Cake Smash Photo Shoot

Archer recently turned 1, so we did a cake smash photo shoot.  I originally planned on just having his first cake experience be at his party, but I wanted to be able to enjoy that moment and not worry about getting the perfect setup/shot.  I am so happy I ended up doing a stand alone photoshoot, because I LOVE the outcome.

Here's the basic setup.  I wanted a plain white background, so I purchased a roll of white Better than Paper (with a Hobby Lobby coupon).  While it is durable and cleans easily, it ended up being a bit more translucent then I wanted.  I could see the outlet on the wall and the lines on the linoleum through it.  To fix it, I ended up using the back side of an old roll of bulletin board paper.  While this paper can tear, it was much more opaque.  Having the two taped up together worked perfectly. The frosting did all wipe off of the Better than Paper, so next time, maybe just use a different color.

For decorations, I just used crepe paper streamers and pom poms.  I was able to reuse the pom poms for Archer's party, which was great.  

To make the cake, I used a giant cupcake pan.  First I made the "liner" out of candy melts (melt half the bag in the microwave in 30 second bursts, brush it on the inside of the pan and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Repeat with the second half of the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  I found continually brushing the candy melts up the sides until it started to cool and become thicker really helped). I also baked each half of the cake by itself to make sure one side didn't burn.

For a test run, I took pictures of him in this adorable shirt I got from BowDacious Baby on Etsy.

For the cake smash pictures he wore this bow tie and suspender set.

St. Patrick's Day Photoshoot

A new month means a new photoshoot at our house.  Since it is March, I decided to do St. Patrick's Day.  Luckily, I was able to pull it off relatively inexpensively!

Setup:

For the background, I taped a light green sheet I had to the wall.  Now I steamed it first, to get out most of the big wrinkles.  As you can see, there are still definitely some, but I did my best to get them out.  I found some sparkly foam shamrocks at Hobby Lobby, and randomly taped them to the sheet.  I put a piece of baseboard down to cover the bottom.

For the floor, I decided to try a roll of Better Than Paper (White Wood).  I'd never used it before, but ended up being really happy with it.  It was a nice long piece and didn't tear or scuff.  I took some pictures of our cousins, so had little girls twirling on it and you can't tell.  I'll definitely be able to use it again.  From the picture below, you can kind of see that it wanted to curl a bit from being rolled, but it didn't show in any of the real pictures.  Letting it sit with the weights longer probably would have helped also. 

For decoration, I just scattered some more foam shamrocks and some little gold coins.

Archer wore a sparkly hat I got at Party City (Dollar Tree had them cheaper, but I happened to go there afterward) and little bow tie from Dollar Tree.

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Valentine's Photoshoot 2

I am so in love with baby Valentine's Day photos, so I ended up doing two photoshoots this month.  The first was a baby Cupid one that you can see here.  This one was a little more versatile.  I took pictures of my boys, but also my friend's absolutely adorable little girl.

For the backdrop I used this white brick one from Amazon.  I loved it for the brick, but when I tried to use the whole thing, the kids kept wrinkling the floor.  I think the floor is more meant to work as just part of the background for someone standing where you do not actually see where they touch the floor.  I ended up looping the "floor" behind the backdrop and taping it, so that it wasn't in the shot.  Then I hung a $3 little heart garland from the Target Dollar Spot.

For the floor, I just used some scrap click-lock style flooring that was left over from when the previous owners redid the bathroom floors.  It was perfect, because it was firm enough to allow the kids to walk and twirl, but came apart for relatively easy storage. I might have to look into buying some orphan boxes from home improvement stores if I can get them cheap enough. Then I threw down some fabric rose petals, which Archer enjoyed eating.

Her mom provided the adorable outfit.  She was really happy that the tutu was soft and not scratchy like other ones she'd tried (I would not have even thought to consider that, having not gotten to put a baby in a tutu myself). I can't get over her beautiful blue eyes! 

I used the same setup, minus the rose petals, for my boys.  Unfortunately, I put the garland just a little high and the boys were not feeling very photogenic, so the one good shot I got of both of them doesn't show the garland.  I can still know it was meant to be a Valentine's picture, right?? 

Valentine's Photoshoot 1

Recently I have been posting about the fun photo shoots I have been doing with the kiddos.  This month, we ended up doing two, so here are just a few pictures from the first.  Here is the link to the second.

For the background, I literally just taped a cheap red sheet to the wall.  Ironing and steaming out most of the wrinkles, took the most time.

For the props, I bought this cupid's set from Amazon. With his name being "Archer," I just couldn't resist getting the little bow and arrow.  He just wore one of our cloth diapers and it went perfectly.  The headband is a bit small, so only just fit Archer.  Xander was very disappointed that the bow did not actually fire the arrow. 

The hardest part was choosing just a few favorites.  I ended up with over 20 that I loved and edited.

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New Year Photoshoot

As I mentioned back in December, I have been trying to do more fun photo shoots with the boys.  They're growing so fast, that it helps me capture them as they grow.  I've started posting about it in hopes of inspiring other budding photographers.

This New Year's Even shoot was our most recent.  Unfortunately, Archer had a cold and was a bit cranky, so these were the best we got.

I used this backdrop and then just black fabric for the "floor."  I got them little New Years hats and noise makers for props.  I'm hoping to be able to use this same backdrop every New Years so I can see them change over time.  I also made sure the hats didn't say the year, so hopefully, I can get a few years out of them.

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Baby Snowman Photoshoot

So the kiddos aren't the only ones learning new skills around here!  My babies are growing much too fast, so I'm always working on memorizing all the quiet little moments with them before they've changed again (hence the blog name).  Learning photography is one way to help me capture them at each stage.

I'm hoping to average about one "photoshoot" with them each month (in addition to all the daily pictures with both my phone and regular camera).  Since I've been having fun brainstorming relatively inexpensive set-ups, I thought I'd share with other mamas who might be interested.

This was December's set-up.  I purchsed this Snowman kit to use for the hat, scar and pipe, figuring the boys will be able to build snowmen outside with it after the shoot.  I borrowed a white fuzzy blanket and some indoor snowballs (the boys are getting some in their stockings, but I didn't want Xander to know that).  I used some face paint sticks for his nose and the "coal" on his chest.  Since all of our cloth diapers are patterned, I used one of our reusable swim diapers.  You could also go without a diaper and just use the scarf or snowballs to cover up!

All in all, I'm thrilled with how they turned out!  I'm also thinking I need to keep an eye out for this type of blanket when they go on sale.  It provided such a great matte background!