Lauren Milestone Baby Milestone Portraits for Ella Kate

Ella Kate is 7 months old! We did milestone portraits when her big brothers were this age, and as it always goes for the baby of busy families, time flies by and parents remember, “Oh, wait! I forgot to schedule xyz!”. So when her mom reached out and said “Ella is six months already! I think I’d like to do a milestone session and capture this sweet stage!”... I was happy to fit her in right away for a studio session. 

This is such a fun age for milestone portraits. At 6-7 months, babies have some great milestones and things to explore. They grab their toes, roll around, and get to play in our studio. I love playing peekaboo with them so we capture their laughs! One of the other things I love about these milestones is documenting their beautiful finger and elbow dimples. Babies so quickly grow out of this stage, so having portraits of their adorable smile and chunky fingers is special as years go by! 

The best part about these milestone sessions? You literally don’t have to bring a thing, so zero planning was required other than figuring out what time worked best around her nap schedule. Ella borrowed outfits and headbands from the studio, and her mom picked out all of her favorites when she arrived. It was an absolute breeze, completely stress-free. Instead, we just had lots of fun watching this sweet girl and her new skills and budding personality!

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Six Month Milestone Portraits for Sofia

Sweet Sofia is 6 months old! I can’t believe this darling girl is already halfway to her first birthday. Her mom brought her by the studio recently for her six-month milestone portraits and I just had so much fun capturing this smily girl. Sofia was super happy for us the entire time, which made our session a blast. Honestly, this is my favorite age to photograph - because their little personalties really come to life!

During Sofia’s session, I felt like I was having a bit of a flashback. Her big sister, Ella, did milestone portraits with me in 2019. We actually used a similar color palette for Sofia, and mom even brought in the same peachy romper for baby sister to wear in one setup! It was so sweet and super special to know these sisters will have matching portraits from this big milestone session!

The rest of the outfits for Sofia were from our studio’s Baby Wardrobe. I loved the white and mauve outfits mom picked out, along with some of my favorite headbands. Sofia seemed to like them too and enjoyed showing off all of her new skills around the studio. Happy 6 months, Sofia!

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Sitter Session Milestone Portraits in the Studio

‌Capturing milestone portraits might be one of my favorite parts of my job as a children's photographer here in Saratoga Springs! This winter was super busy at the studio with lots of families bringing their babies in for milestone portraits, especially with their second and third babies. All of them turned out to be so simple and classic… none more so than Jordan’s 8 month milestone portraits! 

I’ve actually photographed all three brothers’ milestone sessions, so seeing Jordan and his two big brothers, Jonas and Jacob, all together in the studio was a real treat! Jordan loved showing off his new skill: sitting up! He sat on the studio floor, on the blankets we gave him, and on the bed. It was perfect - and exactly what I want! I want to see what your babies are getting up to when they come in for their milestone portraits! He was so cute playing peek-a-boo and enjoying the little wooden toys in the studio. 

As I do with all of my milestone portraits, I kept the setups super simple so we could focus on Jordan (and his big brothers). Everything was neutral and mom chose some super cute blue outfits for our little guy to wear. The end result is SO timeless. I know these portraits will be cherished in their home for years to come! 

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Best of 2019 Milestone Sessions

As we continue our “Best of 2019” blog series, I’m excited to share our favorite milestone sessions from the year! I absolutely LOVE milestone sessions. As a photographer it is so hard to choose what my favorite type of session is, but I must say that milestones come close! This age is always one of the sweetest when babies are developing their personalities, smiling, reacting, and trying out new skills!

Scroll through and enjoy a look into some of my favorite milestone session moments from the studio & outdoors!

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Baby Outfit Ideas | Wardrobe Inspiration for Your Baby's Milestone Portrait Session

You’re so excited!!! You just booked your baby’s milestone session and you can’t wait to capture their little smile, that tiny curl of hair, and those adorable chubby legs that you love to cover in kisses. These portraits are always some of my favorites

But wait a second… what does a baby wear to a milestone session?!?!

This is probably your first time dressing your baby for portraits (after all, they just wore a swaddle in their newborn photos!), but I’ve dressed hundreds of babies for their portrait sessions and I have plenty of ideas to make it easier for you.

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OUTFIT INSPIRATION FOR YOUR MILESTONE SESSION

Flaunt those itty bitty baby features that you love so much.

Babies are only this little for a little while, and their elbow dimples, chunky thigh rolls, and puffy little tummies are the cutest things ever about this stage. Show it off! I recommend avoiding dresses that cover the legs — instead, choose rompers for baby girls to give them room to move their legs and find their toes. For boys, wearing just a pair of pants to show that cute baby belly is so classic. Plus, you’ll see those photos and just want to smooch that perfect little belly!

There’s nothing more classic than a simple white onesie.

I did my son’s monthly photos in a white onesie, and I always suggest clients go for this look when they want a few simple and extremely classic portraits. They make some cute ones with ruffles and eyelet lace details on the sleeves for baby girls if you’re looking for something a little special, too!

Go for a pop of color against our all white studio!

Pale blue, lavender, aqua, and pink all look amazing against our white walls, couch, and bed!

Make sure baby can move freely.

Opt for fabrics with a little stretch so baby can reach, crawl, and wiggle. After all, they’ve been practicing all of these new skills so let them use their whole body and show us what they can do!

Go barefoot.

Yes, baby shoes are cute, but they don’t look cute in photographs because you can only see the soles of the feet. Let’s show off their toes instead!

Show some skin.

When they’re this little, baby boys & baby girls are oh so sweet with their cute little baby bellies and soft arm rolls. Don’t be afraid to have one of their “outfits” be just a diaper, diaper cover, or a pair of knit pants! We can always use a soft blanket to cover up, too — and to play peek-a-boo!

Ruffles & lace.

Both beautiful options in photographs. You can’t go wrong with these sweet feminine details.

Consider fabric textures and your baby’s sensitive skin.

Remember when you were a kid and your mom dressed you in a scratchy tulle dress or itchy wool tights? You were miserable. Let’s give your baby the best shot at a happy session by making sure they are cool, comfortable, and content. Use soft fabrics that won’t irritate their skin. Opt for knitted fabrics (think sweater knit, not jersey knit) for a truly beautiful texture in photographs.

Avoid anything crocheted for the best portraits — even though sweet Aunt Sally was so excited to give you that crocheted turtle outfit, I’ve found that these are usually made with cheap yarn that cause the babies to sweat and immediately get a red heat rash on their skin. Then they’re crying and inconsolable the rest of the session. Nobody wants that! Plus, crocheted items don’t usually fall right on their little bodies the way clothing that is knitted can hug them beautifully. Thank your dear Aunt Sally, snap a cell phone pic, and share that with her. ;o)

Neutrals never go out of style.

Avoid anything too busy, bold, or neon. Neutrals look amazing with details like stripes, lace, eyelet lace, smocking, buttons, and knitted textures.

Still not sure what to wear? Check out our studio closet filled with beautiful options for your little one! If you’re thinking of wearing a studio outfit, let me know ahead of time what size your baby is and which outfits you have in mind and I will let you know if they’ll fit and get them ready for you ahead of time. Plus, be sure to ask me what’s new in the closet because we’re always adding new pieces for families to enjoy!

Baby Starr | Peekaboo! A Simple White Studio Session with a Blanket

Grayson gets more expressive by the day, and these 9-month portraits are some of my favorites from the year so far! He received this handmade blanket as a gift at our baby shower, and he had so much fun playing peek-a-boo on the bed in our studio.

Grayson has two bottom teeth, and he has started doing a little crooked smile to show them off. It’s so cute!

This month he also started doing an adorable head tilt when looking up at us, and I am so happy I captured that on camera. This portrait is definitely going up on the wall!

Rolls upon rolls upon rolls! At 22 pounds, there is so much squish to love and kiss on our little guy! I can’t even decide which I love more — the arm rolls or those LEGS!

A 9 Month Milestone Session for Elias with Saratoga Springs Family Photographer

You know what is an often-overlooked age for milestone sessions, yet it’s one of my FAVORITE ages ever to photograph?

Nine month olds who are in the sitting & crawling stage. These are the happiest babies, and they’re into everything but they can’t run away yet. ;o)

Elias joined me at the studio for his nine month portraits, and I loved getting to play with this smiley little guy who loved showing off his brand new teeth!

At this age, many babies are pulling themselves up and they can balance pretty well when holding on to something. This makes for some adorable shots of them standing on the sofa or holding on to a stool!

He came with a traditional Moroccan outfit to honor his family’s heritage, and while he was more interested in eating the shoes than in wearing them, he definitely looked cute doing it!

We finished Elias’s milestone session with a bathtub splash — they’re not just for cake smashes, you know! He loved the soap bubbles, and I loved that you could see all of his adorable rolls on his arms and legs. What a little cutie!

A 9 Month Milestone Session with a Sunflower Milk Bath | Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

I just love our Baby Plan sessions!  I've been following along on Evvie's journey her whole first year, starting back last summer with a maternity session and seeing her every few months for new milestones.  She came to the studio for her 9 month/sitter session, and we decided to sneak in a few family portraits on a beautiful summer morning.  

I love this red and white checked dress on her.  Evvie's daddy picked it out.  Isn't she adorable?

Since Evvie has been coming to the studio all year for her milestone sessions, we like to get creative with one set up each time.  This time we did a cute little beach session, and I love the waves and starfish that go perfectly with her seersucker swimsuit.

Evvie is a breastfeeding champion, and her mama has worked hard with Evvie this year to continue their BF journey for so long.  She wanted to celebrate with a milk bath in the studio, and Evvie loved it!  We added some sunflowers for a nice little touch of summer.