DIY Baby Photography: Christmas Card

For these photos I used my Sony Nex-6 and Sony 35mm f/1.8 Prime Fixed Lens

Let’s be honest, there is nothing better than having a professional photographer come and snap perfectly framed shots of your family, but time and budget doesn’t always allow for this. I’m in no way a professional photographer (or anywhere close) but I do like to take A LOT of photos of my little girl. These are all my DIY attempts to capture the small details of the first years, so my advice is coming from a very DIY – make it work – perspective.

Instead of an ambitious family shot (because who has time for that), I decided that Lottie would be the star of the Christmas card this year. I took her into my bedroom and started snapping photos when the light was just right outside

This is what I ended up with!

 

Supplies

• 1 red tutu
• 1 Santa hat – I didn’t have a baby size one, so I just used an adult size one and molded it to her head

You can’t get any simpler than this.

Editing

iPhoto (I know…fancy!)

Here are some outtakes that made me laugh

One shows off her flexibility and her love of eating her toes, one she is sticking her tongue out at me, the others she looks a little unsure of this whole red tutu, Santa thing.

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I laid her on my bed, using the white sheets as a background and let her have fun with the tutu. She was eating it, playing with her feet moving every which way, and I just kept taking photos.

Tips for taking your DIY Christmas Card with Baby

1. Dont be overambitious, have an idea of the shot you want to get before you start shooting. Babies don’t last long when it comes to photo sessions, so the sooner you can get the shot the happier your baby will be.

2. To get your babies eyes open, position the camera a bit above your babies head so when you say their name they have to look up which will capture their eyes open.

3. Be aware of what is in your background, I say the less the better. Especially when you are taking photos in your own home there tends to be a lot of clutter in the background, so make sure you clear it out before you start.

4. Turn your flash off. Flash usually does more harm to photos than good, I rarely (almost never) turn my flash on.