ‘Show it to Mommy,’ ” Watts suggests. But don’t hold the toy yourself because babies tend to reach for whatever you have. “You’ll get hands in the picture,” Watts says.

Schedule picture time when your baby is happiest. That could be right after meals rather than immediately after a nap.

Keep a camera handy for spontaneous moments. In addition to a digital camera, you might also have several disposable cameras strategically located around the house--on the mantel, on top of your refrigerator, and in your bedroom, for those impromptu shots.

Practice, practice, practice. If you aren’t a veteran photographer, take lots of pictures until using the camera becomes second nature. “That way, when you get that magic moment, you’re not fumbling around, trying to figure out how to turn the camera on,” Watts says.

Engage toddlers and older children in make-believe. If you’re trying to get a shot of them in their Halloween costumes, initiate a game of trick-or-treat in which you ring the doorbell and have them hold out their candy sacks. “And have them say their names instead of cheese,” says Watts. “I don’t know why it works, but right after children say their names, they usually smile.”