It’s no doubt you’ve got tons and tons of pictures of your baby – or approaching that amount. Either way, it’s perfectly understandable because you love your baby and want to record every precious moment of their life. But they grow so fast don’t they? And getting those creatively designed, professionally themed pictures taken, even on a periodic basis, can get expensive.

So instead of traipsing your baby off to the nearest department store or photographer’s studio, why not create some of your own home-grown, customized variety, baby photos that will not only save you extra time and money, but will also provide you with creatively styled pics as well? It’s not a difficult task – as a matter of fact, it’s very easy to do with just a few objects (props) that can be found right in your own home. We’ve gathered some cute and creative costume and prop ideas to give you tips on designing your very own custom-themed baby pictures and are happy to share them with you here.

Backdrop
Think about your backdrop before choosing the baby’s. No point in having them sitting around waiting for their picture to be taken in that fluffy bunny suit that will eventually make your baby fussy. A simple, solid-colored fabric sheet or blanket temporarily hung on the wall makes the perfect setting for your at-home photo shoot. If you’re going for a certain theme such as the beach, park or even a holiday scene, consider a subtle toned over-sized beach towel, illustrated blanket or seasonal tablecloth. Make sure the fabric is hung low enough that it drapes onto the floor providing a clean place for baby to ‘pose’.

Rocking chairs, rocking horses, over-stuffed loungers, and bean bag chairs also make creative backdrops if your baby is at an age where they can sit up by themselves for an extended period of time. Those items can also be draped with fabric to add a softened and cozy affect.

Costumes
Now first and foremost, you want your baby to be comfortable. A cranky baby doesn’t make for the best subject and will most likely stress mom out during the picture taking process as well. But a great idea for styling your own baby photos is to utilize a cute pajama, well-fitting costume, or outfit that is already hanging in your baby’s closet or folded away in his or her dresser drawers.

Props
Look around your house – not just in, but including – baby’s room. You’ve probably got more appropriate props to enhance your scene than you even realize. Beach themes can be adorned with inflated beach balls and water toys, a pail, shovel and shells. Park scenes can include a picnic basket, baby’s favorite ball or toy as well as a simple outdoor styled chair or bench you may have in your home or out on the patio. Seasonal scenes pretty much speak for themselves, but be sure not to over due it – you don’t want to take any attention away from your little star. A Valentine’s Day theme for example, can include any stuffed animals that incorporate red into their detailing and home-made wings on your baby to exemplify your very own cupid. A cowboy hat and neckerchief if your baby’s on a rocking horse or the real-life family dog next to your little ones if they’re dressed up in a puppy or kitten costume – how cute!

These are just a few creative ways you can design your very own, customized theme pictures that can turn out as good or better, than if you’d had them taken at a studio. So go ahead and let your resourcefulness shine as your imagination does most of the work for you!

By Jeff Westover

There she was in all her glory. Long white lab coat, frizzy hair, safety goggles — and a face smeared with the black ash of an experiment gone terrifically wrong. She was, at least on this Halloween night, Dr. Abby Normal. But for most of her life I had known her as Abigail, my daughter, and I had just taken some of the most legendary photos of her life.

These weren’t your garden-variety portraits. Not exactly Wal Mart studio stuff either. They were pictures taken of my kids in their natural element — being kids. That is the real photo opportunity of a holiday like Halloween.

For treasured images this Halloween, here are some quick tips to remember to get once-in-a-lifetime photos:

1. Stop Posing — Halloween is not a formal affair. So don’t bother with the wedding style shots. Engage the kids in the play associated with their costumes — and THEN shoot the pictures. Candids reveal the smiles much more than a “Hold still, honey!” moment.

2. Shoot Early, Shoot Often — Film is the cheapest part of photography. And in this digital age, there just isn’t a reason not to shoot several images. There are many good reasons for being trigger happy with the camera. First, if kids are use to you constantly firing away they won’t bother with the plastic smiles. But most importantly, shooting more simply increases your chances for great pictures. With Halloween pictures some of the best pictures are taken while the costuming is in process — don’t wait for the finished product in getting out the camera.

3. Get in Their Face — Halloween was made for pretend. Kids love to make faces, don costumes and assume a new personality. It is the ultimate form of exhibition. You just can’t let the opportunity pass. They WANT to be noticed. Most point-and-shoot variety cameras have wide-angle lenses. While this helps them to get sharp results and to work well in lower light, they tend to move the subject matter further away. Most have a minimum shooting distance of around three feet. Don’t be afraid to push that limit at Halloween. Get in close, have them make faces, ask them to talk to the camera. They will. It is, after all, Halloween.

4. Let Them Call the Shots — It’s their party. Ask them what kind of pictures they want. When my son was Harry Potter a few years back he wanted to jump off the roof on his Nimbus 2000. We had to reason with him a bit. But a little leap from a lawn chair to the grass did the trick and we got the shots of Harry in flight. Chances are your kids have an idea of the persona they are adopting. Let them call the shots to document the experience.

5. Use the set — Most of us decorate for the season. There could be haystacks, a bubbling pot, a roaring fireplace. Use these props, even if they don’t fit the theme of the costume. Down the road the memories you cherish will include all the fun that went into creating the holiday environment in your home.

Good candid pictures of children require active participation and putting them at ease. Halloween is the easiest of seasons in which to do this.
© 2004 by Jeff Westover

About The Author
Jeff Westover is a freelance writer and father of seven from Salt Lake City, Utah. He is the managing editor of My Merry Christmas.com, where folks have been making merry online for more than a decade. He writes about holidays, families, parenting, home schooling and photography for a variety of publications both online and offline. Please visit http://mymerrychristmas.com for more articles like this one.

Halloween is that time of year when your creative juices can begin to flow. It’s a fun time for the family and if you have a baby or toddler, and it is the first Halloween that they can actively participate in, then it can be even more exciting. Granted if your little one is too young to comprehend anything much past when the next meal or sleep is going to be, then your Halloween efforts may not amount to much. But if they are coming to the age when they can express their joy and delight then you are ready to create a bit of Halloween fun.
The key with toddlers is that you don’t want to scare them. A scary Halloween at this age is likely to scar them for life so keep it simple, lighthearted and fun. Here are some tips to help you prepare for the big day.

Trick or Treating

1. Keep it Simple – At this age your toddler won’t appreciate much of what is going on around them so you don’t want to spend a fortune nor a lot of your time in preparing for the day. Of course this won’t apply if you have older children in the house.
2. Create a Fun, Happy Theme – You don’t want to traumatize your baby with scary witches, dark costumes or blood and guts. Create a happy theme that is bright and cheery. For example, ensure that the jack-o-lanterns have happy smiley faces and the costumes you choose are more in line with fairies or princesses rather than scary witches or ghosts and ghouls.
3. Costumes – If you want to dress up your baby or toddler in a Halloween costume then look for something that is easy to put on and take off. Look for costumes with zips, velcro or buttons that are easily undone and of course a costume that allows for easy diaper changes. The costume also needs to be soft and flexible so that your baby isn’t uncomfortable. Avoid costumes with masks. This may restrict their view and cause them to topple over.
4. Keep it Safe – Be aware that most candies at this stage will probably be a choking hazard for your baby or toddler so be careful in your choice of sweets. Ensure that the costume you choose for your baby is flame retardant as you may be around real candles during this time. You should also ensure that the costume does not have too any dangly bits that your infant could place into his or her mouth.
5. Trick or Treating – If you are going to be trick or treating then follow these few tips:
   • Carry a torch and if your toddler is old enough, allow them to carry one too. Attach the torch to your child’s costume to ensure it doesn’t get lost.
   • Glow in the dark neck or wristbands are another way of keeping track of your toddler.
   • If you are taking a stroller then attach some reflective tape so it can be easily seen in the dark.
   • If you are worried about losing your toddler then buy one of those cords that attaches your wrist to your toddlers wrist. This allows your toddler a little freedom as they don’t have to constantly hold onto your hand and it means that you can feel secure that they are close by.

Your first Halloween with your toddler is likely to be a fun time that will be remembered forever. As a memento of the experience purchase a gift box and place in it your baby’s first Halloween costume, their first Halloween gift and any other little item that will serve as a memory in years to come.

About the Article
Article provided courtesy of Only Cookware – a resource for cookware sets, stainless cookware and enamel cast iron cookware.

There she was in all her glory. Long white lab coat, frizzy hair, safety goggles — and a face smeared with the black ash of an experiment gone terrifically wrong. She was, at least on this Halloween night, Dr. Abby Normal. But for most of her life I had known her as Abigail, my daughter, and I had just taken some of the most legendary photos of her life. I honestly think it is possible that Halloween is more fun for parents than it is for the kids, especially when the kids are little and parents are able to dress them up. There are so many options for cute Halloween costumes for little kids, it might be hard for a parent to choose.

For a young baby there are all kinds of “Baby’s First Halloween” outfits, bibs, socks and other items to help celebrate the baby’s first trick or treat. Depending on how old your baby is you may want to stick with one of these outfits, especially if he is a newborn, or still very small. It can be difficult to find cute, ultra little outfits for little babies. If your baby is close to his first birthday, you may be able to find a cute costume in a size 12-18 months that will fit your baby well.

For older babies and toddlers there are a wide range of costumes that can be bought. At this time of year you can find costumes in just about every store and at every price. Wal-mart, Target, Kmart and other stores like them often have less expensive versions of the costumes that stores like Disney and Spencer’s Gifts carry.

The most popular costumes for little girls are the Disney princesses, fairies and Barbie’s. A little girl loves to dress up as a princess for a day, with the tiara and pretty dress. She loves the attention it brings from the people who open the doors when they say, “Trick or treat”.

Little boys tend to gravitate to the super hero costumes. Superman, Spiderman, The Hulk, Batman, and whatever other popular hero is out there. You will also find a lot of police and firemen costumes, as well as sports stars that boys will like.

You can find branded costumes, like Winnie the Pooh, at all stores, however they will all be a little different. The more exact, more quality Disney costumes you will find at the Disney store even though you will still find an acceptable version at Wal-mart. While the costumes at the Disney store may be more quality, they will also be more expensive, normally costing at least 2-3 times as much as the version you will find other places.

For more unique costumes you can look at stores like Spencer’s Gifts which yearly has some favorites such as Spiders and Elephants. A popular baby and child clothing store have different themes for boys and girls as well, like Nascar, and Cowboy for boys, with matching Cowgirl outfits for girls.

Safety
When buying a Halloween costume for your baby or toddler, remember to think safety first. If your baby or toddler is walking chances are they are a bit clumsy and the added weight of the costume won’t help matters much. Make sure there is nothing dragging on the ground that your baby can trip on, and that their costume is light enough and reflects enough that cars and traffic can see them.

Weather
Before you buy a costume, consider what the weather will be like. Some costumes can be layered others aren’t. If you are in an area where it will likely be chilly or could possibly rain/snow on Halloween, look into a thicker costume that will help keep your child warm. If you are in an area where it will probably still be warm and maybe muggy, try to find a lighter costume, one that will allow your baby or toddler to stay cool. Your toddler will be running around, having fun and could quickly become overheated. You don’t want a sick child on your hands.

Saving Money
A great, money saving tip for Halloween costumes is to shop ahead for the next year. Hit the sales where you can get 50-75% off Halloween costumes to wear the following year, or even several years down the road. It is possible to hit up the Disney store a few days after Halloween, and buy some great costumes that are retailed at $35-$40 a piece, for less than $10 each. These costumes will last years and can be used by all your children at different times in their childhood.

Multi-use Costumes
Toddlers, boys and girls a like, like to play dress up, and pretend they are the characters they portray. The days following Halloween are a great time to scoop up deals on left over costumes that your children can use to play dress up with in the house. Imagination for children is not only educational, but can keep them occupied for a long time so that mom and dad can get things done.

Halloween is such a fun occasion to photograph; every year holds something different for your little ghosts and goblins.  From fun family parties filled with apple bobbing, powdered donut consumption, and apple cider to hayrides at the local cornmaze, there are bound to be plenty of moments that you will want to capture with your camera this fall.

Here are five tips to make your photography really pop this Halloween:

#1: Document Your Fieldtrips

There are pumpkin patches to visit, corn mazes to find your way through, hayrides to bump along on, and apple orchards from which to fill your bushels.  No matter where you and your family go this fall, there are some great opportunities for candid and posed pictures alike.  Use natural light to your advantage and remember to get creative with those angles and perspectives.

#2: Photograph the Process

It’s always fun to dress up.  Halloween is a favorite for that factor.  So, wouldn’t it be fun to watch the progress or you can do before and after shots of the little ones you are dressing up.   This is especially fun if your son or daughter is getting made up.  You could take a picture before the make up, during the process, and then the finished face;  showcasing a great transformation of character.   Move in close for an up-close and creative shot and tell the story.

#3:  Catch Your Trick-or-Treaters

Be prepared to snap pictures of the neighborhood children as they approach your door.  This would be interesting to share with your neighbors, making the pictures available to them for print.  Or maybe you and your little ones would like to give them prints as a little post Halloween treat.   No matter what you do it woul be a nice way to remember the time by creating a special album.  Don’t forget to use your night-time setting on your camera!

#4:  Having a Party?  Be a Photographer

Costume parties are a great place to capture some fun.  Maybe you are having an all kid party, or maybe you are having an adult themed costume party?   Regardless, make sure you keep your trusty digital camera handy to snap those great moments.   Bobbing for apples, a costume karaoke contest,  a splendid Halloween craft session, what have you… be sure to remember it all by being the photographer.

#5:  Set the Mood

You can get creative and use some lighting to set the mood of posed pictures.   Also, don’t forget to take pictures of your carved jack-o-lanterns which will make a great prop for your posed pictures, too.   When photographing your little ones that are old enough to ham it up, ask them to really do so.  Tell them to get into their character whether it be a doctor, a zombie, or a pop star.

Just remember to have fun in capturing all the fun!