Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Baby Photo Prop Ideas



I have been taking pictures non-stop since my husband gave me a professional camera for my birthday/mother’s day/anniversary/push present (ha!) this year. It’s become a hobby of mine and Isla is always my subject. I love taking pictures of all of her facial expressions and capturing the moment. I have really enjoyed going back and looking through her changing expressions and growing little body.

We used to have a photo shoot every morning when she woke up. That’s when she is the happiest and also when we would have the best lighting in our bedroom. Since I’m back at work and it’s now dark when we wake up, we only take pictures on the weekends. I’ve had so much fun using props, positioning Isla and thinking about ways to capture her growth.

Our first prop and the one we have continued to use on a monthly basis to track her growth was the picture frame. We used this frame in the photo booth at our wedding and it was such a hit. After the wedding, I wasn’t sure what I would do with it, but once Isla came along, it had a new purpose. She has been growing so fast that she will soon be overlapping the frame! I love looking back at the first few weeks and seeing what a difference it is from now to then. 


Another thing we used was a wrap that we used for her newborn pictures. We've wrapped her in this same cloth for several months and seen how much her tiny (and chubby) body is changing.

I’ve seen a lot of other cute ideas to track monthly growth on Pinterest such as, putting your baby in a clothes basket, laying your baby beside the same stuffed animal, the month stickers that can easily be stuck on any onesie, and many more. We didn’t plan on doing the frame, but after our newborn photos I fell in love with it and decided to keep doing it. 


Another one of our first props was an old bucket we were using in the house to stack magazines in. Isla fit down in it perfectly with some nice plush cushioning from a blanket. This isn’t one we can keep using as she has already grown out of it, but she loves sitting down inside baskets or anything that gives her extra support. I can tell when I prop her up to a sitting position, she knows she is doing something special and I can see the delight in her facial expressions. 

We’ve since taken her pictures in a hamper basket, picnic basket and a decorative basket. She looks so cute with her little head peaking out. 

Once she’s sitting up more on her own, I want to take her picture sitting down in a hat box we used for cards at our wedding. I plan to put one of my big floppy hats on her and sit her in the round hat box. I know there will be a lot more options once she is sitting on her own.

Another idea is to use vintage items or heirlooms. We have a stool passed down from my great grandmother and we used this in a couple newborn photos. We also have several exquisite quilts my grandma made for me and I’ve used these as a backdrop. It’s special too because my grandmother loves to see pictures of Isla on the quilts she worked so hard to make. It warms her heart to know these items will continue to get passed down and cherished.

I also love to use books. Isla loves for me to read to her and she loves looking at all of the colors on the pages of the books. I love laying her next to a book and watching her as she makes curious faces. It makes such cute pictures. 

All of the props I have used have been things we already had lying around the house. I love that they all have a double purpose and now when I look over at the basket holding our blankets or my grandmother’s blanket, I think of Isla. I see her in everything around the house.




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