How to DIY Baby Photos With Christmas Lights Full Tutorial

‘Tis the season to create beautiful and precious memories with our littles, and that, of course, includes taking photos under, by, and around the Christmas tree. But how do you get that Pinterest-perfect editing when trying to get pictures by the Christmas lights?

Honestly, it’s not too difficult. After a bit of trying (and a lot of testing), my sister figured out how to get the look we were going for while taking pictures of her daughter — and now, we’re going to share the process so you can DIY it from home, too!

How to Photograph Your Baby With Christmas Lights

Technically, we’re photographing my niece with the Christmas tree lights, but you can use this same setup for a strand of Christmas lights; it works the same! I’ll show a few of the variations we did before getting the final photo (which we were the happiest about and had the best results).

Before we get started, let’s talk about what you’ll need:

Your baby (obviously)
Christmas tree or lights, we used a pre-lit 4ft white tree
Cute Christmas sleeper. This one is no longer available, but this is a good match
Matching Bow (if you want): this one is from M.K. Bowtique
Phone for photos, we used an iPhone

Now, let’s go ahead and break it down:

Step #1: Turn Off the Lights!

You need to be in a dark room where only the lights you want in the photo are lit. Close any doors letting in light from other rooms, close blinds and curtains, and turn off any overhead lights, TVs, and lamps.

Step #2: Place Your Baby

Position your baby in the way you would like them to sit or lie down with the lights or in front of your tree. This is likely their first Christmas, but depending on how old your baby is, they may be more mobile than others — work with what they give you, lol.

Step #3: Photo Settings

For the picture, you’ll want to use Portrait mode (this will create a blurry background with the lights) with the natural light setting. Hold your phone low and straight up and down; if you angle your phone forward or backward, it will make the picture less “professional” looking.

Step #4: Take Your Picture!

Time to take your picture! Try to get a few (she was only able to get 1 or 2 as my niece was not having it) while your little one is chilling under the tree. If you’re having a hard time getting the picture, try using Apple’s focus feature.

Tap on the subject (your baby) in the frame, and it will naturally focus on them and blur your background.

Step #5: Edit

The final step is editing to your preferences. We darkened the picture by lowering the exposure to get that really pretty, darker look. You can do this in your phone settings or in the free Lightroom App.

The Results: First Christmas Photos with Christmas Lights

Ready to see the final results? Here you go!

Baby Christmas Lights Photo for First Christmas | Everyday She Moms

This was such an easy and cute photo to do at home to celebrate her first Christmas and make a few memories. The goal (assuming we remember) is to re-create the photo each year as she gets older!

Now, I also want to show you the difference between the unedited photo and the edited, darkened photo from above: