Oh what a dreamy session it was to work with Stuart Brazell! I have been flowing her blogs and her stories on Instagram because she’s a fellow boy mom and has the funniest and cutest take one motherhood. So what an absolute honor that I got chosen to work with Stuart for her maternity milk bath photoshoot for her second pregnancy in her Hollywood, California home!
We even bonded on a personal level throughout the photo session as we shared stories of mom life, gave each other makeup tips, and laughed about “boys” stories. It was so great to work with a fellow mom because we totally get each other!
We started the session in one of her favorite intimates to give a bit a variety.
How This Session Began.
When Stuart enquired about local photographers who offered milk bath sessions, I threw my name in the hat. And she picked ME! So we got started right away in planning her session. I got my ladies from Hair by Audrey Bsalon on board and within a couple of weeks, we were headed from Pasadena, California to the heart of Hollywood Hills. We lugged all our equipment and tools and got on the road (thank goodness there was no traffic since we’re in the middle of a pandemic and under quarantine).
Frist and foremost, let me tell you – Stuart is so down to Earth! She’s got a gorgeous home overlooking the Hollywood sign and the lake and she’s used to working with celebrities as an entertainment reporter, but she’s the sweetest! She was open to suggestions and told me to run with my creativity. I sent a few ideas for how I envisioned her milk bath portraits and she loved them all!
Belly detail shots are a must!
How Do You Plan an In-Home Session During a Pandemic?
So how did we plan this milk bath session in the middle of a pandemic and under quarantine? Lots and lots of text messages! We sent each other ideas back and forth and Stuart sent me photos of her bathroom. Let me tell you, her bathroom is huge – but it was definitely not the studio space we’re used to. So the hardest part for us was to fit our studio lighting in her bathroom.
My creative husband was able to place our 6’ PLM umbrella in her shower and we were able to mimic and create the beautiful lighting we were so used to in our studio. This creative thinking from my husband’s part really saved us. I know there’s a million way to light this set up but I’m a believer in not spending on equipment if we don’t absolutely need to; so, this is what we worked with.
SIDE NOTE: In case you were wondering how we did the session in the middle of a pandemic, everyone wore KN95 masks, the hair and makeup team even wore face shields. We all monitored our temperature and made sure no one was experiencing any symptoms.
How Did I Pick the Flowers for a Milk Bath Portraits?
I went and purchased fresh flowers from a local grocery store on my way up to Stuart’s house. I was prepared to go to a few grocery stores since Stuart had one request – she wanted to incorporate some blue flowers since she’s expecting her second boy. But I lucked out and only needed to stop by one and got blue Gerber daisies. Why didn’t I use fake flowers instead? Well, I tried. I went to a local craft store a week before and bought me some fake blue flowers and tested their ability to float in a bowl at home. It was a total failure! It sank. I tried the bubble wrap at the base trick; that was a flop, literally. Husband tried to Scotch Guard it but that took too much time and we didn’t want all that chemical floating in the bath tub with a pregnant mama in there. So fresh flowers worked best!
How Did I Set Up the Tub for the Milk Bath Photos?
First, I waited until Stuart was 100% ready in terms of hair and makeup. I then had her get dressed in the next room in the lace gown I provided for the milk bath while I filled the tub with warm water about ¼ of the tub. Once the water was perfect, I added non-dairy milk powder and waived my clean hand and arm in the tub a few times to mix it in. The trick is not to mix too much where you end up creating bubbles.
When Stuart was ready, I had her get in the tub and watched my water level. I adjusted my water level to where I wanted it land on her as the shoot progressed. We started with the sitting poses, then had her lean back and eventually had her nearly completely submerged for the final face and belly shots. Oh…and I did not add the flowers into the tub until she was situated in the tub. I also added more flowers to create the desired look as we went along.
Getting the high angle in a small bathroom space is always a challenge but we nailed this one.
How Do You Get the Flowers to Float?
Using fresh flowers and adding it along as we went on with the shoot was made a lot easier by cutting the flowers ahead of time and having them sit in bowls of water until we were ready to add them to the tub. This kept the flowers fresh throughout the shoot. It also helped to have small towel nearby to dry parts of the body that were exposed and I didn’t want “shiny” in the photos. A tall ladder is a must! We’ve got quite a few behind-the-scenes videos from this shoot on our Instagram, if you want to check it out.
OVERALL, I would have to say – this was one of the dreamiest shoots I’ve had in years! Want to see more photos from this session and read about Stuart’s experience for her milk bath photo session? Head on over to Stuart’s story and get the point of view from the client’s perspective.