We take photos as a return ticket to a moment gone otherwise.

Do you love taking photos of your baby? I know every mom’s guilty of this. I mean, of course, we enjoy the moment but taking photos is also our way fo saving memories. Time flies and they won’t babies forever so might as well take as many photos as you can while they still do not know how to refuse our requests 🤭
Other than the 5000 photos on my phone and possibly 10000 photos on my laptop, I also love photoshoots with professional photographers. From our Prenup, Wedding, Allyka’s Newborn photoshoot up to her Baptism, we hired professional photographers to capture the moment. We thought we’d do the same thing for Allyka’s first birthday because hey, it’s her FIRST BIRTHDAY and it should be special.

We decided, however, to skip the photoshoot, keep it simple and save the money instead. We didn’t hire a photographer because we were trying to make mature and practical decisions (cough*cough*).

Other than that, Allyka already had some mini photoshoots from the events we have attended and we felt like those photos were pretty cute so a separate photoshoot won’t really be necessary.

Being the pickle minded person that I really am. I changed my mind and convinced my husband that we do a DIY photoshoot a few days before Allyka’s birthday. Of course, being the supportive husband that he is, Allan agreed and helped me prepared. 😅

Despite the lack of time to prepare, the photos turned out really well in my opinion so let me share with you some TIPS on how to make your DIY Photoshoot a Success:

1. Keep your baby comfortable – You don’t want to mess with the star of the day. One wrong move means toyo all the way so make sure your baby is happy and comfortable. Feed her well and make sure she had enough sleep before the shoot.

2. Choose a safe and less crowded venue – I think an indoor shoot is really ideal because you’d be able to control the condition of the room (temperature, lighting, and set up). But, if you don’t have the proper lighting materials and props and you’re really aiming for a nature shoot with great natural lighting, make sure to choose a place that is less crowded and safe. A crowded environment means a distracted baby. Check for insects, animals or any harmful objects before putting your baby down. Allyka had an insect bite after our shoot but good thing it disappeared after we applied some Tiny Buds after bites.

3. Get help from friends and family – If you think taking photos of a baby is as easy as 1, 2, 3, you’re wrong. I mean, it’s possible but it might stress you out so get some help. In our case, it took a staff of four to survive this photoshoot. One was in charge of preparing the props, one was entertaining Allyka, one has the camera ready while the other one was blowing bubbles. What a production! It’s just much easier when the entire family is involved.

4. Prepare your props and clothes the day before the shoot – Prepare everything, even your baby’s stuff to make sure you won’t get stressed too the next day. We used Allyka’s Birthday Gown as her dress for the shoot because why not? She still looks pretty with a repeat dress.

5. Use Props that are available at home – Well, we didn’t use a lot of props from our home but what we did use was the decoration for Allyka’s birthday. The paper mache name standee, the balloons, pinwheels, and even the bubbles were the same materials we used for Allyka’s birthday decoration so it was money well spent on those items.

6. Camera – If you have a close friend who owns a camera and likes taking photos then you might want to ask her to take the photos but, if you don’t know any, then use your cellphone! In our case, we used Allan’s Oppo F11 which isn’t even the latest version of Oppo but it takes pretty decent photos.

Here are a few more tips on how to take good photos using your phone:

• Use Gridlines to balance your shot when you’re taking photos.
• Clean the lens of your camera
• Focus on the subject which is your baby.
• Burst Mode – Some phones have it, some don’t. Burst mode is also known as continuous shooting mode. I’m not sure if Oppo 11 has it but my Samsung A70 has this capability. You just press the capture button and it will continuously take photos. This is very helpful in capturing photos of a very active baby like Allyka.
• Use Bokeh Effect – What is a bokeh effect? In photography, Bokeh means blurred background. A smartphone with a dual-lens camera has this capability. It is also known as the portrait mode on your phone. But how do you maximize the use of Bokeh Effect? The secret is getting closer to the subject. The bokeh effect won’t make much of a difference if there is no proper focus. Nice backgrounds with lighting would also result in a great bokeh effect.

• Don’t use any filter – You can always apply filters during post-processing (editing) of the photos but while taking the photos, use the natural settings.

• Take pictures from different angles – side view, front view, bird’s eye view.
• Avoid zooming in because the photo will be pixelated
• Edit the photos using a nice photo editor such as SnapSeed or Lightroom
• Use a tripod when available to prevent the phone from shaking.

Of course, make sure your phone’s battery is fully charged and that you have enough space on your phone.

7. Keep your baby happy! – Bring her favorite toy, book or her favorite person (in Allyka’s case, it’s her papa). Make the photoshoot fun by just playing with your baby. This didn’t work out for Allyka since she got sleepy and tired after an hour of shoot.

Lastly, just have fun! Regardless of the outcome,