Taking Photo's of you Little One - Flag Day Contest

Flag Day Photo Contest

So this week Sephira is in a photo contest. So I figured I would do a blog post on how to get an adorable photo of your LO. There are a few things you should always have handy for taking cute photos. Number one is a backdrop. For this, I usually use 1-2 yards faux fur fabric. This is great for laying your little one on. Don't worry about getting outside objects or backgrounds in the photo since they can always be cropped out. For the colors of the fur make sure you have black, white and cream always on had. These colors go with everything and you won't feel like you have to purchase a different color for each shoot. Another item that helps make positioning your little one easier especially for ones who can set up yet is a basket of some kind.  Again have a neutral color and/or print like chevron is great for most of your photo. With the fur, you can just lay it on a couch, bed, pillows, co-sleeper, or floor. You can also place it in the basket with the fur sticking out. Again this helps prop up little ones that can't quite sit up on their own. If you just want to use the basket and no fur you can try a towel, face cloths or cloth diapers to help prop your baby up. 

Use a Chevron basket to prop up your little one.

Something that also makes picture taking fun is props. These could be anything from holiday decorations to baby toys/stuffed animals. One thing to keep in mind with props is if you're not using these props outside of your pictures they can pile up. So using fresh flowers can cut down on the hoarding of props.

Now to my favorite part, dressing your baby. For newborn pictures having some cute bows is always a must. Again always have bows or bow ties in neutral colors black, white and cream. If you know that you are going to be taking lots of pictures red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple are great to have in hand. When purchasing bows I always try to get head wraps. They can be a bit more pricey but they will grow with your baby. This way you are getting good quality and more pictures out of them. I purchase my head wraps from HelloMissGorgeous on Esty. They are great quality and they ship fast. 

Black Headwrap from HelloMissGorgous

If you're like me and love cute outfits then here are some of my favorite sellers on Esty that sell the sweetest outfits and accessories for photo shoots BBOWSBOUTIQUE, HelloMissGorgous, SofiaandBelle, NordeensBabyCouture, BabySquishyCheeks, BowtifulSoul, CandyFacesShop, and Katescouturedesign. If you are looking for cheaper more generic options then Amazon Prime always has options for not just clothes and accessories, but also baby photo props like faux fur, wrap blankets and cute accessories. Though I get my fur from Distinctivefabric.com. 

Onesie From BabySquishyCheeks and Shorts from CandyFacesShop

Headwrap from HelloMissGorgous

Headwrap from HelloMissGorgous and Fur from Distinctivefabric.com

For editing photo's there are 3 apps that I like to use. PS Express (free), FotoRus (Free with in app purchases) and Union ($1.99). Union has to be my favorite because you can have a photo of your LO and completely remove the background and replace it with whatever you want. PS Express is good for erasing minor blemishes. FotoRus is also good for blemishes and has some other crazy options to add makeup to your face. This is one of those in app purchases though.

If you like this post and I gave you a few ideas for photographing your LO then please share this with other moms. Also Please go to the link and like my Little Girl's photo on the Brady Sullivan Facebook Page so we can win! Thanks so much for reading!

Link to photo: Flag Day Contest

St Patrick's Day Milk Bath

Happy Saint Patrick's day everyone! I love doing mini photo shoots with my little one for a holiday or milestone. I always find amazing baby pictures on Pinterest done by professional photographers. Though you are never going to get the same results that you would with a professional sometimes availability or money can be an issue. So this is an easy and affordable option.

Here is what you'll need;
🍀 3 cans of coconut milk ( I'm using a Whole Food Brand Canned Coconut Milk)
🍀 A whisk
🍀 2 different types of Shamrocks alive and plastic. I was lucky to find both, my Whole Foods always carries live flowers or plants for the current month/holiday. I also found plastic hydrangeas is 3 different shades of green at Hobby Lobby. So when I added the fake flowers they sank to the bottom pretty quickly so I would recommend you still get them and add a few before each picture you take. This way some will still get in the picture. Also, the shamrocks that worked the best we the small ones that were real. Make sure you cut the entire stem off of the real shamrocks so they do not show in the picture.
🍀 Green Baby Photo Prop Wrap
🍀 Chair for your baby
🍀 Your Baby (Sorry no link for this one)
🍀 Green or Gold Hair Bow or Bow Tie (I found one from one of my favorite Etsy sellers NordeensBabyCouture)

Start by Precutting all you real or plastic shamrocks and place them in individual bowls. I also took down my shower curtain and put one of my lamps in the bathroom for extra light.

I then filled the bathtub halfway with warm water around 97 degrees (I have a food thermometer I use to check the temp). Add your 3 cans of coconut milk 1 at a time. After adding each one, take your whisk and whisk the water and coconut milk until there are no chunks left. Then fill the rest of the tub while whisking the water. When you are done filling the tub there should be about 3 inches of water.

Place you baby in the tub with their bow on and draped in their prop wrap. I add the flowers after the baby is in the water so I know where I want them and where I need more or less. Then just click away.

I make funny faces and sounds to get her to laugh and smile for the pictures. Also, have a flower or shamrock for baby to keep them engaged. Don't worry about getting the tub sides in the shot we are just going to crop them out in the end. Throughout the shoot, I add more flowers or move them around to get different pictures.

Make sure you never walk away from your baby once they are in the bath. So make your you have everything you need in the bathroom before you start or you have an "assistant" to help you out if you have forgotten something.

I hope you get some fabulous pictures of your baby and remember you can do this for any holiday/milestone with all different kinds of props or flowers.

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