Set up For Winter Portrait Shoot

 

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I am LOVING winter portrait shoots!

 

My client, Bella was born on January 29th, but we had to wait a

few weeks to get some snow for her fourth birthday outdoor portrait.

 

I wanted to commemorate her winter birthday.

 

Winter shoots like this in the bitter cold take a ton of

PRE-PLANNING...especially with little ones.

 

I always style birthday shoots and pulled together this

adorable outfit for Bella using thrift store finds.

 

The boots, coat, hat and mittens are all from thrift stores

for a few dollars.  I added the flower to the hat...made with

thrift store flowers and ribbon!  I bought the skirt off E-bay

and have used it in many shoots.

 

I laid the outfit out on my kitchen table before Bella arrived.

 

 

We got EIGHT inches of snow the day before the shoot

and I was THRILLED this day was SUNNY.

 

I scheduled the shoot for 10 am because that's when the sun is

perfect in my back yard.

 

First, I determined the best LIGHTING spot.

 

I knew it would be too difficult to traipse through all that snow

to get to it, so I shoveled a path across our back porch and even

shoveled the GRASS!

 

I needed area to move around with my camera.

 

I placed the table just beyond my shoveled area

so the snow would be pristine in the photos.

 

Notice how the table is placed in the ideal spot with the sun.

I did this just minutes before Bella arrived because the

sun moves by the minute.

 

 

I planned ahead and put great thought into the

styling and the look I wanted.  All of this stuff

is from thrift stores.

 

 

Next, I took some sample shots to get

my exposure perfect.  Now my camera and settings

were ready for Bella.

 

I had her daddy place Bella on the stool while I

was already in place with my camera.

 

I wanted to capture those first candid moments

of awe and joy.

 

She didn't even know I was shooting...it was

all about those pretty cupcakes.

 

In some of the photos, I used the

editing technique I shared in this blog post.

 

After she was over her initial rapture she

was all posey for me.

 

Notice how I cloned out the footprints in the snow around the table.

 

Turned out, the cute pink boots were too big, so she wore her own.

 

 

 

 

I shot all these photos in less than ten minutes because

I had planned so carefully before the shoot.

 

This is the KEY with children in cold temperatures.

 

Bella was so beautiful on her fourth birthday,

and was delighted to go home with those pretty cupcakes!