Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Santa, baby!

Pinterest, you've done it again. I came across the most adorable pin of a baby wrapped in Christmas lights. Being the photog mom that I am, I knew I would have to try it!!
Pinterest Inspiration

It was super easy and a lot of fun. Here are a few tips in case you want to give this shot a whirl.

1. This is a two person job. You need one person to hold the camera, and the other to make sure your precious baby isn't getting electrocuted. Lights in the mouth=BAD!

2. Depending on the look you are going for (I wanted to be able to see some of the tree)...you don't need to do this in the dark. You can adjust your shot in post production to make it darker, anyways. I recommend doing the shoot during "magic hour" light, which for this time of year is around 5 pm. Try to avoid using your flash. Work with the natural light coming through your window.

3. I only wrapped little mans waist and one of his shoulders (Prince William sash style, lol), otherwise they can get tangled around easily around their arms. Hot mess!

4. I took the shot before we decorated the tree, which kept the focus of the lights on him. But, a decorated tree would be cute, too. 

5. If you are shooting in RAW, adjust your white balance for auto, it allows really soft, ambient light.

6. Your little one will be so busy playing with their new toy that you'll be able to catch them in some really sweet candid moments, so don't worry about having to distract them. After all, you want to capture them in their moment of wonder!

7. Put your camera down, even if just for a second...and just watch. This is a moment you'll cherish forever!

Here's the light of my life...


Have fun and Merry Christmas!!!

4 comments:

  1. So cute! I have one more thing to add: be careful with the lights, sometimes they heat up fast. Wouldn't want to burn the little one!

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  2. I've done a couple of these with kids of a different age. I posted mine on my 52 Weeks of Pinterest blog if you want to check them out... 52WeeksofPinterest.blogspot.com. I love the shots you got!

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  3. Thanks for the great idea. I tried to recreate it but I have LED lights which are just way too bright and my poor baby girl was scared to death! I just some pretty cute screaming shots though!

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  4. The photos are great! May I have permission to use the last as reference photo for a watercolour project?

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