Last week I let the boys take a very bubbly bath so I could get some great shots to have printed to hang in my newly redecorated hall bathroom (see that post here featuring spray painted cabinets). They had a blast and I was really happy with the way the pics turned out so I thought I’d do a post on my best 8 Tips for Better Bath Time Photos. Bath time photos can be really cute, if done well…and if those in the tub are of the appropriate age range.
Credit for image to Aspirations of Olyvil
Yikes. Not even Michael Phelps can work the tub past age 5 or 6. Also, family photos should ALWAYS be taken sans tub…
Credit for the image to The World According to Merf.
Ok. So lets just all agree that the only person who can break the aforementioned rules is Ricky Gervais.
Credit for image to RickyGervais.com.
Credit for image to Hypervocal.
Because he is hysterical and that trumps all reason and appropriateness. Anyway, so do you got it? Bath tub pics CAN be cute and fun, but you must be smart about it. Which is why I will give you these next fabulous 8 tips. Maybe I’ll send them on to Ricky, just so he can up his game.
Tip 1. Use window light. If it is possible in your home, try using window light as your main lighting source for you bath time shoot. I’m generally a natural light photographer and I think that for natural looking bath time shots window light provides the softness that makes the shots seem candid and natural. If you happen to have a window above your tub (as mine is in my master bathroom) this is perfect for creating a bright and sunny look and backlighting the shots to make your kiddos really shine. Be mindful that if backlighting is happening (meaning if you are shooting right into the light source) you may need to adjust your metering on your camera so that the camera meters for the subject and not the window light. I used spot metering in this case. {If you’re using a point and shoot you may need to front light your subject with a light or diffused flash if you’re window is providing significant backlight.} I shot these photos in the middle of the day when the light through the window (which is on the side of my house) was soft and bright but not directly beaming through. The other thing you may need to do is provide some kind of reflector to bounce the light from the window back into the kiddos’s eyes. The window in my bathroom in directly across from a wall of mirrors above the vanity in my bathroom so the mirrors acted as a reflector which helped to keep my boys lit from the front even with such intense backlighting. If you don’t happen to have a mirror across from your tub, you could use a white piece of posterboard or even light colored walls in the bathroom that can act as a reflector.
Tip 2. Increase the exposure. I think the bath time pics looked the best when I bumped up the exposure on my camera (you can also do this in editing after you’ve shot and uploaded the photos) almost to the point where they could be considered “high key” photos. “High key” basically means that the pics are overexposed and very bright with even some blown out areas where it is so bright some detail is lost. Since the light and bubbles were so white, increasing the exposure helped to lighten up my boys in the image and make them stand out against the light backdrop.
Tip 3. Increase the shutter speed. This is actually a pretty general tip for shooting kids, inside and outside of a tub. Kids move around a lot and especially when you set them up with a tub full of bubbles. Increasing the shutter speed will allow you to freeze the movement and catch the quick shots sharply. You will want to shoot away, don’t be shy about it either. Memory cards are great in that they allow us to shoot a zillion shots and then go back and delete all the ones we don’t like with the click of a button. Bare in mind that increasing the shutter speed will make the photo darker, the trade off of shutter speed vs exposure vs depth of field, etc. To compensate you will have to either increase your ISO (creating possibly a grainy image, which in my opinion isn’t always a terrible thing), increase your exposure (which you should do anyway, see the above Tip), let more light into the shot with external lighting, or lower your aperature (or f-stop number). I did this shoot with my 50 mm 1.8 lens. If you don’t have a 50 mm lens for your DSLR camera I can’t recommend it enough. I shot these at about f2.8 (which I find is the sweet spot for super crisp images) and ISO at about 320, shutter speed at about 1/400 sec, and the exposure compensation bumped up to about +3 or so. If you haven’t yet mastered the manual mode or if you are shooting with a point-and-shoot, you can try out the shutter priority mode or set your camera to some sort of fast action preset and increase the exposure if necessary in an editing program after the fact.
Tip 4. Have fun with bubbles. So the previous tips are technical tips, now we will do some composition, setup, fun tips. I poured a LOT of bubble solution into the tub (as well as a bit of dish washing soap) to create a big, frothy bath. Not only is this just a FUN factor tip, its also a good tip to keep the little boy parts hidden nicely under the bubble layer. So basically bubbles are cute, and can help if modesty is something you’re concerned about. I also had my hubby come in with a bubble blower and blow bubbles for a bit so the boys could have fun popping them and so I could catch some cute floating bubble action.
Tip 5. Be silly. This is supposed to be fun. This is supposed to be real. So be silly. Be fun. Be real. Or just threaten your kids until they appear that way for your shot. Yes, you will have to clean bubbles and water off of every surface of the bathroom when you’re done. But c’mon, don’t you always have to do that after your kids bathe anyway? I do.
Tip 6. Shoot from above. Some of my favorite shots from this bath time shoot are the ones that I shot from above. My kids lied down in the tub with all but their little faces covered in bubbles. So. Stinkin. Cute. I hopped up on the ledge over the tub and shot straight down at them. You can get up on a chair or a ladder to get these shots if you don’t have a slippery ledge like the one I was standing on. As a matter of fact, yeah, don’t do the slippery ledge thing. A ladder is much safer. Nothing will ruin a fun and adorable bath time shoot like mom knocked out on the tile lying next to her broken camera while her kids scream in terror.
Tip 7. Shoot the details. Its easy to want to get the “set up” shots all of the time, but don’t forget the details. Cute pickled hands and toes are a part of the bath time experience and something worth showing off. The details help make your shoot more of a story and less of a coordinated cut-and-dry photo session.
Tip 8. Capture the love. Okay. So I’ll be the first one to admit that this photo collage is somewhat misleading. My boys rarely snuggle, unless of course you count putting each other in headlocks as “snuggling”. Which is exactly why I was so happy I caught this unlikely scene. I would especially encourage you to catch an after-the-bath shot of your kiddos wrapped up in cuddly white towels. Its nice to have a photo or two that signifies “the end” of the shoot.
So those are my tips! I hope they help and inspire you to go do a bath tub shoot of your sweet little ones. Or your husband. I won’t judge. Unless you tweet those pics. Then I must judge. I can’t help it.
What other kinds of interesting shots have you done with your kids? Do you have any more ideas of how to make a bath time shoot turn out great? I’d love to hear! Talk to me people.
