5 Props I Use in Every Newborn Session

As a studio newborn photographer, my style is all about minimalistic setups and focusing on your baby! Your baby is perfect just as they are, and I don't want to distract from that in your portraits.  I use neutral colors and natural textures to create a clean, timeless, organic look in your baby's first portraits. To create these natrual setups, I do use a few props. Today, I’m sharing 5 props I use in (almost) every newborn session. Many of these props blend right in and you don't notice them at first glance (like the wooden crate and the bowl) because your eye is drawn right to the newborn baby.

Swaddle.  

This is a must-have for every newborn photographer, and the first thing you learn when posing newborns is how to wrap the baby snugly so that their arms and legs don't wiggle out of the wrap.  The swaddle keeps them calm and happy, and it helps them feel secure.  This plus heat and white noise or a shusher app all come together to lull the baby to sleep and make it easy to pose the little one.  I like to use what I call "baby spanx" underneath the swaddle to keep baby extra snug, plus it makes it easy for me to change out the top layer for a new look while baby stays calm and happy while all tucked in.

White crate.

I start all my individual portraits with this one prop!  I like to layer it with whites and creams for neutral portraits, and then as the session goes on, I will add in colors through additional wraps, bump blankets, and layers.  I typically begin with the baby fully swaddled, and then I bring out their arms and flip them to their bellies once they're settled into a deep sleep.

Wooden bowl.

From there we move to the wooden bowl!  I love the round shape of it for overhead shots, and these always look so beautiful printed on our round wooden wall art pieces.  I also like surrounding the bowl with greenery or florals to accentuate the shape, plus it works well for posing babies on their bellies and capturing the head-on-hands pose.  

Bed or cradle.

I love these wooden props for sleepy poses!  We make sure to capture a few overhead shots, full body, and close-up.  Plus, I always enjoy backlit a profile view of the baby, too!

White or cream blanket.

I have so many different white blankets with different textures, and I love using them in a variety of ways in my portraits.   Sometimes I use it on the posing bed for traditional posing.  Sometimes I layer it spilling out of the wooden crate.  Other times I will use it as a soft texture underneath the bowl or bed to add a little more dimension to photographs.    

I’m always of the mindset that less is more when it comes to newborn portraits. I hope that these five props show you that you can truly create beautiful (and long-lasting) portraits for your baby without a lot of involved setups.

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A Sesame Street Cake Smash for Aiden's First Birthday!

One of the things that I love the most about our studio cake smash sessions is planning a unique theme and set up for each baby.  From the outfit, to the cake, to the custom decor and backdrop, every little step along the way comes together to create the perfect session for celebrating this little one's birthday. 

For Aiden's Sesame Street session, we used bright primary colors, simple shapes, and a delicious Cookie Monster cake to pull it all together, with a little nod to the classic television show with a green & yellow street sign like those you might see on Sesame Street.  This cake was especially fun to make, and I love that it is covered in lots of ooey-gooey frosting perfect for smashing!

Aiden, however, was not a huge fan of cake or frosting.  He was much more interested in the cookies than in the cake, and thankfully the baby-sized cookies kept this little baby happy during his session!  

I just love the big smile that he showed us here!  Happy birthday, baby boy!

On a sidenote, we are in the process of moving to Saratoga Springs, NY (did you miss our moving announcement?).  I spent all day painting our Saratoga Springs photography studio today, and I cannot wait to welcome some birthday babies in for cake smashes starting in July!  Is your little one turning 1 this summer or fall?  Use the contact tab above to get in touch!

A Rock & Roll Cake Smash with Twins!

It all started with a KISS onesie...

Have you ever had one of those days where you look in your closet and you have nothing to wear?  Who am I kidding, of course you have!  We all have!  Now, has that ever happened to you when planning outfits for your family's portrait session?  It's not easy figuring our what to wear and how to coordinate outfits for 2, 3, 4, 5, or even 10 people!  That's why I always tell families that when inspiration strikes, you go with it!

(Or you can check out our helpful What to Wear blog post here!) 

When the twins' mom was trying to come up with outfits for her babies for their cake smash, she was also trying to come up with a theme.  After going back and forth a few times, she finally told me that she had a KISS onesie in the basement that she had given to her husband when they were expecting their first baby.  KISS is her husband's favorite band, he has been to hundreds of their concerts, and all three of her children LOVE rock music.

The answer was clear... yes, yes, YES!  Let's do a rock & roll themed cake smash!

I'm a little bit vintage.  They're a little bit rock & roll.  Everything came together perfectly for Emily & Nicholas's first birthday celebration from the handmade backdrop to the individual cakes.  Plus, getting to watch these babies play with their cakes for their first taste of sugar?  So adorable!

I've captured the sweetest moments of Emily and Nicholas together since they were newborns, and I've absolutely loved watching them grow.  Getting to celebrate their first birthday with them was the icing on the cake!   ;o)  

A Cute Baby & A Pretty Hat: Eliana's 7 Month Milestone Session (Upstate New York Baby Photographer)

Every now & then there is a knock on the door and a family walks in carrying the cutest baby I've ever seen... actually, "every now and then" feels more like "every couple of days" when your job is a baby photographer.  I feel so lucky to be able to cuddle with so many adorable babies every day, and when the next potential Gerber baby model comes into my studio for a session, I absolutely love it!  Sessions like this one remind me that I truly do enjoy the best job ever.  :) 

Eliana came to the studio for her 7 month milestone session.  This is such a beautiful age that I love capturing on camera.  Babies are sitting more comfortably, they are smiling and engaged with the camera, they love playing with their toes, and they enjoy being the center of attention for being so adorable.  Babies this age are champs at tummy time, have the best giggles, and have so many sweet expressions to add variety to your photographs.  

We did a little photo series of Eliana wearing the sweetest cream-colored bonnet that I have in the studio.  I just love the way it framed her face and made those blue eyes sparkle!  

I love our Petite Milestone sessions because the focus is all about your baby.  We keep it simple with neutral backdrops, natural colors, and minimal props to focus on your little one, their personality, their developing milestones, and their innocence.  We capture natural moments that are so precious in this fleeting stage of infancy, and I can guarantee that these classic images will hang in your home for many, many years without ever looking dated.

Want to learn more about our Petite Milestone sessions?  Read about them here, and then contact me today and let's plan the perfect session to celebrate your baby's budding milestones this spring!

A Superhero Cake Smash: Saratoga Springs & Albany, NY Baby Photographer

It's a bird...

It's a plane...

It's... SUPERBABY ANTHONY!

I have been having so much fun designing our cake smashes lately!  It helps that the families are coming up with the most amazing themes.  (Did you see our "Where the Wild Things Are" smash?  So adorable!)  When Anthony's parents told me that they were planning a superhero bash for his first birthday party, I knew that I wanted to do an airy cityscape for his set.  That combined with his vibrant cake and the smiliest baby I've ever seen, and this is certainly topping the charts as one of my favorite cake smash sessions so far!

One of my favorite parts of Anthony's cake smash session actually happened AFTER the cake smash.  We got together at his family's home for their reveal session, and his parents fell in love with every single photo in their slideshow.  When they showed the baby the photos of himself, Anthony put on the biggest smile and erupted into the most adorable giggle.  This baby LOVES seeing photos of himself, and he stared and stared at them, taking in every detail.  Such a sweet moment, and I was so happy to be there in person to witness that!

For me, first birthdays are about more than just the baby.  They are about celebrating as a family -- you have survived your first year of parenthood, and that is a major accomplishment!  I always love capturing the love, the joy, and the celebration of parents with their babies just as their little one is about to become a toddler.  Enjoy a few sweet moments of Anthony with his parents...