Every year I put tons of thought into my holiday card (see past photos here). I come up with a theme, I get props, I go all out. My friends have begun to expect, even anticipate what I’ll put out every year. So when one of my friends was telling me that she couldn’t have a fun holiday card because she could never get her girls to sit still for a photo I thought, “But why do they have to?”

My favorite photos of kids are always the ones where they have cake smashed on their face, where they’re playing on the swing set or holding out their sticky hands toward the camera. Kids are active and messy, so why do they have to sit still for a posed photo?

So I proposed a solution: let’s let the girls throw flour all over each other to capture the holiday spirit. The girls got really into it, and we all had a blast. And I think the result was pretty close to perfection.

Are you sending out a holiday card this year? What fun ideas do you have for family photos?

Cute holiday card ideas from The Bump

Photography is one of the things I’d love to be good at. Newborn photography is so precious and such a big thing right now. I love looking up “newborn photo props” on Etsy and seeing all the things people come up with. For some reason, my husband and I went the DIY route with newborn pictures. With two babies, it was definitely an adventure! Here are my tips — take it from someone who tried it herself with less than stellar results and learn something useful!

Baby’s age

They say it’s best when newborns are between five days and two weeks old. This is true. The reasons for this are that the babies tend to be very sleepy still, which works well, and they are also very ‘pliable.’ They will sleep right through your manipulations and not fight you on it. Our babies were a little over two weeks and there was always one awake. They also liked to fight us and each other.

Keep it simple

Focus on a few key poses and keep your expectations low! Many adorable newborn poses are actually Photoshopped — for example, the head in hands pose and some of the shots where babies hang from trees. Keep your baby safe and stick to what you can do yourself. Neutral backgrounds and minimal props will make things easiest (also during the editing phase). One “prop” I would recommend are the cheesecloth-type wraps used for swaddling, available in many different colors. We just used plain white Aden+Anais swaddle cloths, but it would’ve been nice to have some color in there.

Avoid naked shots

Unless you’re really proficient with photo editing software, you may want to avoid naked shots. Diapers leave wrinkly impressions on the skin, and leaving your baby (or in my case, babies!) naked can result in messes. It’s hard being mom, photographer and clean up crew all in one. I’d suggest leaving the diapers on and covering with some artful swathes of fabric.

Don’t go with the flow!

Plan out the poses you want to use, with some alternatives if your model is less than cooperative. Know exactly where you’d like to take the pictures, and even take some test shots beforehand, so you know what to expect. The area of the house I’d chosen had really poor light and cast a bunch of shadows. I wasted a lot of time by thinking I could wing it.

Keep the outtakes

With my twins we have so many outtakes, and it’s funny to look at them in sequence because they tell a story of my baby girl getting fed up and finally baby boy joining in the fuss. You’ll laugh at these later, so don’t worry about the photos that don’t turn out as you hoped.  That said, you’ll usually wind up with several shots that will work as mementos, even if you might not consider them canvas-worthy.

Did you take newborn photos? What advice do you have for other parents?

Obviously, you’re going to take a million pictures of baby right after she’s born — and probably even have a photographer do a newborn shoot. But what about having a professional snap away during labor and delivery? According to The New York Times, more and more parents-to-be are hiring photographers to capture their baby’s birth day — messed up hair, ugly delivery room and all.

The Times article explains that couples are less likely to be scared and grossed out at the thought of birth than in the past, and instead see it as a beautiful event (it is!). They book the photographer in advance, call them when the mom-to-be goes into labor and she shows up toward the end of labor (around six centimeters dilated, according to one photographer). The reward? Capturing an amazing moment that can never be reenacted. Awesome idea!

Would you or will you hire a photographer to photograph or film your baby’s birth?

Plus, more from The Bump:

The Most Incredible Birth Photos We’ve Ever Seen

Take Baby Photos Like a Pro

Maternity Photography Ideas

On family outings, my husband is the one who lugs around the paparazzi-style camera and bag with additional flashes, fancy lenses and other accoutrements. When I’m at the playground alone and have one eye following my 5-year-old who is scaling the slide backwards and the other on my two-year-old who is bound to get clocked in the head because he’s walking too close to the swings, all I have time for is a quick cell phone snapshot. I’ve actually been able to take some pretty good photos this way (like the ones in this post!). Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks to help you channel your inner Avedon:

Stop asking the kids to say, “cheese”
Not every photo has to be posed (and honestly, what kid can sit still long enough for a photo session?). Capture everyday moments and turn them into something unexpected. A cool wall texture, colorful mural, or dramatic lighting can provide a great setting for your photo. Don’t center your subject — moving slightly off-center will make for a more interesting composition. Not happy with how it turned out? Just delete and keep snapping.

Have fun in post-production
Most of us have probably sepia-toned our babies with Instagram by now, but there are other easy-to-use apps that allow you to manipulate and apply filters to your cell phone pics. Snapseed ($4.99, iTunes) brings Photoshop-esque capabilities right to your fingertips in a surprisingly easy way. My current obsession, PicFrame ($0.99, iTunes), lets you compile multiple photos into a mini-inspiration board for easy sharing.

Pimp your phone
There are several peripheral camera lenses available that you can attach to your phone. We have Olloclip’s 3-in-One Photo Lens for iPhone ($70) which quickly switches between fisheye, macro and wide-angle lenses. The only bummer is that you need to remove your phone case to use it.

Ready to show off the gallery-ready shots of your cuties? Share them on your own baby website

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