Britt is so excited to share the happy news that she is expecting a baby boy in March! She had so much creating a fun idea for an announcement photo, we wanted to share them here. She came up with the idea pretty quickly and wanted to share the steps she goes through for planning a family photo shoot:
- Decide the focus of the photo
- Choose helpful props
- Choose a location
- Pick the colors to wear
- Pick the vibe/season you want to portray
If you’re looking for more help and guidance with photos, we’ve got you covered!
- Do’s & Don’ts for Couples Photos – Click here
- Do’s & Don’t for Family Photos – Click here
- How to Make Toddlers Smile in Photos – Click here
Decide on the focus of the photo
Our dad was given a classic convertible for his birthday this past summer by our older brothers. They know he has always wanted one and have been planning the surprise for years. It is the cutest tiny blue car, I knew I wanted to include it in the announcement somehow. It is a fun focal point that evokes what I was going for with this shoot.
Choose helpful props
I think props can add a fun and unexpected element to any photo. Yes, I love stand alone family photos, but adding a prop usually makes them more fun. The “Baby” balloon was perfect for this shoot. We wanted to of course make it a baby announcement, but holding an ultrasound did not seem to make a lot of sense for this. It would look too small for the scale of the photo, so the balloon worked perfectly. You can buy the balloon here.
How to choose a location
My friend Tori is a fabulous photographer and her parents have a forest-like backyard that I knew would make a perfect location for the photos. Since we were going to be sitting in the car, I knew I wanted a lush green background. That would not have been the case for say, bridal photos. I think I would have picked somewhere more formal. For the purpose behind the photos, I think this woodsy location was exactly what I was looking for.
Colors to wear
In picking the colors for our family to wear, I knew I wanted to blend and not stand out from the car too much. I picked an off white flowy dress for myself because it was flattering. I was 17 weeks pregnant when we shot the photos, so I looked more chubby than pregnant. Super cozy baby blue sweater was the winner for my husband Sam because I love that color on him and wanted someone to wear baby blue. And lastly I found a white and blue striped dress for Hazel that seemed to tie it all together. So, I went with blue and white for the colors.
What announcement vibe are you going for?
Even though we got our baby boy announcement photos taken at the height of Fall foliage color here in Utah, I did not want an autumn look. Personally, I wanted these photos to be warm and airy and bright. A summer vibe fit that much better. That’s one of the main reasons I specifically picked a location with no fall foliage, just beautiful, lush green trees.
Baby Boy Announcement Photos That are Multifunctional
I love that the photos from the photo shoot are multifunctional – I used them for: social media baby announcement, framed family portraits in my house and put one on our Christmas card. Instead of doing three different photo shoots, I did one that covered everything I was looking for.
