A spare bunch of blooms are a perfect excuse for a fresh photography session, and to get some final enjoyment from them with a milk bath.
Milk baths have been around for centuries. Did you know, Cleopatra had a milk bath every day as a part of her beauty ritual? They are said to be moisturising, soothing and naturally exfoliating.
I always like to give Arlo a milk bath as a break from his usual routine, or as a way to distract him from teething pains or feeling unwell. He usually spends the time playing with the flowers or relaxing. A few times we’ve done it when we’ve been stuck indoors for a long time and need something inspiring to busy ourselves with.
I wish I’d done this when I was pregnant or when Arlo was born. The photographs are just stunning, magical and so easy to do yourself at home.
You can use a range of flowers, leaves and foliage – I often look at the colours, the textures, the size of the petals, whats available and whats in season. For Arlo I use whites, yellows, browns, reds, deep purples and greens.
I’ll have a range of flower heads, petals and even some with the a bit of stem still attached. Bulging silky smooth peonies are great for a feminine look, and ferns are great for a more rustic look – maybe for a baby boy. Sunflowers are also great for girls and boys, they sit on the surface beautifully and the colours really stand out on top of the milky white water. You can be really creative with this!
Flowers petals, cut flower heads or with a small bit of stem and foliage – fake or real!
Check the lighting. Our bathroom is very hard to take photographs in due to the lack of natural light and awful artificial light. Our kitchen is great, but only on a bright afternoon. Evaluate the light, if it depends on a particular time of day set up the bath at that optimum time.
Scatter the flowers and/or leaves and foliage. Mix them up, but don’t spend too much time arranging them into the perfect layout as they’ll drift.
Put your subject in the bath. If you are shooting a baby – be careful they don’t attempt to eat any of the flowers. Arlo likes to rip them apart, but I find this is great for him and for the photographs.
When you are finished, and the subject is warm and dry, pick out the flower heads and pat them dry. You could use them again for a different bath, or a flat lay, various photographs – otherwise you can finally retire them. I never let go of my flowers until they stop inspiring me.