Christmas is that time of the year when everything feels warm and fuzzy. Giving and receiving gifts, families coming together, lilting carols, overflowing dinner tables, flickering fairy lights, warm pajamas– what’s there not to love about this season? If there’s a baby in your family, these celebrations can reach a whole new level, and a Christmas baby photoshoot lets you capture all of these moments so you can look back on them in the future.
While you will probably take plenty of candid photographs through the Christmas festivities, planning a photoshoot gives you a little something extra. These photographs aren’t just for the family album, you can use them as holiday cards or even frame them for everyone to see. Let’s look at a few Christmas baby photoshoot ideas at home.
Best Christmas Baby Photoshoot Ideas
1. Testing the lights
Fairy lights are a Christmas essential. From trees in the living room to window awnings, they’re everywhere you look. So, let’s make them a part of your Christmas baby photoshoot, too. You can create magical photographs by hanging a few strings of lights in the background with your baby sitting in front of them. The best part about this idea is that these pictures look good in coloured as well as in black and white frames. They inevitably tangle up, and you can use this opportunity in your favour. Put this tangled ‘mess’ of lights before your child so it looks like they’re playing with the lights. Be careful with this one, and play with perspectives to ensure your baby isn’t actually touching the lights while they are on.
2. I’m the best present
Christmas is incomplete without a stack of presents wrapped with ribbons and bows under the tree. Get inspired by this and seat your baby in an open gift-wrapped box. After all, aren’t children the best gift of all? Think red wrapping paper and lots of tinsel. Depending on how old your baby is, you could let them sit up and look out over the top of the box or lay them down to sleep on a cushioned pillow and take the shot from above. Adding a Santa hat as a prop takes the photograph to another level.
An easy alternative is to photograph your baby with a big red bow. This is one of the easiest Christmas baby photoshoot ideas for newborn infants. Your baby doesn’t need to be wearing anything else – just a big red wide satin bow and maybe a Santa hat. When you’re editing the photographs, you could keep just the bow in colour and let the rest of the photograph take on black and white tones.
3. A little dress-up
The Christmas season gives you so many costume options for a fun baby photoshoot. Dress your little one up as Santa in a red suit and matching hat, or go down the elf route. Imagine how cute your baby will look in a green jumper with a red hat. You can also experiment with delicate angel wings and reindeer antler headpieces. Remember, once your baby grows up, they won’t let you pick out their clothes as easily, so make the most of this opportunity.
While your little one is the star of this baby Christmas photoshoot, you can be a part of it, too. Get the whole family a set of matching pyjamas and take a family photo. Making this an annual tradition is a beautiful way to capture your family’s journey over the years.
4. How about some milk and cookies?
Do you have a family tradition of making Christmas sweets – cookies, marzipan or maybe a fruit cake? It’s a good idea to build a photoshoot around them. If you don’t have such a tradition, draw inspiration from Christmas movies – remember the scene where there’s milk and cookies left out for Santa? Capture your baby sampling a cookie or two with the rest in the background. Or, putting them down with a short note for Santa. If your little one can’t keep their eyes open, let them nap next to a plate of cookies and place one in his tiny fingers for the shot.
5. Stocking stuffers
Along with gift boxes under the trees, Christmas gifts are often stuffed into large red stockings. For a cute photograph of your little baby, slip them into an oversized red sock. These props are easy to find in the market. You could also add other props like a candy cane or a Christmas ornament to this photograph. This is a fun photoshoot idea, especially for infants.
6. Waiting for Santa
Even if your baby is too young to know about Santa riding in on his sleigh, you can use the image as inspiration for a few Christmas baby photoshoot ideas at home. Capture your little one sitting under the tree or peeking into a Christmas stocking. Cute handwritten notes saying “Where’s Santa” or “I’m waiting for you, Santa” are cute props.
7. Storytime
There are countless Christmas stories for children. Pick up a book and style a photoshoot around your baby’s bedtime story routine. You can capture a photograph of yourself reading to your baby in bed. Or, let your baby play with the book so it looks like he’s reading to himself. A big hardbound book works well for such photographs. Bonus points for making them wear a cute outfit in the shot.
Planning a fun photoshoot!
A photoshoot should always be fun, so don’t let it stress you out. You can work around these Christmas baby photoshoot ideas at home or outdoors with your hand-held camera or even your mobile phone. Or, book our professional photography services to get the best quality photographs. It’s not just about clicking pictures that capture a toothy grin but also editing them to bring out that Christmas magic.