You’ve sent out the baby shower invites, planned a menu, and put up pink and blue decorations – now how do you make sure you don’t forget this unique celebration? The answer – a baby shower photoshoot! Hiring a professional photographer to cover the event makes sure you capture all the details of your baby shower. If you haven’t scheduled a maternity photoshoot, this could give you the benefits of 2 shoots at once. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you enjoy your day and create happy memories.
Balance the formal and candid shots
Posing can be fun! Especially when you’re flaunting that beautiful baby bump. Make sure you capture a few formal photographs of yourself and you and your partner. If you have extended family attending, make sure you have a photograph with all of them too. Then, there’s a group photograph with all your friends that’s a must-have. Taking these photographs within the first half hour of your event is ideal.
Once you’re sure that you’ve got a photograph with everyone attending, turn your attention to candid shots. Make sure you catch those hugs and high-fives! Along with capturing the way guests interact with the mother-to-be, get a few shots of guests catching up with each other too.
Use fun props
Social media cutout frames with the event hashtag and other fun tags are great props for a baby shower photoshoot. You can set this up to stand independently so guests can pose within it or use it as a freestanding prop that can be taken to different parts of your party and shot against different backdrops. Speech bubbles with cheeky sayings and those that indicate the holder’s relationship to the baby are also popular at baby showers. Or, get mini backboards that guests can scribble a message on. You can get very creative with these props.
Snap the gifts being opened
Gifts are the spotlight of every party! Baby shower gifts could be practical or cheeky – either way, the moment a gift is opened is magical. Make sure you snap a few photographs of the mother-to-be opening each of her gifts. Shoot from different angles to get a fresh perspective with each shot. You could also take a photograph of the mother-to-be with the gift and the person who presented it. This becomes a ready-reckoner later when it’s time to write thank-you notes.
Imagine the joy of telling your aunt a year later after your baby’s first tooth photoshoot that the teether they gave you at the baby shower was your kid’s favourite…
Catch the details
You’ve put so much effort into decorating the space to suit your theme so don’t let it go unnoticed. One or two backdrops usually get popular for photographs and everyone shoots pictures against them. In addition to these corners, make sure you take a few close-up photographs of the décor details. We’re talking about the balloons you may have tied to the chair, frosted cupcakes on the dessert table, baby announcement banners, and so on. These photographs could be taken before everyone comes in to make sure they look fresh in the frame. Don’t forget the photograph the baby shower favors!
Video the games
Games are a vital part of a baby shower. Capturing them on film is a must. Along with photographs, switch modes for a few candid videos too. How else will you remember the jokes that made everyone laugh so hard…
Technically speaking, videos take up more memory as compared to still photography. Hence, make sure the photographer knows you want videos in advance and can arrange for sufficient memory space on his/ her camera.
Edit for cohesiveness
You may or may not have a theme for your baby shower. Irrespective, when you look back at the photographs, they should look cohesive. This is where editing comes in. Balance the light and shadows, remove any glare that may have snuck into your photographs, and get rid of the red eyes triggered by the camera flash. You can also clean up details of the photographs while editing. For example, you may find the need to crop out a few background details in your formal photographs.
Summing it up
First comes the baby shower photoshoot then comes the first tooth photoshoot and all the others. Every milestone is magical and unique. That’s why it deserves to be treated as such. In addition to the pictures you and your guests take, make sure you have a professional photographer to cover the shoot. This way you can concentrate on having fun and yet freeze-frame all these exciting events. Experienced photographers can also guide you to pose in ways that look good in the photographs. So, when is your baby shower…
About The Author
