Even at home you may realize creative and sensual bathtub photoshoot ideas. Obviously, organizing such a photoshoot demands proper planning, preparation, and choosing an appropriate concept. Below you’ll find an array of interesting ideas that range from a bathtub filled with balloons to sensual shots featuring milk or flowers.
Milk bath photography is a unique part of portrait photography that prioritizes sensual, minimalist imagery. You can use the created negative space to focus the viewer’s attention on the subject’s face and body.
Professional milk bath photographers tend to buy about 4-7 liters of milk for each shoot. The first step is filling your bathtub with warm water before you pour the milk into it. Whole milk provides the best results in such scenarios but milk powder is also a valid alternative. Don't be too shy about the milk usage since otherwise, the liquid will look overly translucent instead of having a nice opaque texture.
Additionally, photographers that plan to use a zoom lens are advised to use a model that covers the range between wide-angle to short telephoto. For instance, a 24-70mm lens is a perfect fit for taking milk bathtub photos.
If you’re interested in natural bathtub shoot ideas, try finding a location that features trees in bloom, a floral archway, or simply a beautiful garden. It can be a fantastic choice for children photos or newborn photography. You can get the best results by scheduling the photoshoot near the start or the end of the day so that the subject is surrounded by a soft, yellowish glow.
Transparent water tends to get old eventually so feel free to add diversity to your bathtub photos with different colors. Such an effect can be achieved by employing food dye or non-toxic paints. Alternatively, you can use a bath bomb to infuse the water with artistic color patterns.
Start by putting 2 tablespoons of liquid soap (hand soap also works) into half a cup of water. Then, add a couple of glycerin drops and let it mix for a couple of hours. Glycerin is needed to strengthen the bubbles and ensure they don’t pop immediately. As another option, you can purchase a little bottle of bubble solution.
When shooting, employ a waterproof camera like Panasonic Lumix FT7/TS7, Olympus Tough! TG-5, SeaLife DC2000, or Nikon Coolpix W300 to prevent water splashes from damaging your equipment. Your goal is to capture the most emotional moments created by the model so be ready to release the shutter at all times. The average DSLR camera starts up virtually instantly and you don’t waste any battery by keeping the camera turned on when not using it.
If you’re looking for some fun and lively bathtub photoshoot ideas, you can always try organizing a bathroom party. Such a shoot requires nothing more than a beautiful dress, some wine or champagne, and possibly a couple of decorations that fit the overall theme like white balloons or a balloon arch.
There’s nothing better than chilling in a bathtub with a glass of a tasty drink to relax after a hard day. Regardless of whether it’s wine, lemonade, or soda – fill a glass and enjoy it while posing for the camera. Red and blueberry wine looks particularly appealing in such photos. You can also further enhance the shot with such props as books, vintage bottles, empty glasses, bouquets, or jewelry items like a hair bow.
You can add diversity to your photos by using a vintage bathtub. If your home doesn’t have such a tub, try booking a hotel room with a similar bathroom or find a suitable photo studio. Some possible options include the Farmhouse Bathroom Studio in Los Angeles, FD Photo Studio in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.
To ensure your shot has the best lighting possible, put the bathtub near a big window. Natural lighting will cast appealing soft shadows. As a result, you’ll be able to experiment with various angles. If the scene is overly dark, use a reflector to get rid of rough shadows and add a spark to the subject’s eyes.
If you want to establish as relaxed of an atmosphere for your photoshoot in bathtub as possible, try using your favorite aroma oils and turn on some calming music. You can also light up a calming candle to achieve the same purpose.
You can make the model more popping, try setting a broader aperture. It’s advised to set this parameter in the f/2.8 to f/5.6 range to slightly blur the backdrop. This is particularly useful if the background is overly distracting and you don’t want it to divert attention from the subject. You can set an even wider aperture, but make sure the model’s eyes remain in focus.
If you don’t own a beautiful or vintage bathtub, you can mitigate that issue with some flowers. Collect or purchase a bouquet from a florist and spread it across the bathtub to arrange a beautiful shot. You can take most photos from a top-down angle to focus on the entire body of the model or its individual parts like the face, legs, or hands. Such an idea is perfectly suited for maternity photography.
Be careful to not use flowers that have dirt, pollen, or thorns. You have to be ready to show a lot of patience when working with real flowers. If they aren’t clean or have an overabundance of pollen, the water can become murky and ruin the entire setup. The downside of thorny flowers is obvious.
You can rarely find any fun bathtub photography ideas for children that don’t mention bubbles. You can take some terrific photos while kids try to blow the largest bubble they can. A huge advantage of this idea is that it doesn’t require an actual bubble bath to achieve the desired effect. You can simply add in the bubbles by getting Adobe Photoshop and employing Photoshop overlays.
If you want to use real bubbles to create more creative photos, prepare large bubble wands and a bottle of bubble solution.
Treat yourself to a spa day and combine it with a photo shoot. The only things you need to take such photos are a calm, relaxing atmosphere and a couple of props. Possible options include facial masks, towels, candles, petals, essential oils, various lotions, and so on.
Even if the lighting conditions are ideal, there are still aspects you can improve during the image post processing stage to make your work look even more beautiful and professional. Thankfully, the market is full of user-friendly photo editing software for PC or smartphones. Consider getting Adobe Software like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom.
If you want to set a romantic atmosphere, you can employ a candle set, fruit, a beautiful view, and warm lighting. Stick to natural poses, for instance, you can hug your partner, tenderly kiss them, etc.
Experiment with candid photography. Posed photos have their value but if your goal is to convey the feelings shared by a couple, then candid shots serve that purpose a lot better. If you have a longer lens like the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, you can take sharp photos from a larger distance, which is useful for helping the models. It’s also recommended to turn off the camera’s AF assist light to ensure the couple doesn’t get distracted.
Once you’re done with your creative bathtub photoshoot, it’s time to edit your photos. This selection of portrait presets will ensure your portrait pictures will look beautiful and professional even if you’ve never used Lightroom before. These tools will enhance the colors in your images, fix the lighting, and perform other adjustments to add depth and personality to your work.
All included presets are provided in .xmp and .Irtemplate formats. You can use them in all popular Lightroom versions.
