Beyond the Newborn Session: Capturing the First Year of Milestones

I don’t know what it is about parenthood that makes time fly by, but I know that ever since my son was born, I’ve blinked and another year has gone by. As a mom and a professional photographer, I understand the value of portraits of my child from the newborn stage and beyond. Newborn portraits are one of the things most parents put on their “parenting to-do list”. That first year is fleeting and I think it’s so important that everyone has a chance to document their precious baby. But the documentation shouldn’t end there.

When I was a new mom, I constantly had my camera out to capture every little moment and changes in our son after our newborn portraits. Looking back, I’m so happy that I have truly beautiful and classic baby portraits of my son, in (and out) of the studio to document those stages, too. Every time he started on a new milestone or learned a new skill, I wanted to capture it forever.

baby crawls on pink blanket during studio portraits with milestone photographer Nicole Starr Photography in Saratoga Springs New York
baby girl sits in chair with flower headband during milestone photos with family photographer Nicole Starr Photography

Our babies change SO much in the first year of life - more than any other year as they grow. They grow their first teeth, laugh for the first time, and learn to sit up, crawl, and walk. Capturing all of those milestones truly matters. We all say we never want to forget those stages and changes - and with studio portraits, you never will. You’ll have those dimpled cheeks and baby giggles documented forever to enjoy.

baby lays on chunky blanket during milestone photos with Saratoga Springs NY family photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby girls chews on pearls during milestone photos in Saratoga Springs NY studio with Nicole Starr Photography, NY family photographer
baby lays in blanket during milestone portraits with Saratoga Springs NY family photographer Nicole Starr Photography

As babies grow, they enter into my favorite stage, the “Gerber Baby stage”, when they’re 6-10 months old. This is one of the most popular milestone sessions in my studio. Babies are sitting up solidly, they're happy and expressive, they interact with you and play into all of the games (peekaboo, tickles) to let us capture their amazing smiles. They're not that mobile yet so they're not running away from the camera - so it works out for us. These are often some of the best portraits to capture your little one’s personality as they start to figure out who they are.

baby rolls in chunky white blanket during studio milestone photos with Saratoga Springs NY children’s photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby sits in wicker basket during milestone photos in Saratoga Springs NY studio with Nicole Starr Photography
ten month old portraits for baby boy in studio photographed by Saratoga Springs newborn photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby sits under ivory blanket during studio milestone portraits in Saratoga Springs NY with Nicole Starr Photography
baby crawls through studio during milestone photos with Saratoga Springs NY family photographer Nicole Starr Photography

After the “Gerber Baby stage”, our babies inch even closer to turning one… and then comes the super popular cake smash session! These cake smash portraits are always a lot of fun. They’re a celebration of your baby - and of your family’s journey over the last year. I love watching babies and their families interact during their one year milestone and cake smash portraits in the studio. It’s also the perfect time to document something your baby is interested in, when you choose your cake smash theme.

baby sits on couch in studio with family photographer Nicole Starr Photography in Saratoga Springs
baby chews on American flag during studio milestone photos with Saratoga Springs NY photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby crawls through studio during cake smash in Saratoga Springs with NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography
toddler plays during Where the Wild Things Are cake smash in studio with Nicole Starr Photography, Saratoga Springs cake smash photographer
baby plays with cake decorated with blueberries during blue themed cake smash in Saratoga Springs NY studio with Nicole Starr Photography
baby cries during cake smash with peonies photographed by Saratoga Springs NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography

Capturing your baby’s first year is so important. These studio sessions are the perfect way to document each of your baby’s milestones along the way - and a great way to ensure you’ll always have stunning portraits to remember each sweet baby smile by. Our baby’s first year always flies by… make sure you don’t miss teh chance to document it all!


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