How To Make Hot Chocolate Bath For Photoshoot

How to Shoot Hot Cocoa Photo Sessions

The virtually magical time of the twelvemonth is almost here, and subsequently the long and challenging yr we've all had, a picayune magic is what we all demand, am I right?

This is the time of yr when I endeavour to ignite as much magic as possible in my kids, family, friends, and clients.  In that location's nothing better than seeing the love and sparkle that comes from deep inside them.

Every twelvemonth, I like to create a magical and fun Christmas mini-session idea that volition spark interest in my clients and community.

So this yr, I decided to try my own Hot Cocoa Mini Sessions!

Backdrop

This is the first time I tried a Hot Cocoa Photograph Session, so I idea I would first by practicing with my two children - the first upwards was my 3 year old son!

I started by purchasing a beautiful vacation backdrop.  But this wasn't your typical hot cocoa stand properties or little gingerbread cottage backdrop you oftentimes run across.  It was a 96"x60" properties from Fancy Fabric & Props called "Twinkle Winter Wonderland," and that's precisely what it was.  It radiates PURE HOLIDAY MAGIC, and when you expect at it, it makes you feel like you are actually in a Winter Wonderland!

I knew it would be perfect for my Hot Cocoa holiday mini-sessions!

Setup

Next, I started gathering & creating props for my Hot Cocoa photo sessions.

To create the white flooring, I used two white wall panels that I purchased from Lowes.  After I hung my winter wonderland backdrop on my backdrop stand, I needed to blend it in with the flooring, so I added some buffalo snow at the bottom of the backdrop where the floor and backdrop see.  I besides added some twinkle lights to the snowfall.

It looked amazing!

Hot Chocolate Cup Prop

To create the giant hot cocoa cup my kids would sit down in, I purchased a large planter (also from Lowes) - one that y'all would typically utilize for flowers or plants.  The verbal planter I found was made by Style Selections and was 20" wide past 17.four" alpine.  Information technology came in a beige color off the shelf, merely I wanted a white one, then my married man spray painted it for me, and information technology turned out even better than I imagined!

The planter also didn't have any holes in the bottom, so I didn't have to worry nearly water leaking out.  Just brand sure to check for holes when you are choosing your own.

To create the hot cocoa harbinger, I bought a 3-pes long piece of one" white PVC pipe from my local hardware store.  It didn't come in a 3-foot length, but they were kind enough to cut it to size when I asked.  For the reddish part of the harbinger, I used red record fabricated by Scotch, which I also purchased at the aforementioned hardware store.

Now, for the really fun part - HOT COCOA!

There are a couple of different means to simulate hot cocoa.  For my kids, I filled upward the loving cup with about xv gallons of warm water - holy moly!  That was a lot and took a while, but I wanted to make sure that it was filled upwardly enough so that when I was shooting, I would be able to see the h2o in the photos.

Next, I added a bit of milk to the h2o to give it the "cloudy" expect that Hot Cocoa has.  And if you don't desire to use actual milk, you can also employ powdered milk.

So, I added about i 1/2 packs of ACTUAL hot cocoa mix.  I fabricated sure to mix it really well, so in that location were no clumps of powder in the h2o.  If y'all don't desire to use bodily hot cocoa powder, nutrient coloring tin also piece of work.

Finally, I added some JUMBO CAMPFIRE Marshmallows, which I purchased from my local grocery store.  The bags I bought came with nigh 12 HUGE marshmallows, and then I purchased two packs.  I put some inside the cup and so also added some on the floor around the loving cup.  It was PERFECT!

When my setup was finally ready, my son hopped into the cup and had the time of his life.  I had him put on a cute little Santa hat and let him munch on a few marshmallows.  He couldn't end smiling!

Then a calendar week later, my daughter decided she wanted to do the same shoot.  She's a fleck older than my son, and I wasn't sure how I wanted to capture this moment with her and go far age-advisable.  So I bought her a fun wintertime lid that was red with a simulated fur ball on top and a bathing suit that looked similar a processed cane that I establish on Amazon.

I followed the same setup I described higher up, and it turned out just as magical!!

Camera Settings

When I shoot, I shoot natural light.  Then I kept my F-stop between 2.5 and two.8, my shutter speed at 1/250th, and my ISO betwixt 400-800.

Editing Tips

After I finished each shoot, I couldn't wait to edit my photos!  I had visualized exactly how I wanted them to look and began to recollect about how to edit them to attain what I had in mind.

I edit primarily in Lightroom, so I idea the Pretty Presets & Deportment new Clean and Colorful Millennium Preset Collection would be a perfect fit for these photos!

One time I uploaded my images into Lightroom, I played around with the Make clean and Colorful Drove presets.  For these images, I used the Crystal Springs preset - it was perfect, and in that location was not much else I needed to change later on I applied information technology.

I did brand a few pocket-sized adjustments to the exposure, contrast, temperature, and orangish saturation settings.  I as well sharpened the photo and upped the noise reduction a niggling.

After completing my Lightroom edits, I saved my photo.  I and then opened information technology in Photoshop to add some actress little magical touches like snow from the Pretty Presets & Actions "Let information technology Snow" Collection for Photoshop to make information technology look like it was really snowing and steam coming from the loving cup to enhance the hot cocoa effect.

Conclusion

After seeing how in LOVE I was with these photos and the magic that radiated from my children, I knew I had to offering them to clients.  Shooting my children with this setup brought me so much joy and happiness, and I knew deep down in my center that this would be an amazing memory so many families would love to have.

Photography brings me joy like no other.  Information technology warms my middle that I can capture incredible memories for others that they volition be able to cherish for a lifetime.

I hope you can use this guide to assistance create some magical vacation photos for your own family unit, friends, and clients.  And join me in the Pretty Presets & Actions Facebook group -- I can't wait to encounter what kind of magic you tin create with this fun holiday setup!

Until next fourth dimension, best wishes and holiday kisses!

Do you accept any questions or comments about Hot Cocoa Photo Sessions?  Merely leave united states of america a comment below - nosotros would LOVE to hear from you!  AndPLEASE SHARE this mail using the social sharing buttons (we really appreciate it)!

Source: https://www.lightroompresets.com/blogs/pretty-presets-blog/hot-cocoa-christmas-mini-sessions

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