How to Make Adorable 3-D Photo Valentines by Laura Davis of LauraLeAnn Photography

So excited to announce our newest contributor Laura of Laura LeAnn Photography. Her work is gorgeous and you will love her creativity!  Check out her blog for more of her amazing photos and fun ideas!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I can hardly wait! This year, make your valentines extra special by creating these adorable 3D Photo Valentines.

Not only will you get to share your love with others in a fun and creative way, you will also get to have a picture keepsake of your own little valentine! Just follow these 6 easy steps:

1. Pick a location. Try to pick something dark, or something really light, so that your text will be visible. I used a charming dark brown fence, and hung simple handmade decorations in the background to add a little pop of color, and to make it look more festive.

2. Position your subject. Position your subject in front of your camera with their hand stretched out toward your camera. Depending on what you attach to your valentine will help you decide if the subject’s hand will be clenched into a fist (lollipop, pinwheel, etc…) or palm up and fingers flat (car, mustache, etc… ). Be sure to leave room to the right or left of the subject if you’d like to add text on your valentine.

Focus. While the focus of the valentine is what the subject is holding, I still prefer a clean, in-focus picture of the subject. If you have access to a digital SLR, make the child’s face your focus, and change your aperture (f-stop) to a higher number so that the face is very clear, and the hand is only slightly out of focus (this picture was set to f/7). Just take a few pictures, and if your child’s hand is still too blurry, adjust your f-stop to a higher number. In my opinion, it is more important to get a cute picture of your subject’s face, than their hand.

Add text and a border. After I selected a few photos to use, I added borders in Photoshop using digital paper designs, and also added simple text. If the idea of adding digital borders or text intimidate you, you could always paste your printed photo onto a cute paper, or card stock, and customize it to your liking.

Print your pictures. I sent my pictures to Costco 1 hour photo, and had darling valentines all ready to go the same day!

Attach your valentine candy, or favor. If you are adding a lollipop or pinwheel, cut a little slit above and below the subject’s fist, and slide your lollipop stick or pinwheel stick through both slits. Add a little piece of tape to the back to secure it. If you are adding a toy car, secure the car by using a needle and thread and making a loop around the car near the front or back wheels starting from the back of the card. Loop around the car, and tie the thread off with a small knot. Secure the knot in the back with a piece of tape.

You are all set! Enjoy these darling valentines and valentine keepsakes!