Baby Milk Bath Photography: How to Make | 8 Safeguard | 6 Photo Tips
Bringing together a baby milk bath photoshoot is a dreamy way to celebrate your magical new family member. This type of portrait and photography is a guaranteed way to remember the beauty and innocence of all your babies.
The whole project might seem intimidating, with all the setting up and coordination and then balancing running a household, luckily, we believe any parent with a photography hobby can create their own newborn dream.
So, what’s the first step? Save this article. Learn everything you need to know about producing and shooting a baby milk bath photoshoot with our insider tips.
This guide covers setting up your baby milk bath photoshoot, the gear, editing tips, and tricks to capture a professional-looking photo.
- What Is Milk Bath Photography?
- How To Do A Baby Milk Bath Photoshoot
- Camera Equipment And Settings For The Best Milk Bath Baby Portraits
- Safety Tips To Remember For The Baby Milk Bath Photoshoot
- Posing Ideas And Inspiration For Milk Bath Photography
- Easy Editing Tips For Baby Milk Bath Photos
- The Takeaways
What Is Milk Bath Photography?
Milk bath photography is a type of portrait families use for an aesthetically pleasing portrait. Most of the time, it’s used in infant photography, maternity shoots, and artistic pictures.
The way it works is that photographers will typically place the model/baby in a clear tub filled with milky water. The model then interacts and poses in the milk water creating the most beautiful shots.
Then, for that dreamy aesthetic, producers and designers on set include floating elements in the water. Think flowers, various fruits, and an array of greenery, all to tell an engaging story within the picture.
Baby milk bath photoshoots are creative and memorable ways to capture a deliberate aesthetic for baby pictures. Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to create your photoshoot for your next project. Below are a few accessible tips for how to set up a baby milk bath photoshoot.
Image from Istockshop
How To Do A Baby Milk Bath Photoshoot
Most people might get worried about setting up a baby milk photoshoot, but it is easier than you think. Just for you, we’ve made the process as easy as possible so even a rookie photographer can follow along and create a photoshoot worthy of professionals.
To begin, note our following recommendations for how to set up a baby milk bath photoshoot.
1. The Best Bathtubs for Stunning Baby Photos
It’s important to pick a spacious, safe, and transparent bathtub for your baby. This is to ensure that our precious babies can move freely and stay comfortable throughout the photoshoot.
Tip: A small bathtub or a large, clear plastic container for babies (for easy monitoring and handling).
Image from Pexels
2. Ideal milk-water ratio for milk bath photos
Use a one-to-one ratio of water to milk for the photoshoot. It doesn’t have to be dairy milk either, we tell other parents to use lactose-free milk or soy milk as an alternative.
3. Best backdrop for a cozy photoshoot
For your backdrop, pick a color and fabric that, together, make an inviting atmosphere. The best fabrics are skin-friendly and soft, and as for color, go with warm tones like beige, pink, or light yellow for the most flattering image.
Check out this popular recommended backdrop called the Kate Fine Art Light Beige Abstract Texture Backdrop for a cozy, artistic background that enhances the overall photoshoot vibe.
4. Top props for aesthetic milk bath photography
You probably already have some prop ideas of your own after looking at milk bath photo inspirations. To spark that inspiration again, there are few popular prop examples any parent can use to create an engaging milk bath baby portrait.
Our favorites include: Using soft-colored flowers for a gentle and earthy feel, incorporating soft fruits to add vibrant color and life, and lastly, adding leaves, ferns, or other small green plants for a natural texture and depth in the photo.
Image from Shutterstock
5. Lighting tips for perfect milk bath photos
Photography is all about lighting, so, consider these lighting types we’ve found useful during our photoshoots.
Natural lighting is usually optimal in photography, especially, overcast flat light for an even illumination. One thing to avoid with natural lighting though, is direct sunlight — unless that’s what you're going for in the photo. And as parents, we might not have softboxes or reflectors, but they’re the best for achieving gentle lighting.
Image from Shutterstock
Camera Equipment And Settings For The Best Milk Bath Baby Portraits
Below are some camera and gear settings parents can use on their digital single-lens reflex camera or everyday cell phone. We cover our recommended equipment, camera settings to remember, and shooting angles and positions to use for a baby portrait photoshoot.
Recommended equipment
We understand not all parents out there have a DSLR at home, but if you do — double check to see if you have everything you need to properly use the camera.
Here’s our recommended equipment for a professional-like baby milk bath photo:
• For a camera, we recommend a high-resolution DSLR or mirrorless camera for clear details.
• For your lens, try a 50mm f/1.8 or 85mm f/1.4 lens and close-up shots with shallow depth of field (beautiful background blur.)
• And always have a tripod handy for stabilization.
Camera settings
Before you be start your DIY baby photoshoot, set your DSLR or camera phone settings to the following:
• Choose a wide aperture (f/1.8 - f/3.5) to highlight the baby and create a soft, blurred background.
• Change your shutter speed to a faster shutter speed (1/200 seconds or faster) to avoid motion blur, especially if the baby is having fun in the water.
• For your ISO, set it to 800-1600 in low-light conditions, but avoid going too high to prevent noise.
Shooting angles and positions
Make sure to save these shooting angles and positions handy to get variety in your shots. By shooting at different angles and positions, it makes for more opportunities in nailing the ideal picture.
Even if you’re a beginner photographer, try taking an aerial shot of your baby to capture a photo with more dimension, one that will look great on the stairwell wall. Or snap shots of your baby’s profile while they’re in the milk bath. You could even try going in for a close up with a 50mm lens for facial details, like the eyes and smile, intimate, and emotional shots.
Safety Tips To Remember For The Baby Milk Bath Photoshoot
Above all, the most important part of this whole project is making sure your baby is safe and secure in the water tub. Here are some safety tips for infant milk bath photography.
1. Prepare the milk bath at a warm yet comfortable temperature. Make sure the one-to-one water to milk ratio mixture is a reasonable heat at ideally between 90-98°F (32-37°C) for your baby.
2. Take anti-slip measures to establish a safe working environment for everyone involved, especially while working with little loved ones. Set up the photoshoot on top of rubber mats or carpet with traction and steady any furniture in the room.
3. Keep track of time on the day of the photoshoot. You’ll be working against an unpredictable baby and the water cooling, so be sure to follow the schedule and take breaks if necessary to maintain a pace.
4. Prepare a supportive surface: Reduce the risk of the baby slipping or yourself slipping by preparing the shoot on a sturdy table or supportive surface.
5. Avoid submerging the baby's head: Never ever submerge your baby’s head under the milk water.
6. Have extra towels on hand: As parents, we already have extra towels on hand with babies but guarantee some are nearby during your photoshoot to protect your equipment.
7. Ensure the room is warm: Keep everyone in the room comfortable by maintaining a warm room temperature of around 72-75°F or 22-24°C.
8. Avoid overcrowding the scene: Very important people only on the scene at the photoshoot.
Posing Ideas And Inspiration For Milk Bath Photography
There are several adorable and sweet poses to put your baby model in as they are in the milk bath. We’ve listed not only our favorites, but the easiest ones as well.
Don’t forget these go-to poses and ideas for your upcoming milk bath photoshoot for your baby.
1. Relaxed, leaning back
The simplest and cutest pose for your baby is to easily plop them in the milk bath container.
Image from Pexels
2. Sitting upright
Grab your baby’s attention so they sit all the way up for an elegant pose.
3. Sitting, looking off camera
Capture an organic expression by sitting the baby up and engaging them from off camera.
Image from Pexels
4. Sitting upright and looking above
This pose is visually interactive and dynamic. Just be sure to plan for an aerial shot ahead of time so you have the proper tools.
Image from Pexels
5. Active hands and feet
Movement always adds more engagement in photos — so snap away when your baby model gets restless.
6. Pose with a prop
Take a detailed portrait shot by having your baby hold a prop, and then focusing the shot on their hands holding it.
Image from Shutterstock
Easy Editing Tips For Baby Milk Bath Photos
Okay, now that the photoshoot is over, it’s time to edit the images to perfection. Some parents might know how to navigate programs like Adobe Photoshop, others might use mobile editing apps like Snapseed or Facetune.
No matter what you use to edit your photos, we want all parents and photographers to consider the following editing tips for shareable milk bath baby photos.
1. Color adjustment: Use warm tones and filters to emulate an angelic vibe.
2. Remove distractions: Eliminate any unnecessary imperfections or out-of-place elements in the scene in post-production.
3. Skin tone correction: Due to lighting, the baby’s skin tone might look off so try to adjust the natural skin tone in your choice of editing program.
4. Background blur: Besides using a wide aperture, you can also apply a dreamy, ethereal effect in the photo during the editing phase.
5. Brighten eyes: Engage the viewer by sharpening and brightening the subject’s eyes.
6. Adjust exposure: A truly professional photo has the proper exposure to maintain detail in both the highlights and shadows.
7. Softening details: While we recommend sharpening the eyes in post, softening details with a filter can produce a more delicate, tender look.
8. Add a vignette: Apply a classic vignette for the quintessential baby milk portrait.
The Takeaways
In the end, trying to do a milk bath baby photoshoot involves a lot of logistics and planning, but is doable for any parent who sets their sights on the dreamiest baby pictures. The effort is well worth it to capture the most precious moments of the beginning of a baby’s life.
However, while we encourage you to use this outline as a guide, we also encourage parents to exercise their creativity. Try incorporating different props in the water or come up with a sub theme. You could also have more than one model starring in the photoshoot or change the color of the milk water. Or, additionally, you can get equipment within your own budget or skillset as well as utilizing unique filters and editing techniques to enhance your final result.
Baby milk bath photography is not just for those who are professional photographers or for those who have the cash. It’s for everyone who has the interest to try and has a love for beauty, photography, and babies.
Easter🥚
