Custom Birth Announcements: How to Photograph Your New Squishy Lil' Baby Like A Pro
Oh baby! When it comes to sharing the news of the arrival of your bundle of bliss, I think photos are pretty much a must. Birth announcements with photos make the moment all the sweeter—and they allow your friends and family to confirm that yours is, indeed, the best-looking babe in all the land. Today, I want to offer up some ideas for designing distinctive, dreamy, did-you-see-how-cute-that-baby-is? birth announcements with photos.
1. Consider the photo a design element of the announcement.Don't just slap any old photo on your stationery and be done with it. Think of the photo as an integral design element, just as ink, paper colors, typography, and illustrations are. How do you make a photo a part of a cohesive design? Some things to consider:
- Frame it: Add a frame design around your photo to set it off, giving your gorgeous little babe the attention he deserves.
- Use Illustrations: Adding illustrations is a fun way to enhance the context of the photo and add some personality to the announcement. Put that sweet baby girl in a tutu and use an illustration of some ballet shoes. Or, wrap your bundle in an animal hooded towel and add an illustration of that animal (bears, bunnies, ducklings, and penguins are all popular choices). Surround your baby with toys and add a rattle illustration. The possibilities are absolutely endless.
- Choose design elements that complement the colors in your photo: If you’ve wrapped your little darling in a soft pink blanket, opt for a soft pink ink to set that off (or maybe Neon Pink for a bit of boldness, a personal favorite). You can also choose inks and paper that complement the colors in the outfit she's wearing.
When it comes to showcasing that beautiful new baby of yours, it’s nice to work with a professional photographer to get the highest-quality images, but that's often a luxury. Whether you’re working with a pro or snapping away yourself, here are some tips to help you get incredible photos:
- Find interesting angles.
Rather than looking down on your baby from above, get on their level to create images that feel like you’ve entered their sweet, innocent, magical world.
Focus on the details for a shot that are a little unexpected. That sweet face is stunning—but zooming in on the softest details can also be fabulous. Think a whirl of hair at the back of her head, those perfect tiny toenails, that Buddha belly (swoon!), that cute belly button, that chubby little wrist—the list of cuteness on which to hone is pretty much endless.
Explore a variety of positions. Rather than just laying him down, try propping him into an upright position. Or hold him over your shoulder and snap an up-close photo of those chubby cheeks pressed softly against you. Lay him on his tummy. Or, have a special someone lay him back in their arms—a parent, grandparent, or big sister or brother can all add some nice context to the shot.
- Share some special “firsts.”
Sharing a “first” moment is a great way to elevate your birth announcement with a story to make it a bit more memorable. Think about things like:
- Their first moment with mom or dad
- Their first bath (so cute!)
- Their first time on a scale
- Their first outfit
- Don't forget backdrops.
Adding a backdrop to your shot is a really great way to make your baby stand out. Think through how you want the overall finished birth announcement to look and feel—and use that as inspiration. Maybe you want something clean, light, and airy. If so, keep it simple and drape a white sheet over a few chairs, tape a piece of plain wrapping paper to the wall, or set your sweet one on top of a fluffy white down comforter on the floor.
Or, if you want something more creative and unexpected, think about props and backdrops you have on hand to make the image a little more unique. Get creative by putting them in or on things. Bowls and baskets are all-time favorites.
- Make friends with natural light.
Camera flashes don’t hold a candle to sunlight—which is why it’s so important to consider the time of day and the setting when you’re scheduling your photo shoot. Flash can really flatten important details, whereas sunlight makes for lovely shots with interesting shadows and highlights. Shoot outside, near a window, or in a room with plenty of natural light to avoid having to resort to using the flash.
- Fall in love with black-and-white.
The quickest way to take a shot from so-so to seriously stunning? Alter it to black-and-white. (You can use a simple photo editing app to do this.) Taking a photo from full-color to black-and-white is such a great way to soften unwanted scratches, marks, and blotchiness. It’s a super forgiving color scheme and a simple switch that immediately softens your photos and creates this really dreamy, ethereal feel.
BiBA TIP: Enhance your photos with editing apps. There are countless ones you can download to edit and enhance images right on your smartphone. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Snapseed: Has a cool face-enhance feature that lets you smooth out those bumps and scratches your beautiful newborn often arrives with
- Adobe Photoshop Express: Lets you crop and brighten images right on your phone
- Prisma Photo Editor: Gives your photos a painterly effect
If you’re opting for letterpress birth announcements:
- Adhere a hero photo to the front of a letterpress card: This gives you the best of both worlds—the elegance and beauty of letterpress printing along with the ability to digitally print the photo.
- Consider giclée printing on a beautiful cotton paper: This gives a fine art reproduction quality to the image. Plus, you can letterpress right on top of it. (Pronounced “zhee-clay”, giclée is a French word meaning “to spray”—the technique uses small spraying devices in an inkjet printer to create prints that are super high quality.)
- Share a collection of multiple photos: Print a few of your favorites and include them in a card pocket attached to the back of the letterpress birth announcement. The pocket makes a nice frame to the announcement as well. Gorgeous!
If you’re opting for digitally printed birth announcements: The great thing about digital printing for your birth announcements with photos is that you can print on both sides of the card, allowing room for a hero photo on the front of the announcement and a collage of photos on the back.
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Ready to announce your new arrival to the world? Browse our birth announcements—and, as always, don’t hesitate to reach out to the BiBA team with any questions or custom-design requests. We’d love to create something bespoke and beautiful for you and that squishy lil’ baby of yours!