I like to think of myself as a planner, but my husband describes me as "whimsical." My recent whim? "Aria needs to take Valentine's Day pictures!
So I stole my younger brother's camera to take some photos. Things you need for a on the fly photo shoot:
- A clean backdrop: I threw a white throw blanket over the bed and propped up some pillows underneath.
- A good light source: Natural light leads to great looking photos. Turn off the flash if it's bright enough in the room you're using. If you do choose to use flash, take a small piece of white paper and hold it in front of the flash to diffuse the light. It will give your picture a softer appearance.
- Props!: Even though Aria was dressed in hearts, I wanted the images to read more "Valentine's Day" so I cut out hearts and flower petals from pink construction paper to toss around the bed.
- Keep Out of Reach of Children: Make sure any props you choose are just out of reach of your little one. I learned that the hard way...
- Take lots of pictures!: Keep clicking. Move around. Change positions. Try to get interesting angles. Imagine that your baby is in a bubble and take pictures all around it. This way, you'll have lots of options to choose from.
- Smile: Grab dad, grandma, or the cat as your assistant to help keep baby smiling!
- Retouching: I use Adobe Photoshop or Bridge to brighten Aria's photos and manage the temperate (overall coolness/warmness) Sometimes I take out scars and boogers but never anything more than that!
- Crop: Be aware of what objects are in your shot. Sometimes you don't want the lamp or toys or the remote in the frame. Keep it simple, not distracting.
Here are my favorite shots from our Valentine's Day shoot!
