DIY Cute and easy Toddler Halloween costume Photoshoot: Mad Scientist

Toddler Halloween costumes are super cute, doing a quick themed photoshoot can save those memories for life.

Creating a toddler Halloween costume photoshoot

Once you have that wonderful costume chosen one way to capture that cuteness is setting up a photoshoot. Toddlers are notoriously hard to photograph, they move at a speed most shutters don’t capture. To get them in one place for an extended amount of time set them up in a place they want to be. Photoshoots in an environment that’s natural for them and exciting is going to create the best pictures. Things like playing with themed toys that match there costume or setting them up with some themed snacks will go a long way.

    My son loves to play in water, any water; bathtubs, lakes, puddles, my glass of water on the table, anything. Watching him standing at the coffee table pouring water back and forth between cups is what gave me the idea for this fun photo shoot. I figured if I could set him up doing something he loves and make it extra fun then he wouldn’t mind me sitting with him taking pictures; he might even stand in one place long enough to get some good ones. And it worked! You’ll have to forgive me for the amount of pictures in this post it was hard to limit down to even this much.

 

     While we like to dress up throughout the year, Halloween is still a great excuse. No one questions you if it’s October!

 

    This shoot was particularly easy to plan for since everything I needed I either already had or needed to buy anyway. It was also a great opportunity to start playing with some simple chemistry. This was the first time he got to see vinegar and baking soda mixed together and it was a hit!

Cute, educational, fun and hand eye coordination practice all in one.

   What we used

The basic set up was the white board for the backround his plastic train mat on the floor, and the coffee table. The train mat proved indispensable to keep the mess undercontrol so he could play freely and it worked great. The lab coat, which I made in my previous blog post, fit very well and will make the perfect art smock in the future.

For the props I used a variety of glass containers as well as two beakers I had been using as mini planters (plants long since dead). I filled the containers with vinegar, baking soda dissolved in water, a blue bath fizz in water, and bubble liquid. I used a straw to blow bubbles in one of the jars to get things looking active and get that big smile that makes the shoot so fun.

Other equipment: One excited toddler

I am so happy with the results, I couldn’t have asked for better. I ended up with 170 photos, and once I narrowed it down to my favorites I still had about 30. The plan is to pick on or two and frame them but I’m not looking forward to that task. Bottom line, I am so happy I actually went through with this idea and I can not recommend it enough. These are pictures that will never get old. The mess was utterly worth the memories and photos we ended up with.

I highly recommend silly photoshoots for adults and children alike.

Photo editing

I use GIMP and photoshop express to edit all my photos, there are many options including just editing them on your phone even things like Instagram with there own built in editors can be a lot of fun. This project is the perfect place to use the over the top and dramatic filters that you never get to utilize.

For my favorite photos I took them into gimp and did some digital illustration to amp it up, who doesn’t want a fun science frog friend in their pictures?

The take away

The bottom line here is setting up a photoshoot is the optimal way to amp up those super cute Halloween costumes for young kids and toddler, and even adults. Create a photoshoot that the model is interested in, something they want to do so they will be happy and it wont be faked. Don’t be afraid to go over the top, if there is any place to really get silly and excited this is it! make it fun!