Potty Training (Photo) Tips & New Year’s Photo Contest!
Blaze will probably kill me for this someday, but I couldn’t resist! 
What mom (maybe even dad, but it’s for a sure a mom thing :)) doesn’t want some cute shots of her little one potty training?
When we were at my brother’s for Christmas I got so excited when I saw our bathroom. White, white, white everywhere with a window in the shower!! The best set up for potty training type photos!
The recipe on these shots is the following:
Aperture was at a 2.8
Shutter Speed was kind of low. It was at a 80th of a second (1/80). You can’t really hand hold your camera below a 60th of a second and not get camera shake or blur in the shot, so I was playing a little close to fire with being down to an 80th of a second.
ISO was 400. I tried 100 and 200 first but there wasn’t enough light in the bathroom. Photos were coming out to dark, so I had to bump up to a 400. The low ISO is for your best color saturation, and since I was in an all white bathroom, I figured the color saturation wasn’t to big of a deal anyways.
If I’m talking a foreign language with the words Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO, check out our DVD Beyond the Green Box, Understanding Your Digital SLR and the other tips for parents in the “Photography Tips for Moms” category.
Okay, so if your little one is into the moment. Don’t stop shooting!
This last one is my favorite. Blaze calls it his “Batman Pose”. Doesn’t he look like he’s about ready to fly?
The recipe on all the shots are the same.
If you have a white bathroom with wonderful natural light and a little one that is potty training, you HAVE to do these shots! I was trying to think of the photo tips for this type of exercise, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I brainstormed.
1. Wait till your little one is a little farther down the road with being potty trained b/c you don’t want to be shooting and have them fall right in the toilet. Blaze started his potty training on a little toilet, and I have to be honest, photos on those little toilets just aren’t that cute. I think it’s the effect of seeing their bare feet not being able to touch the ground because they’re so small. This is what makes the shot so fun for me.
2. Wait until after they shower because the bathroom is usually warm from the steam of the shower, they are totally relaxed, and they are already naked! (I know, this is bad huh!)
3. Use white towels or white cardboard if you need more light in your bathroom. Photographers will sometimes use reflectors to get more light on their subject, but you can do the same thing with anything white whether it’s white cardboard or white towels. Any thing that will help brighten the area and reflect light will work. And the towels are great for shots of them too! To accentuate light in your bathroom with white towels or white cardboard, prop them up against the opposite wall that is facing your child so it reflects a little more light on your little one.
4. If you have access to a sibling, have big sissy dancing around behind you. This helps get those crazy facial expressions and excitement for the photos.
When we got home from LA last week, I was cleaning out the living room and came across this video.
This is the funniest potty training video ever! It has all these little kids carrying around their small toilets while dancing around. It’s really for your little one to watch so they see that sitting on a potty is FUN. We got this for Pascaline when she was two. I have no idea if it even works anymore, but I will totally send it a desperate potty training parent for free if you need it! Just post a funny story of why you’re so desperate in the comments, and we’ll pick one of you to send it to!
And don’t forget, we’re doing a New Beginnings Photo Contest to kick of the New Year! Submit any type of photo that in some way is a symbol of a New Beginning that you’re experiencing. For us, it’s totally this one!
We are so done with diapers forever!
The New Beginnings Photo Contest Deadline is this Sunday evening at 5pm Easter Time (8pm Pacific Time), January 6th!!
The winner will get $100 credit to one of our 2008 workshops!
AND we’re giving $100 credit for a 2008 workshop to a random voter too!
Send those photos in to contest@merakoh.com!!!
Potty Time Story - A video that makes the potty seem fun Oh My does that seem necessary in our home. Here are a few you may get a chuckle over.
At 18 months lil ‘r was holding over naps and nighttime and really appeared to be ready to go potty on the potty. So we pulled up the potty stickers in hand ready to go! We were good for a whole week going and happy stickers to show dad…then it happened. The poopoo kidnapping of ‘07. The big white monster STOLE HIS POOOPOOO! (*said in caps because you should picture the little man at this point screaming and crying)
Yes we watched his poopoo get flushed away. My poor potty trained little man has was ruined. For three hours all I heard as he sobbed uncontrollably was, “MY POOOOOPOOOOOO WHERE IS MY POOOOOPOOOO!” “NO NO POOOPOOOO” “IT STOLE MY POOOOPOOOO!”
Diapers ever since.
At 2 years and a month we had a discussion while Grandma was visiting and we were together in Mexico.
Grandma C: Robert, don’t you want to go poopoo on the potty?
Robert: Why that’s what diapers are for.
Yes I think we are just hosed…
Stacy - That is sooo funny! Great story!
Me Ra - Horray for no more diapers! Those pic’s are adorable, Blaze is so funny with all his expressions!
Isn’t it a little evil how we mom’s take so much pleasure in the potty/naked shots
Me Ra, I need to be much more careful when I’m stalking your blog at work! I laughed out loud when I saw that batman pose. I had a few strange looks but that’s ok, Nobody too important.
My wife and I are expecting our first in March, and I’ll be doing my best to remember all these photo tips for parents. Thanks for everything, keep up the great work!
John
So cute… I love his long hair.
A friend of a friend of a friend of yours sent me your blog, and I am totally addicted… been forwarding it to all my girlfriends (but not my customers
), and they love it.
I thought I would pass on a cute “heart” bokeh technique I found today.
http://www.diyphotography.net/diy_create_your_own_bokeh
Blessings,
kris from memphis
Love the pictures! The recipes you write are so helpful too. The explanations help me understand my camera better!! I also am thankful you explained the reflectors too because I am so new at this but want to use beautiful, natural lighting for shooting here.
Blaze will certainly kill you someday, but it will be worth it. Oh my goodness, he is adorable! We moms do love our boys! Now what do I do in a bathroom that is old, and 70’s, and needs a good cleaning?????
these are SO funny! I couldn’t stop laughing! Thanks for sharing!
What timing! Not minutes before reading your potty post, I was sitting potty side with my 2 1/2 year old son, singing his praises as he gruntted and tootted away! What proud and precious moments these are. Next time I will be sure to bring my camera! You go Blaze!We have the “Once Upon a Potty” book. It has been very helpful. May the most desperate Wee-Wee, Pee-Pee trainer win the video!
What a timely post. We are right in the thick of potty training these days too. I never even thought of documenting the process - but these shots are so darned cute.
Great pictures, and yes, Blaze will kill ya!
So the big question is why do we Pacific time zone folks get 6 extra hours for the contest? Are you partial because you are a homer? Just kidding! I think you mixed up your time zone conversions.
LOVED this post. Blaze looks adorable up on that pot. You really and truly captured his personality–and then some! My fav is the picture of him on the floor with his bottom lip sucked in.
Thanks for the recipes, too.
LOVE the pictures! You will need to use them for his wedding montage slide show!
Oh the potty training days! We had just taken out the Once Upon a Potty potty seat yesterday for our 20 month old. He is currently using as a chair while he watches TV!
We just have to find our DVD so he can watch Joshua say goodbye to his poop! LOL!
I love the high key feel of these! Blaze is a star, he is so darn cute! Who knows where these will end up? Here is to a great 2008!
-Heather
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