Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Holidays don’t always have to cost you an arm and a leg! While I love to shop and buy gifts, sometimes Moms just want something sentimental. I know I do! And while I might be screwing myself by posting this (I hope my Mother and Mother-in-Law don’t read this post before Sunday), today I wanted to share my DIY gifts for my Mother and Mother-in-Law this year!
I set up my own photoshoot for Sawyer. I want to make clear I do not consider myself a photographer. I have a decent eye, I know how to use my camera, and I have a great editing program. This makes a huge difference. I know a lot of people who buy an expensive camera and think they can start a photography business. No.
I also know a lot of extremely talented photographers with small businesses, but I want to make clear, I am not one of these, ha! However, I think anyone can learn how to take great pictures with just a little help! I learned by watching YouTube tutorials on my camera and editing programs so I knew I was using them properly! And I feel I still have so much to learn and many more improvements to make!
For this DIY, I only needed a few things. A white sheet, and props! I stopped at Michaels the other day and bought a wooden ‘S’. Then, I painted it blue! Our neighbors were throwing away this gorgeous Radio Flyer tricycle the other day, so we took it, cleaned it up, and used it as a prop in the photoshoot. He’ll also be able to ride it when he’s older!
I ironed the sheet, and draped it over his crib. You could do this with just about anything! Then, I set out the props, added the baby, and grabbed my camera and lookie lookie.
Of course, it didn’t go quite as planned!
Set up was rough trying to get him to balance on the trike and get the dog out of the shot. We ended up with one good one, though.
Once we took him down, the trike proved to be too much of a distraction!
So, we took it away and added a cute wooden stackable toy and a baseball.
Aaaaaannnnddd couldn’t get him to smile. And then when we finally got him to smile, the lighting was wrong!
So, we ended with these two final photographs that turned out the best.
The first one here is the winner! We’ll frame it, and give it to our moms on Mother’s Day! We did get them each an additional present, in case they see this before Sunday. Even though we had a few setbacks, and they don’t look perfect (I gave up early on trying to keep the sheet flat!), we got some cute pictures that we know his Grandma’s will love! I encourage everyone to invest in a decent camera and learn how to use it, so you can have great family memories for years to come! And you don’t need any fancy equipment to have a cute photoshoot, just a sheet and some props. Or, even better, head outside!
And, if you’re still looking to get Mom something pretty this year, head here!
xoxo.