Newborn portrait sessions with handmade pearl headbands

Welcome to the world Baby Vivienne! I’m so happy that I had a chance to bring this beautiful family back to my Saratoga Springs studio. 5 years ago, I captured  big sister Madeleine’s newborn portraits. Now she’s a big sister! It was very special to see how much she’s grown and to watch her bubbly personality shine through as she showed off her new baby sister.

This newborn session feels very springlike to me! We captured a few portraits inspired by Madeleine’s portraits a few years back - including the overhead circle bowl shot. It was special to recreate beautiful memories for this family. I’ve also added a bunch of new headbands including some with pearl details to the studio, which Vivienne’s mother chose for her daughter’s session. I love them so much and I’m so thrilled to see them being used. 

Many of my newborn clients fall in love with the soft colors and my natural style of newborn posing. I always choose to use minimal props to keep the focus on the baby. Pure and sweet, minimal is my focus - so I can capture the connection between family members. These sibling portraits of the girls are some of my all-time favorites, and the colors in the family’s outfits were perfect for the studio. Everything about Vivienne’s session just fit perfectly with my style and I’m so thrilled to be sharing it with you today! 

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Cozy studio newborn portrait session for Winter Lily | Saratoga Springs newborn photographer

I recently had the honor of welcoming Winter Lily to my Saratoga Springs studio to capture her newborn portraits! Winter Lily was accompanied by her big brother, Phoenix, and her parents. Her big brother was SO proud and it was the absolute sweetest thing to watch throughout our session. Our portraits for Winter Lily really focused on the interactions between these two babies and the family together. Winter Lily’s solo portraits featured beautiful pastel colors - and I even got to play with some fun winter overlays and snowflakes! 

While I was photographing Amanda’s family, I knew I was going to fall in love with the final portraits. And, I definitely did! This family’s outfits were perfect in the studio.

When you’re planning what to wear for your own studio newborn portraits, consider light neutrals. Light color shirts reflect light back onto the baby’s face when you hold them up against your chest, it keeps the focus on the family & expressions & love. I’m a huge fan of creating imagery that will be classic, timeless, and simple. Light neutrals help make that possible! 

I’m so happy for this family of four and I’m thrilled that they asked me to document this incredibly special time in their family’s lives! Welcome to the world, Winter Lily! 

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Springtime newborn portraits with florals and hints of purple

Welcome to the world, Avery Marie! Everything was in bloom at the studio for Avery Marie’s springtime newborn portraits. Since her mom’s favorite color is purple, we decided to lean into the purples and spring season for her setups. I have a funny feeling it will be a favorite color of Avery for years to come.

Purple looked amazing on both Avery and her mom. Her mother chose to wear a lavender gown from our Mama’s Wardrobe, and I’m so glad she did! It was the perfect color on her with her hair and complexion, and it looks amazing against the baby's complexion, too!

Avery’s parents brought a few props for their session that are special to them, including a fun little ice cream movie. They love ice cream, so it was the perfect prop to celebrate that connection they’ll share with Avery one day. Her mom also spent years as a ballet dancer, so we made sure to incorporate a tutu for one of the photos. It was purple, of course!

Avery, you are SO loved and I can’t wait to see you grow this year. You are so lucky to have your incredible parents with you along the way.

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How to successfully capture newborn portraits with a toddler sibling

One of my favorite parts about being a newborn photographer is seeing families come back with their second (or third, or fourth) babies to my studio. I adore watching the toddlers I’ve photographed since they were newborns become big siblings and welcome their new baby brothers or sisters to the world. It’s so special - being able to capture these milestones for families. Not just the new baby, but the transition into siblinghood for the older toddlers, too. But, capturing these toddlers comes with it’s own challenges, and just about every parent I talk to is worried about how their toddler will be with the new baby during our portraits. It’s such a common fear - and I totally get it! But it’s 100% possible to have a beautiful session - with your toddler and new baby. Look at how well Baby Dylan and his big brother Owen did!

When I last saw Owen during their outdoor family portrait session in the fall, he was shy and quiet and only wanted to be held by his dad. This time around, he was excited to introduce me to his baby brother Dylan, and he loved playing with all of the toys in my studio. He eagerly joined the family portraits, and he was all smiles for the camera when he saw the different rattles and bubbles that I brought out for his session. Now, I know that not all toddlers are like Dylan - but over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks about how to help your toddlers feel better in the studio during newborn portraits.

Tips for engaging toddlers:

• Go at their pace, don't rush them - or everyone’s going to have a rough time.

• Make them feel special! It’s hard to understand why you aren’t the center of attention anymore. Start off by talking to the toddler and playing with them, and make it all about them instead of all about the baby.

• Let them feel in control, give them easy choices like "Do you want to start with just you and baby, or mommy and daddy and baby? Do you think we should use the white or the blue blanket?"

• Never underestimate the power of a bribe. I keep my studio snack cart stocked with toddler favorites, and it's amazing to see how hard these kids will keep it together for a promised goldfish or juice box when they are all done!

• Give them breaks. Mix up the family poses so that the child isn't in every single one for long periods of time. Let them go play, have a quick bite, help you find a new toy, etc. while you mix family portraits with mom and baby, dad and baby, sibling portraits, etc.

• Make it fun! Sing songs, blow bubbles, hide toys or snacks with the baby, ask them to find an animal in your camera lens, use rattles, lean in for little tickles, etc.

• Remember to keep the baby's safety your top priority and plan all shots around poses that will keep the baby supported and secure. Always have a parent or two nearby to spot the baby, and give the toddler clues or magic words that will let them know when it's safe to get up and move.

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A colorful newborn session for Baby Rocco

Meet Rocco! He was my first newborn session of 2022! What a way to kick off the year in the studio. Rocco and his sweet parents came to the studio to document his arrival to their family. We kept with a fairly neutral color scheme, leaning into the white floor of the studio and added some pops of color in his setups. It was fun to find beautiful, warm colors for the winter to pair with his white outfits. We also had a little bit of fun with a wintery overlay to celebrate this little winter baby!

Rocco was just perfect during the session, cuddling up with his mom and dad. He slept for me during his individual! I’m sure the cozy knit wraps from Dede Props helped! Dede Props is one of my favorite places to get my newborn’s knit wraps and bonnets from. Located in Poland, everything is SO soft and beautiful - just perfect for my studio babies.

Enjoy scrolling through Rocco’s colorful newborn portraits in the studio from this winter! He’s so cute, I know you’re going to fall in love with him like I did!

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Newborn Session with Blush and Cream Pumpkins

Meet Evelyn Marie, or "Evie" as her parents like to call her! This sweet little girl graced my studio recently for her fall inspired newborn portraits. From pumpkins to neutral colors in her setups, this session was a dream come true for fall lovers! You might recognize her parents because they were just featured on the blog during their maternity session. Evie decided to come 3 weeks early so they came back to the studio pretty quickly for their newborn session… but it was great to see them all again so soon!

One of my favorite parts about Evie’s newborn session was that we replicated some of the portraits we put together for their maternity session. It was really sweet to see the commonalities between their portraits! I know they’re going to look amazing together in their heirloom album. Patty and Jared were so much fun to work with for both their maternity and newborn session with Evie. I absolutely adore them both and I hope to see them again more over the next few years!

Enjoy this look into their fall newborn session to celebrate sweet Evie!!!

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Classic Family Portraits during a Newborn Session

Family portraits are one of my FAVORITE things to capture during a newborn session (even more than baby smiles!). I love watching new parents interact with their brand new baby, marveling at how tiny and perfect they are. I love seeing the size of the newborn in their parents’ hands. I love watching new moms “ahhhhh” over every little movement and expression.

There really is something so beautiful about being invited to capture these first family portraits for your family, and I truly enjoy watching the beauty unfold and seeing that magical bond you share with your baby.

This session was no exception, and I adore the collection of family portraits that this family chose to showcase on their walls at home. Scroll down for lots of tender moments with the new mom and dad, and their baby Rudy!

The all-white clothing for this session photographed SO beautifully and it kept the baby the focus of the images. I have a whole blog post filled with tips for choosing outfits for your newborn portrait session. Have you read it yet? Go check it out!

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Classic Studio Newborn Portraits for Baby Boy

Sibling portraits are some of my favorite images to create during newborn portrait sessions in my Saratoga Springs portrait studio. I absolutely adore watching toddlers in their new role as big brother or big sister as the cuddle up with their family’s newest addition. They always have the biggest, proudest smiles!

But sometimes, those are often the hardest portraits to capture of the entire session! Toddlers are wildly unpredictable and their attention moves so quickly from one thing to the next, so I have lots of tricks up my sleeve to get those portraits that melt mama’s heart of her two babies together, and to get them as quickly as possible so that big brother or big sister can get back to the important things in the studio — toys and snacks!

Big brother Elliott turned out to be one of the easiest big brothers I have had in the studio this summer! He was ready with the cutest smiles, and he loved hugging his new baby brother. He knew he was doing a great job, and he thoroughly enjoyed being the star of the show and getting to cuddle his new baby. We couldn’t stop laughing when he came over, let me click the shutter exactly one time with the most perfect smile, and then ran off to play some more. Hey, as long as we get that one perfect shot, we’re good! ;o)

Did you know that sibling portraits with young toddlers are often composites? This means that two photos are blended together in Photoshop. The number one reason I do this is for the baby’s safety!

Every newborn portrait session also includes family portraits, and cuddles with mama and dada are always the sweetest! Plus, I’m still obsessed with the soft clean light in the studio!

Wondering if a studio session is the right fit for you? Go to this blog post for a simple checklist to see if studio or lifestyle portraits are more your style!

Ahhhhhh, this one in dad’s hands is my fave!!

A newborn session wouldn’t be complete without sleepy portraits of the new baby! Ezra gave the cutest little yawn. I can’t decide which is cuter: newborn yawns or newborn smiles?

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Welcome Baby Nathan! Newborn Portraits with Big Brother

This blog post comes with a story about your favorite photographer, too many boxes arriving in the mail, and the big reveal of this family’s heirloom album. ;o)

This sweet family ordered an album with all of their favorite newborn portraits, and I placed the order the day before I left for a week and a half on the Cape. For me, a week and a half by the sea is like hitting the reset button, so when I came home I could barely remember what I had done before leaving for the Cape.

When I came back to my studio I had a mountain of boxes waiting for me from my different portrait labs, and opening them felt a bit like Christmas morning because I couldn’t remember what was inside of them. Blame it on the mom brain, or blame it on the salt air.

But then I got to this one box. When I opened it up I saw the gray album box inside, and I remember lifting the cover and thinking, “Who’s album is this one?” Then I saw the sky blue linen and the soft colors in Nathan’s newborn portraits, and honestly I gasped when seeing how beautiful it all was together. This family wound up choosing the most perfect linen to complement their portraits, and the finished product was truly breathtaking. That was my favorite package I opened this summer, and I definitely enjoyed watching the family unwrap it a few days later to enjoy it for themselves!

Big brother Aiden was soooooo excited about his new role as big brother, and he gave us all the smiles! We captured so many sweet portraits of these two brothers together and I love all of the family ones, too. I’ve loved watching this family grow over the past couple of years, and it’s hard to believe that just a few short years ago they were brand new parents bringing their son to my old studio for his portrait session! Check out big brother’s newborn session from almost 3 years ago here!

We used some of the same colors and layers in Nathan’s newborn portraits as we did in his big brother’s a few years ago. I’m a huge fan of blues, grays, creams, and whites in newborn portraits, and I love how seamlessly they all go together!

Nathan’s mama gave me the biggest compliment when she was sitting in the studio during their session. She looked around and told me that the studio was so relaxing to be in, and that nearly three years ago as a new mom she had felt the same way. Despite all of the crazy unknowns of motherhood and the countless things that all of us mamas have to figure out in those first few weeks with a new baby, somehow I helped her feel more comfortable at least during those couple of hours she was here for her session. That made my heart so happy to hear.

Because yes, I want to give you beautiful portraits and artwork that you’re going to enjoy for generations. But more importantly I want you to embark on this journey of motherhood (or the next chapter of it if you’re welcoming baby #2 or #3!) and feel a little more confident, a little more understood, a little more prepared to take on the crazy unknowns. I’m a mom, too. I’ve literally gone through this exact same journey, and whatever it is you’re feeling, you’re not alone. That’s why I try so hard to connect with all of the families that I work with to see how they’re doing and offer any little tidbits that might make those first few weeks at home a little easier with the new baby.

Because your newborn session is not just about the photographs. It’s also about taking your baby out of the house for maybe the first time besides the pediatrician appointment, and connecting with another mama who has been in your shoes who can help you feel a little less lost and a little less alone.

Wondering what to expect in your newborn session? I’ve done this hundreds of times and my job is to make it as easy and stress-free as possible for you as a new parent! Check out this blog post for what to expect!

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Grayson Noah's newborn portraits with Big Brothers

This sweet baby boy is a NICU warrior. And so are his parents! His family waited a long time to bring him home, and when they finally did they celebrated with a portrait session to document his first days with his family & big brothers. We captured the sweetest family portraits of the five of them together at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio, plus plenty of baby Grayson all by himself. They did such a wonderful job coordinating outfits for everyone and I love how the neutral colors keep the focus on the family and the emotions. Don’t they look wonderful all cuddled up with their new baby boy?!

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Adorable newborn portraits with dainty flower headbands

Adorable Baby Melina joined me at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio for her newborn session, and I absolutely loved capturing these moments of this beautiful baby girl’s first days with her family. She had a head full of dark hair that looked so beautiful against all of the soft colors and dainty headbands in the studio and we had so much fun pulling together the blush pinks, creams, and neutrals for her first portraits.

Melina slept like a dream and was so easy to pose into those adorable, squishy baby poses. Her mama chose a mauve lace gown from the studio’s Mama Wardrobe, which is our closet filled with dresses for mothers to borrow during their sessions. It looked amazing on her!

Big brother Vincent was so excited to welcome his new baby sister into the family, and we captured his excitement through great big smiles and giggles and lots of snuggly cuddles with his new sister.

I love it when parents choose this lace bonnet from our shelf for their newborn girl! Doesn’t Melina look so sweet in this?!

Her mama brought her favorite baby swaddle (above) and we incorporated it as a peachy layer in one of her portraits. The theme of her baby shower was mermaids and she received a little mermaid tail as a gift, which we were able to use in two portraits of Melina as well!

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A Fresh 48 Hospital Newborn Session: Camilla Appel

Sometimes families like to enjoy a few quiet moments alone as they welcome their baby to the world.  We close the door for a little while.  The new parents cuddle up with that sweet little baby, and it's just the three of them in their own little blissful world. 

Other times, families like to invite their loved ones in to the hospital to meet their newborn baby during their Fresh 48 photo session.  Grandma and Grandpa come in bearing gifts, more grandparents fly in from out of state and come from the airport straight to the hospital, and the new mom's sister is a proud new aunt, beaming at the sight of her first niece.  Hugs are shared, happy tears are shed, and the baby is passed around while whispers of "Ohhhh, she's perfect!" float through the hospital room.

Less than 24 hours old, Camilla was passed from one pair of loving arms to another, soaking up the smiles and adoration as two families came together to meet their granddaughter and niece.  

This one right here?  It's one of my favorite photos from Camilla's session.  Three generations of incredible women, a beautiful moment contained in a small rectangle of space.  The way that the mother (a brand new grandmother!) is looking right at the camera with her girls all around her is so beautiful.  She did that.  Because of her, they are all in this world to light up HER world.  It's a true example of surrounding yourself with the people that you love.  THESE are the stories that photographers love to tell through their cameras!

Fresh 48s have become my absolute favorite type of session this year, and it's easy to see why.  Going through the images from Amelia & Michael's hospital newborn session truly transports you to that June day in their hospital room, making you feel like you were right there celebrating with them as they welcomed their daughter to the world.  There is so much emotion woven into such a beautiful story, and capturing these moments during such an intimate time in a family's life is always an honor.

Happy Birth Day, baby girl!  You are already so, so loved.  

Have you been dreaming of your little one's arrival?  A hospital newborn session is the perfect way to document their arrival and celebrate the newest addition to your family.  Contact me and let's chat about how this type of relaxed, lifestyle newborn session may be a good fit for your family!

A special thank you to Jamie of Koss Photography for her assistance with this session.