How to Document Your Baby’s Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony (Hands-Free & Fully Present)
- justatiredmama65
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
When my son was 9 months and 3 weeks (ish), we did his own little Sorting Ceremony inspired by Hogwarts — but the most important part wasn’t the props.
It was this:
I wanted to be completely phone-free in my hands.
No holding a camera.
No watching the screen.
No adjusting angles mid-moment.
Just fully present.
If you want to document something like this — whether or not you ever post it — here’s exactly how to set it up so you can actually experience it.
The Concept: Let Baby Choose
Instead of using a Sorting Hat, I ordered four onesies — one for each house — and laid them out in front of him.
Whatever he grabbed first?That was his house. Simple. Age-appropriate. Authentic. And because I didn’t want to miss anything, I pre-set everything before bringing him in.
The Equipment I Used (No Fancy Camera Needed)
You truly do not need professional gear.
Here’s what made the biggest difference:
📷 Two Tripods
This was key.
Tripod 1 (Front Angle):
Placed behind the onesies
Facing my son
Captured his reach, facial expression, and the actual “pick”
Tripod 2 (Side Angle):
Positioned off to the side
Captured our reactions as parents
Added emotional storytelling footage
This gave me:
The “main moment”
The reaction shot
Editing flexibility later
Peace of mind during the ceremony
Both tripods held our phones. That’s it.
No DSLR. No stress.
Why Two Angles Matters So Much
Moments like this happen fast.
One angle captures:
The action.
The other captures:
The emotion.
When you look back later, it’s not just about which house they chose.It’s about your face lighting up.It’s about the tiny pause before the grab.It’s about the family energy in the room.
That second angle is the difference between a clip and a memory.
Setup
Lighting tip:
Use natural window light if possible.
Turn off overhead lights (they create harsh shadows).
Position baby facing the window.
Lighting matters more than your camera model.
Camera Settings & Filming Tips (Super Simple)
Before Baby Comes In:
Hit record on both phones.
Make sure storage is cleared.
Put phones in airplane mode.
Check framing once.
Walk away.
Filming Tips:
Film longer than you think you need.
Don’t stop recording immediately after the grab.
Let reactions happen naturally.
Resist the urge to check the screen.
You can trim later.
You cannot recreate the first reach.
Perfect — we’ll keep it natural, helpful, and linkable without turning it into a sales pitch. Here’s a paragraph you can drop right into your blog post under the tripod section:
The Tripod I’ve Been Loving (Made This So Simple)
One thing that made this entire setup feel easy instead of overwhelming was using a tripod I genuinely love. It extends tall enough to get the right angles, folds down small for storage, and most importantly — it’s sturdy. When you’re filming babies, the last thing you want is something tipping over mid-moment. I used two of these for the ceremony and it made being completely hands-free possible. If you’re planning to document milestones like this, birthdays, cake smashes, holidays, or even everyday memories, having a reliable tripod changes everything. I’ll link the one I use here because it’s been one of those simple tools that makes capturing memories feel effortless.
Disclaimer
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