Pumpkin Patch Babies

You know what I love about pumpkins? Everything. They happen to be the best color in the world (there really aren't enough people in the world that have orange as their favorite color), they're super yummy, they're nutritious, you can decorate with them from August through Thanksgiving and no one gives you weird looks (well...usually), and they are just fun. 

We had two submissions the past little while that included pumpkins, photos, and some very unhappy babies. I knew we had to get them up on here. 

The Original Pins

http://www.thephotographerswife.com/play-dates-and-pumpkins/

http://blog.gracobaby.com/2011/11/16/babies-bundles-bumps-70-little-pumpkin/

The next generation of Cabbage Patch Babies...Pumpkin Patch Babies! Aren't they cute? Marie and Melanie saw this idea and loved it. They carved out the pumpkins and put their adorable cherubs in and these are the shots they got:

The Pinstrosities

http://raiseaboy.com/2012/11/the-things-moms-do-for-a-picture/

"This is my granddaughter, Elli, and my son is holding her up in her version of the cute Pumpkin Baby on Pinterest." -Marie

Oh those shots make me chuckle. If we could only find a way to communicate with babies just how cute of a photo it will be and how much they'll love it when their older (especially when those photos are pulled out to show their dates, hehehe). 

Taking photos of babies can be tricky. One day the baby could be happy as a clam (apparently clams are happy) and do just fine, only to be not so cooperative the next day. You just have to be patient and be willing to try again later if the timing is not quite right. I'm no expert on this...I'm still learning myself, but here's a few tricks I've learned when it comes to photographing babies:

• Take pictures when they are happiest. Does your baby wake up super happy in the morning? Take the photo then (even if you are still wiping the sleep crusties out of your eyes). Have an afternoon baby? Take the photos then. If the baby is already happy, the picture will be a lot easier. 
• Have the prop/area warm. Now I've never sat in a pumpkin before, but I'm trying to imagine it. I'm imagining a slimy cold pot that I can't get out of. I think I'd probably react the same was as the babies in the pictures. There are things you can do though to help minimize that. Let the pumpkin sit in the sun for 20 min. or so before trying to take the picture. Put a blanket (that you're okay with getting messy of course) in the pumpkin first and then put the baby in it, tucking the blanket out of site around the baby. I think this is what they did in the 2nd picture of the Original Pins. If you look at the left leg, you can see blanket or clothes there by her leg in the pumpkin. 
• Sometimes it's just the initial displeasure of being messed with that gets a baby upset for photos. Sometimes the baby is unhappy at first when you put them in an item (a small crib, a scarf, a pumpkin, etc), but they may settle down after a minute or two. If the baby's unhappy at first I will usually try to rock them in the item and talk to them. This can calm them down...it can make them more upset. There's no clear cut equation with babies and pictures. 
• Have everything set up before hand. Have the pumpkin in place, the blanket in the pumpkin, any other props you want, a heater if need be already blowing warm air on the pumpkin, the camera set on a tripod, etc. The more you have set up, the less time the baby has to just sit in the pumpkin awkwardly while you get things just perfect. 

Those tips may help...but they may end up not doing any good for you. I don't have any babies of my own yet, but one thing I can predict about every baby is that it will be unpredictable. Just be patient and be willing to try again later when the baby's happier; you may end up with the perfect shot the next time...or you may find out that your baby hates pumpkins with a passion.