A tale of two tutus

Written by Adrienne Gray

I'll spare you all the once upon a time drivel and get to the point.  Okay moms of girls, admit it.  We're all suckers for the tutu.  It's where the dreams of little girls and their mommies colide into magic, whimsy and living-room twirls.

On the other hand, you've gotta admit, the tutu photo card has been played! I've caught myself thinking 'If I see one more newborn in a shocking magenta tutu...' well, I'll let you fill in the blank.  That's why today I was so excited to see fellow Momtographer Megan's precious photos of baby "I".

 

It's subtle, classy, yet every bit chock full of girly girl whimsy.  I look at this photo and see beautiful baby girl, enhanced -NOT SWALLOWED- by her attire.  I get to enjoy every roll on those arms and really eat up the toothy grin and shining eyes. Way to go Megan!

That's not to say that there's not a place in the costume closet for the crazy pink and purple princess attire glittered from head to toe... but lets let THEM make those choices when they're old enough to pull them off and we can shoot them documentary-style.  Maybe it's because I made my own share of wardrobe mistakes when Sydney was a newborn, but I'm totally of the opinion that soft and subtle befits the wee-ist of the wee ones. I present as evidence, "THE BOTCHED VALENTINES DAY PHOTOSHOOT".

Her screams prove that my then 2-month-old had more class than her mommy! And this photo is so bad, it'd take me 3 blog posts to point out everything I did wrong here, starting with the horrible choice of pose, and ending with blur due to shutter speeds set by a total novice. I guess the upside is that I had nowhere to go but up in my photo skilz.

Krista and I preach the gospel of prop caution, and it's with good reason... you won't look back and say 'What in the name of my child was I thinking?'.  It's something I've been reflecting on a lot lately with three and a half years of shooting under my belt and a new baby on the way.  I'll catch myself on Etsy surfing the great photo prop tsunami (and wow, there are some great ones!), and find myself thinking better of purchasing the giant knit cap - which I might add would be very realistic for a newborn born in July in the sub-tropical region of Lower Alabama. It's kind of a philosophy I've developed by trial and error - but over time, I've come to recognize, that when posing your child for photos, less is really more.

So today, I take a giant wool beanie off to Megan for keeping the tutu classy and for really letting your daughter's beauy shine through!  Keep 'em classy girls!

 

 

 

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18 comments

  • Comment Link Sarah Craig Thursday, 10 June 2010 17:04 posted by Sarah Craig

    I couldn't agree more! Great post! I sometimes feel guilty b/c I'm just starting out and can't afford a bunch of props for my clients. But then I remember that even if I had a ton of money to spend, I sure wouldn't waste it on props. I mean, don't get me wrong, I TOTALLY splurged on a pink pettiskirt the other day- my very first prop- and don't regret it for a second. But I really love pics, especially of little tiny babies (3 months and younger), just wearing nothing but their diaper. Anyway, just wanted to say I'm totally with you on this.

    Also- in Megan's gorgeous photo, baby has a headband/bow on her head that is APPROPRIATELY SIZED. The focus is still on the baby's face, not the gigantic bow on her head. I do not get the GINORMOUS bows people put on newborns headbands. Granted, my daughter was born with a thick head of hair that you could clip a tiny bow in from the moment of her birth. BUT- I do not get the huge bow craze on little ones. I really like those headbands we've seen lately that are very thin, and teeny tiny little flowers on them. THAT is a prop I would totally spent money on!

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  • Comment Link Adrienne Gray Thursday, 10 June 2010 18:43 posted by Adrienne Gray

    Sarah - I agree with you on the head dressings! It's all about proportion. I kept Syd in a hat almost the entirely of her babyhood because she had the largest, roundest sweetest mad-scientist of a bald head. Some of my choices worked out - some didn't. We're so blinded by mommy love, no?

    I've seen some cute flowery and feathery ones, but again - EVERYTHING IN MODERATION AND PROPORTION :)

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  • Comment Link Genka81 Saturday, 12 June 2010 03:24 posted by Genka81

    I love that picture! I love how it's so natural and the colors all match. Great job!

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