How to DYI your Baby’s Milestone Photos

Hi Friends! Today I bring you an exciting blog! This is the first of many more personal blogs on “Momma topics”. This one is to give you some tips on how to DIY your baby’s milestone photos.

First of all, I find that simple and clean is best. The less the better. Keep it neutral, and clutter free. That way your sweet little baby is the center of attention of the photos. If you want to incorporate some color, do it with the clothing (but even here I suggest soft colors, remember, we want attention on baby not the clothes or surroundings). Plus, harsh colors like red, bright green, etc reflect on the skin and that won’t look pretty.

Setting up

Let me show you my simple set up:

I set up my baby’s matress near a window that gets the most natural light from outside. I then put a thick white sheet on it. My background curtains are white. If your curtains aren’t white here’s an inexpensive one you can use as a backdrop for your photos. The trick is that they’re not blackout, so you can get lots of light pouring through, but also not too sheer so you can’t see the window through them on the photos.

Props

You can use props! I do this but keep it very simple. I have milestone disks that indicate the months my baby is turning. I’ve also used a tiny bunny plush toy, flowers, and a blanket. You can be creative and use what you want, but I do recommend keeping it clean and simple so it doesn’t distract and feel cluttered.

Position

Preferably, you want baby to be front lit or backlit, because that way their facial features look soft and I find this is best for babies portraits (they are babies after all). However, you might only be able to set up with side light, and that’s ok. The photos with the iPhone I took to show you how it looks with iPhone, were side lit. Sometimes I am forced to set up with side lit light because the other room I use is too dark depending on the time of day or if it’s a cloudy day. Here are a few photos I took with an iPhone:

It was dark because it was very cloudy outside, but the fact that she is sorrounded with white means that all the light reflects on her and that helps a lot. Also, when you use strong colors, such as red, green, etc it reflects that color back into your subject’s face. So keep it light with the set up and baby’s clothes!

Here’s an example of side lit vs front lit: (front lit has even light and softer features).

Time of Day

As I mentioned before, time of day matters. Because light is your best friend here! pick the largest window in your house that has the most light coming in, then watch that window throughout the day and note what time of the day the most light comes in. You’ll aim to take the photos at that time each month. Also, if your baby’s month anniversary is on a very cloudy or rainy day, wait until the next day! Baby won’t look any different and your photos will look so much better.

Here’s a few examples of photos taken the same day, at different times. The one to left was taken in the morning when it was cloudy (side lit), the one to the right was taken later in the day when the sun peeked a little (front lit):

Composition Matters

Composition is one of those things that can make a huge difference in a photo. Here’s an awesome article about portrait composition. The main thing you should keep in mind is: try not to cut any limbs, it’s better to have more space on top than on the bottom, use the rule of thirds, take different angles. It’s ok if you brake some rules, it’s hard not to when you have a little worm and a split second to get the ‘shot’, but try your best.

Post Processing

Finally, you’ve got your photos, well lit, nice compositions. But they are a bit flat and boring in color, please, do not add an instagram filter. Download Lightroom on your phone, play around with the settings. I usually up the exposure, add contrast, lower the highlights, softer the shadows when necessary. It also has some decent filters for free, or you can even buy one you love for a low cost.

Lastly

Milestone photos are so heart warming, you get to see and compare how much your baby has grown. And they are excellent to use on your baby book. I highly recommend that you hire a professional photographer for the most important milestones: first born, 6 months mark, One Year, and so on. Because those will be the ones you get to hang on you walls, and most importantly, you and your family get to be on them, and you SHOULD be on them. Future you will thank you.

And there you have it! Beautiful at home milestone photos for your baby! If you do them yourself with some of this tips, please tag me, I’d love to see your awesome baby photos! And if you have any tricks and tips, comment below 🙂

Here’s a link to my last blog post.