The All-Important 1st Birthday Pics - Ideas?

[CosmoKid]

So my wife wants to take the kids to a portrait studio and I am refusing. We came to the agreement that if I come up with some ideas I can do them on my own.

I did some searching and haven't come up with anything specific to 1st birthdays so I am looking for some ideas for locations, props, etc.

This will be for boy/girl twins.

[natalieegbert]

I dont know if this will help but my two little girls just had their birthday and they had a hawaian luau themed party and I took their pictures with that in mind. They had hula outfits and I had a little canoe, and a fishing net with starfish, etc. Then I set the best pictures out for their party so everyone could see them and I sent my family members some copies in the party invites. So if they are having a themed party you could use the theme of the party. Or one year I bought this giant 1 pinata from walmart for my daughter when she turned one and used it for a prop. Hope I helped some.

[stewbeth]

Smash Cake if you like the mess, Special Clothing, Balloons with 1's. All this can be combined.

[roszell]

So my wife wants to take the kids to a portrait studio and I am refusing.

...

This will be for boy/girl twins.

We have boy/girl twins as well and they are 5 months old. I hardly have any time to take pics of them but I am doing my best (we have a ton of snapshots and every month or so I will try and take some nice ones)- even bought an OCF setup to go along with my 580EX II recently.

My wife and I have this "discussion" from time to time- basically my wife wants to take them to some cheesy portrait studio. I argue that we invested all this money in photo equipment, that I could probably do a better job, I can do it when they are in a good mood whereas it's hit or miss bringing them somewhere to do it, etc.; I just need the time to work on them.

Good to know I'm not alone. :)

[chukdivad]

Smash Cake if you like the mess,
I did this after seeing a great set here on POTN and it was a lot of fun.

[joedlh]

Chocolate cake, chocolate icing if your kids are Caucasian. Otherwise, vanilla cake, white icing. Restrain mother, aunts, and grandmothers with several turns of 1/4-inch nylon rope. Let the kids eat the cake themselves. Take picture when restraints on mother, aunts, and grandmothers threaten to fail. You only get one shot at this. Make it good.

[CosmoKid]

We have boy/girl twins as well and they are 5 months old. I hardly have any time to take pics of them but I am doing my best (we have a ton of snapshots and every month or so I will try and take some nice ones)- even bought an OCF setup to go along with my 580EX II recently.

My wife and I have this "discussion" from time to time- basically my wife wants to take them to some cheesy portrait studio. I argue that we invested all this money in photo equipment, that I could probably do a better job, I can do it when they are in a good mood whereas it's hit or miss bringing them somewhere to do it, etc.; I just need the time to work on them.

Good to know I'm not alone. :)

My only flash options right now are a 430 EX II. We have good natural light in one room of the house though. I don;t have the "studio" set up like soem people do but can probably put something together for cheap(ish). The only thing I like about studios is they have the right space. Maybe I could look into renting out somewhere local.

Chocolate cake, chocolate icing if your kids are Caucasian. Otherwise, vanilla cake, white icing. Restrain mother, aunts, and grandmothers with several turns of 1/4-inch nylon rope. Let the kids eat the cake themselves. Take picture when restraints on mother, aunts, and grandmothers threaten to fail. You only get one shot at this. Make it good.

no pressure :o

what i have put together from poking around here...

1 set where the kids are dressed and have props.
1 set where they are in diapers only eating cake.