Practice Makes Perfect! ~ Milk Bath Boudoir Photography ~ Vancouver, WA

Before we hop into today’s post, take a minute to think about a time when you had the perfect creative idea… But it ended up being SO much harder to execute than you originally thought!

Maybe this happened to you at home when planning your dream renovation or even when trying to make a new dish from scratch…

Or maybe this happened to you while you were at work… Whether you’re an educator, creative, work in a trade, or own your own business, I know we’ve all been there!

Let me tell you… As a photographer, I run into these obstacles, too! In my blog posts, I often share that I love the opportunity to bring creative visions to life! Whether it’s my own vision or my client’s vision, it truly is super fun and rewarding to be able to turn a certain set, theme, or backdrop into a reality. Sometimes, though, I run into unique challenges as the vision is coming together… And it’s not everyday that I talk about those struggles!

Today is a bit different, though! You’ll be getting the inside scoop and seeing what it’s like to bring a new set to life… This includes the highs AND the lows that happen along the way!

When I’m trying out a new type of set that I’ve never used before, I like to work with a model because there’s a possibility that I’ll have to work out some kinks during the shoot! In this case, I wanted to try out a milk bath set using a new tub. I was lucky to work with an awesome mama who’s due in September, and she joined me as my model for the afternoon!

For my new milk bath set, I ended up setting everything up in the courtyard of my studio! When I originally decided to remodel the studio, I knew that I wanted to make the courtyard area multi-purpose. It has been a ton of fun to see what kinds of sets I can create there… It’s all still a work in progress, but this session taught me a lot about the logistics of setting up a milk bath. I’m definitely learning!

On the day of our session, I made sure to take a few behind-the-scenes shots of the tub while it was filling with milky water. In these photos, you can see the leaves and flowers that I added to the background of the set! I wanted to make sure that the set had a soft, elegant feel to it, so adding extra greenery was a must.

Once the tub was totally full, I realized that we had a BIG problem. The stopper that I bought for the tub leaked water everywhere, so I had to MacGyver the situation… Thanks to plastic wrap, tin foil, and landscaping rocks, I was able to stop the leak and continue with the session!

I was SO thankful that it was a milk bath… Because the water was white and milky, nobody could see the monstrosity that I had to create to keep the water in! This experience was SUPER stressful as it was happening, but it was a valuable lesson… And let me tell you, that lesson was absolutely learned! I ordered a new stopper for the tub as soon as I possibly could.

After overcoming this obstacle, the rest of the session went smoothly! My model looked absolutely radiant and stunning in the milk bath with flowers all around her. During the shoot, I made sure to play around with different types of shots. Some photos were close-ups that featured her baby bump alongside the flowers, and other shots were farther away with the entire tub in frame. I love how all of these photos came out, but some of my favorites are the ones that were taken directly above the tub from a bird’s eye view!

Next time I try to use my milk bath set… It’s safe to say that I’ll be much better prepared! Thank you to my model for joining me for the day and for being SO understanding when I had to improvise and take extra time to plug the tub.

Sometimes things don’t go exactly to plan, but it’s just part of life! As long as we can learn from the mishaps, we can grow from those experiences… I know that’s what I’ll do!