Last Christmas I decided to get a little creative and take photos of my munchkin for our Christmas Card. This is how they turned out (& how you can create your own shoot!).

DISCLAIMER: I am very much an amateur and undoubtedly a professional will have quite a critiques. If you’re an amateur, too, this post is for you 😉

EQUIPTMENT USED:
white sheets
white lights with a white cord (more is better!)
tape and/or tacks
iPhone camera (bonus: use a better one!)
heating pad (optional)

SETTING THE SCENE
I knew I wanted the “glowing white lights” look. I made a quick google search, but wasn’t finding what I was looking for so just got creative on my own.

Picking the right room: I chose to set up against a wall in a room with a window facing north…so there would be plenty of light, but no hard shadows. I think this is key! In these photos, the window is behind me so my daughter is facing the light. (This could also work in a west facing room in the morning, or east facing room in the afternoon.)
Tip: Don’t block the light with your own shadow

Setup: First, move the bed up against the wall, and make it with just the fitted sheet.
Then tape white lights to the wall (& wished I would have used WAY WAY MORE lights).
Finally, hang the loose sheet over the top of the lights.

You’ll have to fiddle with this a little bit. I found it easiest to use a little double sided tape throughout the middle of the sheet to be sure the lights were pressed up against the material and really showing through.

If you want, place a heating pad under the sheet where your subject will be to help them stay warm. Take a few practice shots with your subject, and tweak accordingly. Maybe you need to move everything to the left, maybe you need to squat down so the closet doesn’t show, maybe you’ll need to move the subject forward/backward whatever.

THE SHOOT
Dress your babe & snap away! Just keep clicking. I use an app called PicTapGo to edit my iPhone photos; best $1.99 I’ve EVER spent. This app was recommended by my wedding photographer, and dang. If you’ve seen those pictures you know she knows what she’s talking about!

THE CARDS
Find your favorite online card maker I like mpix.com (a recommendation from my brother’s wedding photographer for all prints & projects). They don’t leave a watermark on their cards…which I kind of like 🙂

Address…Label…and SEND!

Merry Christmas!