And Baby Makes 3! A seaside family portrait session at the beach | Cape Cod Family Photographer

Little Miss Rosie was such an adventurer during her family’s Cape Cod portrait session at the beach! We met up at sunset to catch that perfect golden light, and it was truly a gorgeous evening. Rosie marched all around the beach and into the water, and made us all laugh with her endless giggles and babbling!

It was a windy evening (the beach usually is!) but we made it work in our favor and captured family portraits with plenty of movement & action!

A salty sea baby taking first steps on the beach!! Love this!

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Save this image or any from the post above for inspiration for your beach session!

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About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region.  Nicole also works with families year round at her Attleboro, MA portrait studio, and on location May through October in Boston and on Cape Cod.  Nicole has a clean and classic style, and the studio is filled with neutrals and luxe fabrics.  We use very minimal props to keep the focus on your perfect little baby.  Our sessions are relaxed and fun, and we’ll enjoy an hour together (or up to 3 hours for a newborn session!) laughing, cuddling, and capturing authentic smiles and belly laughs with your little ones.

7 Tips for your Fall Family Portrait Session | Saratoga Springs Family Photographer

Fall is the busiest season of the year for family portraits, and rightly so! The cooler temperatures, vibrant foliage, and cozy sweaters make everyone want to cuddle up together and capture their family on camera!

I absolutely love this season, even if it is so short-lived. There’s just something so welcoming about the first mug of hot cider, the smell of those cider donuts that you can get at the apple orchard, the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet, and pulling out all of your cozy sweaters and your favorite pair of boots.

With our fall family portrait sessions just around the corner, today we’re sharing a few tips for your next photo session! Read on for plenty of great ideas, and beautiful outfit inspiration for your family photos, too!

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Always have a rain date.

The season is such a short one, and the weather is unpredictable! I always encourage my families to reserve their session date AND a backup rain date when they book their session. That way if it rains on the day of your session, no worries! We already have your makeup session scheduled on the calendar!

Keep these things in the car.

We’re going to be moving around a lot during your session, and you don’t want to have to keep track of anything (besides your kids!). Sunglasses, hair elastics, bulky cell phones or wallets that will show in your pockets, stroller, diaper bag, baseball caps. All of these can stay in the car during your session.

Have a favorite family quilt or blanket? Bring it to your session!

Blankets are your best friend for fall sessions. Not only do they protect your clothes from damp grass or leaves on the ground, but they look oh-so-cozy and inviting and they encourage everyone to snuggle up together. Whether you’re sitting on the blanket, or waving it up and down in the air “London Bridge” style while the kids run underneath, blankets and colorful patchwork quilts are one of my favorite accessories for a fall portrait session.

Embrace the leaves.

As everyone relaxes in front of the camera and the kids start to let their personalities shine, I like to encourage the kids by telling them that they will be able to have a leaf fight at the end. This always brings out the biggest smiles and laughs, and we capture beautiful portraits of them jumping into great big piles of leaves and tossing them in the air over their heads. Act like a kid and don’t be afraid of tossing the leaves in the air, getting a few in your hair, or laying down in a pile of dry leaves for a very colorful overhead shot cuddling your babies. After all, this is the only time of year we can capture such beautiful scenery with built in props (literally!) falling down around us!

Bring your dogs!

Just tell me ahead of time so that we can plan for it, but I love to encourage families to bring their four-legged family members to their sessions. I always recommend taking the dog for a nice long walk right beforehand to tire him/her out, and bringing a leash & treats to use during the session. Have a plan for after we finish with the dog in your photos, too. Will someone come with you to the session to watch the dog while we capture a few photos of you and the kids? Will you be able to tie him up to a nearby tree with a treat for a few minutes?

Layer up, especially the kids!

If your session is in mid-to-late October, it can get a little chilly outside when you’re just wearing light layers! Bulky coats never photograph well, so I always suggest adding another layer like a t-shirt or onesie underneath your kids’ outfits. Just a little something for added warmth that won’t add bulk or show through their clothes. Warm kids are happy kids!

Babies and toddlers — plan on September or very early in October!

Speaking of warm kids being happy kids, this is especially true with babies! If your (oldest) little ones are younger than three, I highly suggest scheduling your session for September or early October when it is warmer outside. We can still do a late fall session if there are no other dates available, but we have a better chance of warmer days earlier in the season to keep your little ones happy.

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Looking for some outfit inspiration for your fall family portrait session? Click here to find plenty of what to wear ideas for your family photos!

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Save these tips by pinning the image below or any from the post above!

About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region.  Nicole also works with families year round at her Attleboro, MA portrait studio, and on location May through October in Boston and on Cape Cod.  Nicole has a clean and classic style, and the studio is filled with neutrals and luxe fabrics.  We use very minimal props to keep the focus on your perfect little baby.  Our sessions are relaxed and fun, and we’ll enjoy an hour together (or up to 3 hours for a newborn session!) laughing, cuddling, and capturing authentic smiles and belly laughs with your little ones.  

Oh The Places You'll Go First Birthday Cake Smash | Happy Birthday, Mallika!

One of my favorite things about being a cake smash photographer is when I get to work with clients who are just as excited about planning their baby's birthday photo session as I am!  

When Mallika's mom first contacted me about her daughter's cake smash, I instantly knew that we would be a great fit.  She had so many beautiful ideas for her daughter's birthday session, and it was really important to her that we create just the right look & style for her cake smash set up.  After many conversations, we decided that what she really wanted was a simple, classic, and minimalist look with a focus on the baby.  That is just my style!  :o)  Bring on the pure white seamless paper!  She also wanted to incorporate the soft colors and a quote from her favorite book, Dr. Seuss's "Oh the Places You'll Go".  

After I saw a picture of her beautiful little romper from The Stag and the Swan, the whole set came together in my mind and I loved bringing it to life!  I've been dabbling in calligraphy ever since attending a hand-lettering workshop with Sip & Script Boston (check out their page for a fun ladies' night out, and a new alternative to a paint night!).  Creating this calligraphy backdrop was my largest project to date, and I couldn't be more pleased with how it all came together for this charming little girl's birthday.

The little birthday girl, Mals, sure looks like she loved it too, doesn't she?  

One of my tried & true tricks for engaging one year olds during their photo session is to hide puffs in the frosting or on my white flokati rug.  If you are around any babies at all, you know that puffs are everyone's favorite snack and they are always a huge hit with these little ones.  Plus, they blend into the carpet or frosting, are small enough to fit into their tiny hands, and they do not leave a trace of crumbs on their teeth.  They are the perfect photo shoot snack!  

Mallika loved her puffs, and they kept her quite entertained while sitting on my curved bench prop.  I just love that in this photo, she has everything she could ever need -- a helping hand from her mom, and a snack within reaching distance.  Full bellies make for happy babies!  

This is the face of a girl who LOVES her puffs:

In typical one-year old fashion, it's not uncommon for our cake smash sessions to end with a couple of tears.  After all, if someone gave you an entire cake and let you go to town on it, and then took it away from you just when it was starting to get really fun, wouldn't  you want to cry, too?  I think that these moments are just as cute & frame-worthy as the happy clapping, the bubbly laughter, and the sparkling eyes.  I always make sure to keep shooting when the tears start to come out, and it definitely makes for some fun memories!

Finally, a couple of family photos to celebrate surviving (and thriving in!) their first year of parenthood.  Congratulations, P. family!  Your family is absolutely beautiful, and I am so thankful that you invited me into your lives to capture this milestone for you to enjoy.

A Pastel Springtime Portrait Session with Sisters: Albany & Saratoga Family Photographer

Last week I shared a tutorial on how to create this amazing floral backdrop with paper, scissors, and a hot glue gun.  You can find the tutorial here!

With each session, I get more and more excited about creating unique sets for our clients!  I love simple colors and classic styles, and anything 3-D makes my heart beat a little faster as it comes off of the backdrop and brings your images to life.  Creating this floral backdrop was certainly a labor of love and it took many, many hours of cutting and gluing petals together with Netflix playing in the background.  I love it so much that I can't bring myself to toss the flowers, so I look forward to mixing and matching them in new ways for upcoming sessions.  (Just wait until you see the cake smash that will use these for a sweet baby girl!)

When sisters Lily and Evvie came to the studio for their springtime portrait session, I was excited to capture some sweet photos of the girls together with their frilly dresses, pastel colors, and our paper flower backdrop.  These girls were a dream to photograph, and we had so much fun together during their session.  This session embodies everything that I love to incorporate into my photography -- a little whimsy, a little sparkle, and the sweetest moments shared between family.

Love the look of these girly-girl dresses?  Me, too!  I have been adding to our collection of ruffled and sparkly outfits in the studio.  More info and a look book will be coming soon!