cute alert {girls’ photoshoot}

{Consider yourself warned because you’ll be seeing some cute photos of little ladies}

We had a great time on our last playdate this passed Friday. I got together with three of my friends who are also moms of little girls and it was just so much fun. First of all, it was so last minute but it worked out just great. The little girls went off to play in Gabriella’s room and everywhere else for that matter (we still don’t have nice weather so we were stuck indoors). And the big girls sat around my round kitchen table, talking and laughing and enjoying each other while having some coffee and tea, and cupcakes (and veggies and hummus too).

I had a dozen hard boiled eggs and I also had a whole set of sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles ready to be decorated. And guess what? We forgot to give both the eggs and the cookies to the kids to decorate. Now that is a sure sign of having fun. It’s alright – I keep reminding myself that it’s good for mom to just unwind and enjoy her company for a change – the kids had fun anyway and that’s all that matters. Now we just need to throw a send party to finish the eggs (still) – the cookies don’t seem to have the same problem…. ;)

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What we did do…. was throw a super awesome photo shoot for the girls!

I arranged for a dress code for the girls to be in party dresses and I’ve put together a little studio setting by my bay window and  – and they sure were ADORABLE! Weren’t they?…

So Miss Gabriella got a little moody (for reasons she probably doesn’t even know ;) but her friend came to cheer her up! The result – a cute photo with a story to tell ;) Pouty faces are A OK on girls with pink fluffy dresses ;)

Here are the gang’s mug shots!

This was so much fun. Thank you little girls and big girls for coming over and being such good sports to pull this off. There was some drama involved (as you can easily imagine ;) Each little lady will have her own set of shots – courtesy of moi ;)

This little session was no accident. I planned and arranged the set for the look and feel I wanted. The moms brought in several outfits and I also pulled a bunch of dresses, skirts and accessories from our closets. The ‘props’ were things I gathered in advance in my favourite store and borrowed a few things as well. If I only could have gotten my hands on a real bird  ;)

You can do a little ‘studio setting’ as well in your own home.

• Decide on a theme, decor/ props, and plan the outfits for a more professional look. Find a neutral background, that is not too busy so it won’t fight with your subject. I chose a window ledge because I liked the look – but shooting against the light is a bit tricky.
• Use a white reflector if you can (this could be as simple as a white foamcore panel or cardstock) or you could use a flash, (or professional lighting of course – but these are tips for non-professionals). (I actually regret not bringing up my professional lighting because I would have had more sparkle in the eyes – and I thought of it, but decided against it because of the little space I had in the room. Shooting with the window on the side or in front would have avoided this need entirely.)
• Have coordinating outfits prepared (have extra things), but remember not to add too much
• Take lots of shots, kids don’t exactly sit still and wait for a shot with a smily face – try to catch as many moments as possible – and then delete the ones that don’t turn out
• Most importantly, have fun and let the kids enjoy themselves – don’t pressure them too much and have lots of funny stories and songs to sing to entertain them ;)

It’s fun do do a little session if you have a few kids around – it would make a great Mother’s Day gift (hint hint ;) (even if you’re the mom ;) So go ahead and try to do your own ‘studio set up’ in your own home and don’t forget to share your shots ;)