November Photo CHallenge: Creative Props

I bet a lot of you, like myself, are starting to think about Christmas card pictures. EEK! it is already that time!!

I know a lot of us have smaller children, some don't, but I thought it would be fun to do a challenge with creative props.

I photograph younger children all the time, so having FUN props for them is awesome because it not only gets a cute picture, but it helps to keep their attention and keep them still. And although older children may follow directions of sitting still and smiling, it is still fun to get creative with your props;)

SO here are a few recent examples to get ya thinking, I would LOVE to see what ideas you have!! ( i realize some of these are not at all Christmas card worthy, but they are just examples to get you thinking outside the box)

If you keep your eyes open, you can really find some cool props for very inexpensive. I found this AWESOME chair at the flea market. It came this way, but I also bought a similar, plain one, that I am going to paint and refinish the cushion for a similar idea. I LOVE to look for cheap chairs for photo sessions and paint and fix them up. SUPER cheap and easy way to "dress Up" a picture.

This parasol was also an amazing find at the flea market. It only cost 2 dollars and kept this girl's attention. I took pictures with it and her older sister as well and I got some great shots of her "frolicking" around with it just having a grand ol' time acting girly.


And THIS, one of my fav finds EVER, was 10 dollars at an antique store. This worked SOOO well because what little kid DOESN"T want to sit STILL and play on a piano? I got some great genuine smiles with this prop.


Other popular ideas are different toys, lollipops or candy canes, tutus for girls etc.

Sometimes I think a lot of people make the mistake of trying to "force" their kids into sitting still on the fireplace or something for the Christmas card and that rarely ever works.

Thinking of fun props to use for your session will really enhance the experience for all involved!

I REALLY want to see what you all can think of!!! Have fun!