christmas pictures.....take 1

MyBlueEyedBabies wrote: this is attempt 1 to get a picture of the kids for our christmas cards. Anyone that can get 2 toddlers to sit together looking the same direction is my hero, and if they could get them to both smile I might start worshiping them

anyway this was attempt #1 neither are smiling or looking at all normal really...and it ended up being fuzzy just to make it better


forgot to add...yes that is a giant bruise on Matt's face but since he always has some something injured so we decided bruises wouldn't be too bad

coasterqueen replied: Thanks for the warning. I'm trying to square away the girls outfits for our Christmas card pic, it will be the same outfit they get their professional pics done - I think. I am not looking forward to trying to take pics of a toddler and a baby and get them to cooperate. Wish I had Dh here to help, but looks like I'll be braving it on my own.

Maybe I should start early as well in case it takes me a LONG time to get a good one.

I have about 40 takes of Kylie last Christmas trying to get her to take the "perfect" picture.

coasterqueen replied: BTW, is that design around the outside of the pic lighting or something you did in a program?

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: I actually only thought to start the pictures early because I got a cupon in the mail from vistaprint they have the picture cards 10 for $3.99 and the offer expires November 15...I am cheap so I want to get them now.

I waited until dh went to work today to try and get anything done he gets too frustrated with them not sitting still or smiling so it is a lot less tense if I do it alone. And the outfits were easy..Overalls Katy has been in overalls for her christmas picture since she was born so now it's kinda tradition. My goal was to get something useable sometime today and I do it about 2 pictures at a time...then walk away and try again later

The border was just me playing in photoshop, I wish I were talented enough to get the really good pictures of the kids only with my camera and not with some exta technological help

I got a couple more

with border

and this would be cute but Katy's face looks really long so it's kinda bugging me

mckayleesmom replied: OH....I love the one of her kissing him....

amynicole21 replied: Adorable! I love them!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I love it, because I know their personalities too! I think what makes them so cute Lisa is that they're not perfectly posed...I think you did a good job!

gr33n3y3z replied: Oh I like them all bc it looks so natural

ions_momma replied: I love the one of Katy kissing him! So cute!

coasterqueen replied: Ahhh those are adorable!!!!

Got any advice for me? How do you do a backdrop? I think I'm going to dress the girls in black velvet dresses with red and green holly berries on them. What color backdrop would you use?

MommyToAshley replied: Those pictures are really good. I like the last one where they are both looking at the camera, but I really love the one of Katy hugging/kissing him. It is just tooooooooo adorable! I think you did a great job!

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: I am going to appologize in advance for how long this is going to be...

First the backdrop is fleece hanging over a PVC structure I built this afternoon. I will attach my horrific drawing that i did in paint so you can see what it looks like. I was all up for using a push pin in the wall but dh wasn't as excited about having holes in the wall after (men )
Fleece photographgs really well and especially when it goes on sale it's really cheap everything I bought this time I can use anytime I want to take their pictures so the $34 total was well worth it and I have found 6 yards is enough to do the kids or expand it big enough to get standing adults too.
The PVC thing totalled $10 (included in 34) and it is 2 10 foot sections of 1 inch pipe, 2 10 foot sections of 1/2 inch pipe and 2 elbows in each size. The 1/2 inch fits into the 1 inch so it can be raised for taller people to be in the pictures. I only made 1 cut in each pice of pipe it was really easy, took about 5 minutes from the time I went and got the (dull) saw out of the tool box until I was hanging the fabric on it.

For a more formal picture I would probably go with an ivory backdrop enough so it's not a boring and stark as white but no colors so you don't have to worry about clashing with the girls outfits. I have seen pictures in clothes like your describing with a royal blue and that looked awesome too...all about how adventerous you are (I'm not at all)
sorry for rambling.. good luck if you decide to do it.

coasterqueen replied: Cool! Thanks for the tips. Now to find time to go to the hardware store, the fabric store and to find where in the heck Dh stashed his pipe cutter. Course I could just put holes in the walls....he won't see them for another 80 days...maybe he won't notice them by then.

A&A'smommy replied: OMG those are pretty darn good and SOOO cute!!!!

CantWait replied: I love the one of them kissing. How adorable is that. Perfect I say