How To DIY Milk Bath Maternity Photoshoot
If you were searching through Pinterest when looking for maternity photoshoot inspiration ideas and stumbled upon the milk bath photos, same here. The pictures all looked so beautiful and I knew I had to try it. With just a little research, I realized just how easy taking milk bath maternity photos are and I encourage everyone to try it out! You don’t need a large bathroom or beautiful windows either!
how to diy a milk bath maternity photoshoot
1. Have inspiration photos
Having milk bath maternity photoshoot picture ideas saved on your phone will make the day of the photoshoot so much easier. If modeling and coming up with poses does not come naturally to you, then this will give you some ideas on what angles you will want as well as pose ideas with your hands, knees, etc.
2. Choose a bathtub location
Ideally, a large bathtub that has natural light seeming through is your best option. If this describes your bathtub, great! However, this isn’t the case for everyone and that’s fine! If you have a family or friend that you feel comfortable enough asking to use theirs you can try that. I personally just used my own bathtub without any windows or natural light and used a ring light tripod for better lighting.
3. Choose an outfit
I really liked the laced dress look in the inspiration pics I saw, so I knew I wanted something similar. Something about it just felt so beautiful and feminine! For my photos, I am wearing this lace dress from Amazon. Of course any outfit you feel beautiful in will work!
4. Gather the materials (milk + flowers)
Depending on the look you are going for, you can choose bright and vibrant flowers or keep it more neutral and calm. You can add some greenery from the leaves and stems of the flowers to add a natural touch! To keep things affordable I bought 5 bunches at my local Walmart for $5 each. When you are prepping for the photoshoot, cut the stems of the flowers leaving about an inch of the stem so that it can float in the water. During this process, I put the flowers in a bowl of water. I also separated a container of leaves and a pile of stems with the remaining leaves for decoration.
The milk bath recipe is as easy as mixing warm water with milk. You can use powdered milk but I used 2 gallons of whole milk to get that creamy look.
5. Set up lighting and tripod
If you do not have natural light, set up a ring light to get the extra light you will need. It makes a huge difference! And if you are doing this diy maternity photoshoot by yourself, a tripod is essential! This way you can set a self-timer and set different angles that you wouldn’t be able to get with just setting it on the toilet or counter! (This is what I did)
6. Fill the tub + decorate
Fill the bathtub with warm water and start decorating around the tub. My bathtub has all the different crevices and molds to it to hold shampoo bottles and such, but I was able to use every inch of my space. I added flowers to every pocket of the bathtub to add an extra pop. I even taped some flowers upside down to get rid of some of the white space! Get creative!
Next, add milk to get that cloudy effect. I used two gallons of whole milk. Get in the tub first and then decorate with the flowers you have sorted. That way the decor wont move as you get in! This happened to me and I learned my lesson so I am passing it on to you. It will be much easier to sort the flowers once you are in first.
7. Have fun with it!
Put on that self timer and shoot away!
Here are some photos I took with a camera crew of one (just me).