So excited to be writing a “real” blog post right now! Lately it’s been a whole lot of milestones and just about nothing else…. but with this lockdown lasting so much longer than I think all of us really expected, we’ve had to get creative with how we’re spending our time at home. 90% of it is ultimate procrastination, laziness and boredom… but when the urge sparks to do something crazy, I answer the call! Last week I put Indie into our very own sink/milkbath photoshoot! On my weekly trip to the grocery store (mask and gloves included) I made sure to pick up a grapefruit, a navel orange, a half-quart of whole milk, and a very simple bouquet of flowers. All from your average grocery store. The supplies were about $12 total, and the photos turned out so fabulous! So I’m going to list out some DIY steps for all you mamas out there looking to get creative at home!
- Envision your scene! I decided to work with citrus and flowers, but really anything goes. An instagram friend of mine @stacymaeandco recently did an incredible sinkbath (sans milk) that was Easter egg themed! Get creative!
- Clear the entire area around your sink, because you will inevitably get clutter in the background. I pulled nearly everything off of my counter, and arranged all of my windowsill plants around one corner of the sink for aesthetic.
- CLEAN your sink!!! I gave it a real good scrub down before putting Indie’s naked little tushy anywhere near where we keep our dirty dishes!
- Prepare EVERYTHING before getting your child involved. I pre-sliced the citrus and cut all the flowers off their stems and kept them at the side of the sink. Then I filled the sink about half way with water, and “topped it off” with the 1/2 Quart of whole milk. Believe it or not – for a milkbath shoot, it’s mostly water! That ratio will cloud the water just enough!
- Microwave your milk for 30 seconds! It won’t do much but it’ll take the edge off so that the bath is room temp or warmer for your little one.
- If possible, swing your faucet away from the shot.
- Have a step stool handy and position it so that your subject is facing the nearest light source. For me, it was the window directly above the sink as well as the door that was behind where I stood.
- Have an assistant handy too! Things get messy real quick. I would absolutely try this with a significant other or even an older child who can be there with a towel or using something shiny to capture your subject’s attention!
- Once you place baby in the bath, quickly set your props. For this bath, I scattered the citrus first and filled in the space with the flower heads.
- Keep in mind, this is a FAST shoot and you will have to stop once or twice to rearrange your bath props. As baby moves and splashes, so will your set. So be ready to snap! I stood on the top rung of my stool and then Stephen (my trusty assistant) helped me onto the counter for a few pictures. I took most of these on my Sony A6000 camera but a few were on my iPhone at the last minute – if you can, try to snap some with both! The iPhone (for me) naturally has a wider lens and was able to get more of the surroundings… it was nice to have that diversity of perspective in my final batch of photos.
- The last tip (and probably the most important) is to relax and let whatever happens unfold! This is something I’ve been practicing a lot in general lately. I find these pictures to be active, sweet, and a real representation of one-year-old Indie. It’s not all about getting the perfect pose or the toothy smile.
I hope this has inspired some of you to try this at home! After we finished Indie went straight into a real hose-down, so you might want to do this just before your kiddo’s regular bath time (as long as there’s ample natural daylight). Don’t be discouraged by your kitchen. I resisted this project for the longest time because I don’t have a white farmhouse sink and butcherblock countertops (goals!!!) but now that I see these photos, the bath itself is so prominent and everything looked perfectly in-place!
If you’ve been itching to be a better hobby-photographer (even if you shoot on your phone!) there’s no better time than now to take the plunge and try something super cool. The last thing I can recommend is to download Photoshop Lightroom for your cell phone and choose a pack of presets that speak to you to make editing a breeze! Personally, I’ve been using both of Lindsey Badenhop’s packs and I’ve been thrilled with them!
That’s all folks! Currently taking suggestions for the next fun and crazy at-home photoshoot ideas to help pass the time! What would you put inside a milkbath? Is this something you think you’d attempt? We had so much fun! More happening over on instagram so be sure to follow along!
