My most important roles are those of wife to my amazingly supportive husband and mom to the best kids in the world! I am also a maternity, birth, newborn, and family photographer based out of Bethalto, IL, and also serving the St. Louis, MO and surrounding areas. I know firsthand how quickly the pregnancy and birth experiences fade into distant memory, how quickly babies turn into toddlers, and how vastly families change from year to year, and so capturing those fleeting moments is my passion! You can find more of my work here: www.heathermohrphotography.com
Let me start by saying I don’t like to make props the focus of my images. I prefer simple accessories and props. However, I definitely admire and appreciate the work of those who use props differently, or perhaps, more boldly than I do.
In the very first image, the baby is laying in a basket. This is a rectangular basket, and is something I picked up from Michael’s. I use this basket a lot and like to shoot down from above. Sometimes you can’t even tell the baby is in a basket at all! But I feel like the line from the edge of the basket adds a dimension of interest.
The next two images are from a session you’ve already seen in my previous feature here with BP4U. 🙂 The tieback on the left is from Strawberry Girl Couture. The lace wrap is actually just an infinity scarf I bought used! And then the mustard bucket on the right is from TJ Maxx. TJ Maxx is a GREAT place to look for baskets and buckets for newborns. It’s pretty easy to find something there for around $20, so for someone on a budget, it’s perfect!
This flower tieback is something I purchased from another photographer in a destash. Photographer destashes are a wonderful way to build your collection, especially when just getting started. Not only can you save money, which allows more wiggle room for experimentation and finding your own style through trial and error, but if you know another photographer has successfully used a prop, it takes the guesswork out of whether it will work for a newborn!
The hats in these two images (which are two of my favorites at the moment) and then the headband in the image following are from La Bottega Di Viviana. She does amazing work. She’s over in Italy, but I’ve never had any issues receiving a shipment from her in a timely fashion. She is currently making me a couple of mohair wraps along with a mohair bonnet/pant set, and I can’t wait to get it. Her items truly are top quality.
I love the bed in this next pair of images. I wish I owned it, but it is something a client had. One of my best pieces of prop advice is to pay attention to what is around you when you get to a client’s home. You never know when you might see something worth using. In addition, the items are generally more meaningful for clients when it belongs to them!
This tieback is another one from Strawberry Girl Couture. And the stretchy wrap – those can be find all over Etsy! I wish I could remember where this particular one is from, but I would recommend checking out Jessy’s Props and Creations for someone looking to buy one!
The final image contains a pant set that is one of my absolute favorite props! This is from No 2 Willow Lane. The items in this store are absolutely gorgeous. If you can go to that shop without drooling a little, well, you must be dehydrated in that case!
