Last week I shared some images of Elizabeth's pink birthday party decor and I promised to share a few more that I took of her! After creating this fun pink birthday table display I thought it would be cute to use it as a backdrop to take some photos of the birthday girl!
One of my biggest tips for getting good photos at a birthday party is to plan for some time before the party starts to take pictures of the birthday girl (or boy). I know that once the guests all start to arrive I go into host mode and I am busily working to make sure that the food is ready to go and that everyone has a good time. It also gets a bit chaotic because there is just so much going on during the party!
Since Lizzy isn't tall enough to stand right in front of the table display, I simply grabbed a chair and had her stand on that. You will want to use a wider aperture when you take the photos so that the background is blurred a little bit but not so blurry that you can't tell what it is.
After taking some of her in front of the decorations, I wanted to also get some on a neutral backdrop so I moved her over in front of the old white doors that I have in my entryway.
Tip for getting toddlers to sit still for photos >> It's fun to use props sometimes like this vintage camera. Not only does it add a different element to the images, but it gives little ones something to focus on when they become disinterested or wiggly!
And then, of course it's always fun to jump in and steal a few kisses from the birthday girl if you can!!
Don't get me wrong, I also definitely believe in taking candid shots (like the one below) during the party and I always take some of the presents being opened, candles being blown out etc. But I also absolutely love to get some really nice photos of the birthday girl (or boy) before everything gets crazy so that I can relax a little and just enjoy the party once it gets started.
Lots of times I end up taking the candid photos with my phone camera because then I don't have to have my huge ceamera in my face the whole time. It's definitely a balancing act for me.... between taking lots of photos and documenting the party well & simply sitting back and being present in the moment so I can enjoy more fully what is going on around me. In these moments I am thankful for my handy phone camera and the fact that others can snap some of the candids as well!
I'm involved in an awesome phone photography class right now over at Big Picture Classes if you are interested in learning lots of great tips and tricks for taking and editing photos on your phone from a whole number of inspiring teachers! Registration is still open if you want to jump in and join us! Click here for more information on the Phone Photography Project 2.
Happy Monday!
xoxoxoxo
