studio photos

We're taking the boys for their first (yes, first - bad mommy I KNOW!) real photo session at a studio in 2 weeks. they'll be 6 months old. Anyone have any tips for making sure we get some good shots? it's important b/c these pics will be the boys' xmas gifts to family members.

TIA!

 

We took our girls once a month for the first year so I can tell you I have a little bit of experience. :wacko: Make sure they are well napped and well fed. I used to bring a toy or two that would make them smile/laugh so I could help the photographer get them smiling (if they let you). Also, I never expected too much. When we would go and I would hope for the "perfect shot" that's when things would turn into a disaster. I swear they felt my anxiety. Just let things be how they are going to be and hope for the best!!

You are NOT a bad mommy for just doing it now.

 

We just went on Tuesday. Disaster! The boys actually weren't that bad. They were fed an hour before and slept for 30 minutes or so too right before we arrived. There just was no chemistry with the photographer at Penney's and they refused to even crack a smile. She also wasn't very in tune to what 4 month old children can do. I ended up walking out without buying anything. My solution: Walmart.com. I uploaded pictures I took myself--all taken randomly during their happiest times. You can crop the pictures, take out red-eye, add enhancements, change to black and white, etc. You can put the pictures on everything from mousepads to playing cards to ornaments and get prints of any size for super cheap! I wonder when my endorsement deal with walmart will come through?!?!

 

I took the boys at 3 months for their first picture and it was so much of a disaster--we left. My solution-get the first appointment of the day and then you dont have to wait for all the other kids "that wont cooperate."

 

I remember it being pretty easy to get a good shot with my oldest....but getting two to cooperate at the same time is hard! My oldest loves that crazy rainbow duster thing kiddie kandids has....gets a smile every time. good luck!

Reyna

 

I took pictures for my friend with her baby and I'm not a photographer. I just put a white sheet over the couch and had the baby in a diaper or with balloons around him, and put one of those baby robes on with a rubber ducky in the picture. For another girl I put the baby on a blanket on the floor and took the picture with me lying on the floor looking at her. At the Kodak booth just cut and added a baby border to it and in black and white.

Right now i'm thinking I'd like pics of the babies with their grandparents. I'm asking them to wear white shirts with no pattern on it so that way the shirts don't stand out. I also might have a picture of the girls with their aunt, uncle and dad so they have a picture from that side of the family too. Lastly it will be me and my husband with the girls.

Heather

 

Depending on where you're going, I would take your own props -- one of the best pics we got was of my older DD at her first Christmas, when she was almost 11 months old.....we had the Radio Flyer push wagon, and we stood her up pushing that, and put some wrapped presents in it -- it came out SO cute, and we used it for our Christmas cards that year.

Think about whether you want the boys sitting, lying down, on their stomachs, etc. -- and then convey that to the photographer....

And, if you have any toys or items that make them smile or laugh, by all means take them!

I also agree with getting the first appointment if you can -- around Christmas, the waits at photo studios can be lengthy (even if you have an appt, they're always running behind), which makes for cranky babies.

 

if you are a bad mommy, so am i! I didnt' take my girls until 6 months either. Honestly, I'm glad because it was a lot of work, expensive and wasted a whole sunday! Of course the pictures are beautiful but i think my snapshots are just as good!

Anyways, do it when the babies are happiest. For us that's morning time. Dont' try to do too many outfits, just stick to one or two great ones. Think about your poses you want before you go and be very direct with photographer.

Good luck.

 

Umm..yea...I just had my boys' picture taken by a photographer who came to their daycare. Otherwise, I just take pictures at home. So...you're definitely not a bad mom, and if you are, then I'm a terrible mother.

The pictures came out really cute but they had all the daycare workers to help though.

 

We had ours done at 6 months (first time, too), and we're going again at 12 months. I would suggest not even worrying about an outfit change. It seemed like a good idea, so we'd have a cute matchy outfit for shots together and something different for individual shots, but I don't think it was worth it. They're already in a strange place with a strange person trying to get them to smile (which they absolutely refused by the way), and then we take them out of their perfectly good outfits and put different ones on them, and you could just sense them asking us what the heck was going on!? The best picture is both of them looking just slightly to the right with very confused looks on their faces...it's actually really cute, but we know they were looking there because that's where I was standing and they looked confused because the whole experience is really confusing to a 6 month old!

Ditto the first appointment if you can. I think we had the third appointment, and they were already 45 minutes behind. Seriously.

Despite all of it, it was very worth it and I don't regret doing it. Even if it doesn't go perfectly, I'm sure you'll get some great shots.

 

LOL - ok, thanks for all the tips, ladies. I think I need to put my "calm & patient" hat on that day, lower my expectations, and hope for the best!!!

 

If you have a Kiddie Kandids in your area, the photographers are really good with the babies. They are a LITTLE pricy, but I think it's worth it. They give you a total of 6 poses so you can get some together and some individuals. I've gone there twice so far...once at 1 month, and once at 6 months. We'll probably go back around xmas time!

 

My thoughts on pictures, and I'll even tell the photographer this when I go ... as long as no one is crying take the picture. The more they mess with my girls to smile, the more aggrivated they get. 20 minutes in, and we're still waving the feather duster around and playing peek-a-boo and we're bored. If you catch a smile, fantastic. We've gotten some of the sweetest pictures that way.