Best Buds: Saratoga Springs family portraits with two brothers in Congress Park

I can’t believe that the last time I saw this sweet family was for Ezra’s newborn portraits - and now he’s running around with his brother, Elliot! This spring, we met up in Congress Park, one of my favorite spots in Saratoga Springs NY for outdoor portraits. We had the most beautiful morning with soft colors and blooms everywhere you looked. It really turned out to be the perfect day to capture new family portraits for these boys and their parents. 

Having photographed them before, it was extra special to see Elliot and Ezra’s bond now that they’re both a little bit older. They have such a playful relationship! It was important for me to capture that as we created new memories and portraits. With their energy in mind, we played lots of games, encouraged many tickles, and I loved watching them run around. Capturing candid and real moments between your family members is always the best part of any family portrait session! 

I have to admit, keeping up with everyone running around can be a lot - especially as the weather warms up. But, sessions pass in a blur and we always capture the most incredible smiles and moments with kids because we’re letting them be who they are at this stage of life. It’s amazing and SO so worth it! Thank you to this beautiful family for trusting me to capture your memories again! It was wonderful seeing you this spring.

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Fall family portraits with baby in Congress Park

I absolutely adore little Maverick! We met up recently for fall family portraits in Congress Park as part of our Collective Membership program. Maverick and his family get to enjoy 4 sessions over 18 months, along with other perks for our members. I’ve already photographed their studio maternity and lifestyle newborn portraits, so it was fun to see them again for Maverick’s 6 month portraits! 

I love it when families come back for more sessions, and it makes it easier on everyone because they know what to expect, feel comfortable with me and that shows in front of the camera! Maverick already recognized me a little bit and his parents were more relaxed and confident in their session. After the portraits are easier too, as my families are familiar with the products and already have a plan for their portraits before we begin, and they get to enjoy consistency with beautiful portraits on their walls that all match for a cohesive style. But, perhaps the most obvious perk of working with me for multiple sessions is getting to capture all of their favorite milestones and documenting these memories while their little one grows so fast! 

Our session in Congress Park was a joy! Maverick matched his dad in a cozy knit sweater for the fall portraits. It was adorable - and if this is a new trend in fall outfit attire for family portraits, I’m here for it! I shouldn’t be surprised because Stephanie and Matt always look amazing in their portraits. They chose a really fun classic white t-shirt and jeans look for her maternity portraits, and they truly nailed their fall choice for these new family portraits. I’m in love with Stephanie’s beautiful orange dress! It was a great option with all of the foliage at Congress Park. 

Stephanie, Matt, and Maverick - I can’t wait for our next portrait session together! I’m excited to see what Maverick’s up to next and see you all again. 

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Celebrating a 5th anniversary with fall family portraits in Congress Park - Saratoga Springs family photographer

Emily and Chris came up to Saratoga from Brooklyn to celebrate their fifth anniversary and brought along their sweet baby boy, Bennett. Bennett is already 4 months old and was so adorable our entire session! Their portrait session coincided with the last week of Emily’s maternity leave, and they wanted to celebrate all the things that had been going on recently for their little family, and slow down time with some gorgeous family portraits.

We met up for their family portraits in Congress Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. It’s one of my all-time favorite spots in Saratoga Spring! The day of our session, we had the coziest green colors throughout the park and it was a little grey… but honestly, it worked for the vibe of Emily, Chris and Bennett’s outfits. 

Speaking of… I love the outfits that Emily planned for everyone! The matching cable knit sweaters on Chris and Bennett were too cute. Her dress gave off the perfect fall vibes, and her loose waves were gorgeous on camera (and in person!). I love that she chose a beautiful patterned dress and the boys had more solid colors - everything looked amazing together on camera! The fall weather also led to lots of cuddles with Bennett, which was super sweet. 

I hope that Emily and Chris will always look back on these portraits with fondness and that they captured this special time for this beautiful family! 

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Spring family portraits in Congress Park with Saratoga Springs family photographer

During each cake smash session I do, one of my favorite parts of the session is family portraits we make time for. It’s important to me that every family has updated portraits as their little one grows up, so we make time before the baby gets messy to pop outside or down the street for new portraits as a family. Jordan’s family decided to use Congress Park for their family portraits! 

Jordan and his family were in the studio for his cake smash to celebrate his first birthday! He brought his parents and big brothers, Jacob and Jonas, along to Congress Park. We were in luck, because Congress Park always has such beautiful blooms in the spring. The blossoms on the trees are always my favorite part of spring! As usual, the boys’ mom absolutely nailed their outfits - leaning into a gorgeous blue and white palette. All of the boys looked adorable and I loved watching them help Jordan walk through the park! 

I’m so happy that we had the chance to update their family portraits because I’ve been working with this family for many years now. They have been coming to me ever since their oldest was born! This was their last session in Saratoga Springs, and they are moving to a new state this summer. I’ll miss them terribly! It makes these gorgeous spring photos in Congress Park even more special for me - and for them. 

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Celebrating Baby #2 - Maternity Portraits in Congress Park with Saratoga Springs Family Photographer

How beautiful is Katie?! This is my second time capturing a maternity session for her and Zach, and I’m so thrilled I was able to document another milestone for their family! Katie and Zach are one of the sweetest couples I know and their older son, Carter, is always a joy to see, too! I’ve been working with them since Katie was pregnant with Carter - for her maternity session and milestone sessions for him, too!

Now they’re expecting another little boy and Katie reached out to me about her maternity portraits. I couldn’t wait to get them on the schedule! We decided to split her session between Congress Park and the studio. It allowed us to capture a few different looks for her - and I think it worked out perfectly!! She used some of my gowns from the Mama wardrobe for the studio, which I loved. That green and white lace dress is one of my favorites and Katie looked amazing in it. Carter was all about being a brother already - hugging his mom’s belly and smiling nice and big for us.

I can’t wait to meet their newest addition. Katie and I are actually due the same week - so I’ll be thinking of her as we welcome Baby #2, too! Congratulations again, Katie, Zach, and Carter! I’m so excited for your new baby boy to enter the world!!! He is already so loved.

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Fall Family Portraits with Young Children at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs

I’m so thankful I had the chance to capture another beautiful fall portrait session for Henry, Emma, and their parents! I’ve been working with this family since Emma turned 1 and now they’ve recently celebrated Henry’s first birthday, too. Over the years, I’ve watched them grow and become such an incredible family. I feel so lucky that they’ve trusted me with their memories, including this fall family portrait session at Congress Park.

We truly lucked out with the most beautiful day for their session at the park. Early October turned out to be the best time for peak foliage all around this year - and I’m so happy we caught it in time. Henry and Emma were amazing our entire session, playing together and enjoying the leaves. Henry has just started to walk and he loved chasing after Emma as we were together. She was the best at making him laugh, too! It’s clear they’re going to be amazing friends.

I can’t wait for you to see this beautiful session!

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Fall Family Portraits in Congress Park, Saratoga Springs Family Photographer

This gorgeous family session in Congress Park already has me looking forward to doing a roundup post with the Best of 2020 Family Portrait Sessions. I just don’t know how I’ll choose only one or two for that post! So for now, enjoy soooo many of my favorite images that we captured of this sweet family during their fall family portraits in downtown Saratoga Springs.

We had originally planned on doing a Fresh 48 session when Baby Wells arrived, but unfortunately the covid closures happened at the hospital the week of his birth so we were not able to capture his portraits last spring. We waited until he turned 6 months old for a fun family session, and his mama even made his little outfit!

This sweet baby boy was so happy and smiley, and he loved cuddling up in his mama and daddy’s arms. It’s clear to see just how much joy he has brought to their lives this year, and he has definitely been a bright spot for them!

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An Outdoor Milestone Session in Congress Park - Saratoga Springs

Elliana is one of our Baby Planners, and she rocked her second milestone session! The last time I saw this sweet girl was for a tummy time milestone session, and now she’s sitting & crawling! We opted for an outdoor portrait session since everything was in bloom for early summer, and Congress Park in Saratoga Springs did not disappoint! I especially love how these purple flowers match her gingham romper perfectly!

And, just because it’s an outdoor session doesn’t mean we can’t bring our little studio props! This handmade wooden bed was perfect for her sitter session!

Elliana wore a few outfits from the studio’s Baby Wardrobe. I love the variety that a little change of outfit and a change of scenery in the park gives to her portraits! In this one she had what her mama called “Beyonce hair,” and she rocked it!

This next one was everyone’s favorite. What do you think? Pretty cute!

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A Summer Maternity Session at Congress Park - Saratoga Springs NY Maternity Photographer

We've been in the middle of a baby boom lately with so many newborn sessions in both Saratoga Springs and Boston, which also means we've enjoyed even more maternity sessions than usual, too!  

Jessica & Matt joined me at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs for a sunset maternity session, and we had the park almost entirely to ourselves on a rare quiet evening downtown.  Jessica wore one of our lavender gowns from the studio collection, and she was absolutely radiant while celebrating her baby bump and counting down the weeks to her sweet little one's arrival.

This is one of my favorite shots from their session, and it's a pose that I think we'll definitely have to do more often!  I love how casual it is while showing off Jessica's beautiful baby bump and her long flowing gown.  

I can't wait to meet their sweet little baby in just a few weeks!  Check back soon for their Fresh 48 session and lifestyle newborn session here on the blog!

Splashing Around in the Fountains of Saratoga Springs

Shortly after moving to Saratoga Springs, I was thrilled to get together with this lovely family for a sunset portrait session in Congress Park.  This was their first photo shoot as a family of four, and my goal was to make everyone as relaxed and comfortable as possible so that they could truly look forward to their photo shoot and love the natural images that we captured together.  

After spending some time exploring the duck pond at Congress Park (which, if you haven't heard about the ridiculously popular ducks in this town yet, definitely ask a resident about them -- they stay here all winter because of the heated sidewalks!!), we wandered over to the beautiful pavilion at Congress Spring for a few more photos.  We never intended to get wet, but when little Andrew spotted that fountain he ran directly to it and went up on his tiptoes to get a better look.  He LOVED splashing around in the water, and getting his sister Teresa all wet.  

They shared the best giggles at this classic Saratoga landmark, and I was so happy to hear their mom tell me a few weeks later that now every time she drives past the fountains, she thinks of our fun evening splashing in the mineral springs and the joy on her children's faces.  THAT is what this is all about -- creating memories and capturing them in the most beautiful way so that you can enjoy them forever.

Are you looking to create some amazing memories with your family?  Use the contact tab above and let's chat about planning a portrait session for your family!  Now booking in New York, Boston, and Cape Cod!