I posted a photo last week of Bastian and I in a milk bath. I did a similar shoot when I was 37 weeks pregnant last year. Because the maternity milk bath photos turned out so cute, I knew that I wanted to do it again when we hit our one year of breastfeeding. Since we posted that photo, I had a handful of people asking me about the process of taking the milk bath photos. So, I thought I’d share a few tips!
How much milk did you use for your milk bath photos?
The first time we made a milk bath last year, we used powdered milk. You can find powdered milk in the baking aisle! This time around, I used about half a gallon of regular milk and didn’t use any powdered milk. I feel like it turned out about the same, but if I were to do it again, I’d use real milk instead of powdered.
Make sure that the water in the bath isn’t too hot because a) it can make the milk curdle(ew) and b) if the water is hot, your skin will look really flushed and red. Aaaand you’ll get sweaty. I was so sweaty after my maternity session, but that’s also probably in part due to the fact that I was SO pregnant.
Add the flowers AFTER you get in
If you put the flowers into your milk bath before you get in, you run the risk of them getting wilted and submerged in the water as you get into the tub. This isn’t the end of the world, but they will look better longer if you carefully place them in the tub after you’re already in it.
How to get the best lighting
We only have one bathroom in our home that has a bathtub. And it is inconveniently placed so there is NO natural light nearby. You just have to work with what you have. The more light the better, just try to avoid harsh shadows. If your bathroom is too dark, try bringing in a few lamps, but don’t shine the light directly on the person in the tub. Rather, point the light at the ceiling so the light will be a bit softer. We’ve also resorted to using the flashlights on our phones to add extra light. Do whatcha gotta do. If you’ll have a lot of harsh or yellow lighting(like I did), then you’ll have to make sure you can edit those harsh colors out! I used my “Classic” preset with the shadows turned up and the orange saturation brought down, and I didn’t have a problem with making them look like we’d had beautiful, natural light! You can purchase my presets here.
How do you get high enough to take the photos?
Probably the easiest way to get high enough, is to use a ladder. Both times we’ve done milk bath photos, though, I’ve had my photographer just standing on the edges of the tub. You’ll need to have a wide angle lens on your camera for this, though. We usually shoot with a 50mm lens because it’s honestly the best lens that we have. I have a confession to make, though. Our last batch of milk bath photos, Seth took for me on his pixel phone.
How did you get your baby to cooperate?
Okay, I’ll be honest. Bastian hated the milk bath. He screamed as soon as we brought him near it. He LOVES baths, but he hates any other forms of water we’ve tried to introduce him to. I think the fact that the water was white made him uncomfortable, and the flowers scared him. And he didn’t stop screaming until we got him out of the tub and changed back into clothes. We did the entire shoot in under five minutes. The fact that I was nursing him helped him stay calm-ish, so it doesn’t look like he’s having a meltdown. But trust me, he was having a meltdown. They turned out better than I thought they would, all things considered.
I have loved taking milk bath photos! They’re beautiful and unique and it was a beautiful way for me to celebrate the year of breastfeeding that Bastian and I have had together.