Classic Milestone Portraits for Baby Henri

We added a few new outfits to our studio’s Baby Wardrobe, and I was excited that Henri was the first baby to model them! This sweet boy enjoyed his six-month milestone session at the studio, and we captured so many gorgeous portraits of him.

He has such a serious and inquisitive gaze, but he could definitely break out into a smile and be 100% silly, too! This sweet boy was so much fun and he had us all laughing with his giggles!

At six months old, some babies are sitting up assisted, and others can sit on their own without any support. Some are comfortable on their tummies, and others prefer laying on their backs and playing with their toes. Every baby is different, which is what I love so much about these milestone sessions. We capture your little one just as they are, celebrating all of their recently acquired skills, smiles, and first teeth.

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What Does the Baby Plan Really Look Like? Two Different Babies, One Year, Lots of Photos

We introduced the Baby Plan a little more than two years ago, and it has been such a joy to watch so many little babies grow and celebrate all of their milestones with beautiful portrait sessions.

I love seeing our Baby Planners every few months and getting to know their families over the course of 12+ months. From the eager expectant parents that come in with stories about baby showers and building cribs, to the tired mamas rocking their brand new babies and looking for tips on nursing and swaddles during their newborn sessions, to the (slightly more well-rested!) parents who are playing peek-a-boo with their babies and cheering their birthday baby on to taking their first steps and tasting their birthday cake! It’s always such an honor to be invited into a family’s life for all of these events, and I truly enjoy capturing all of these memories for every single family.

So, if you’ve been wondering what the Baby Plan actually looks like, here is a peek at the Baby Plan for two different families. Maternity session, newborn session, milestone session, and a cake smash.

Here you’ll see a baby girl with her lifestyle maternity & newborn sessions at home, followed by studio portraits for her milestone session, and outdoor family portraits for her first birthday with the cake smash in the studio. At the end of the year we have a gorgeous collection of images that go together beautifully. I love that the colors they chose for each of their portrait sessions complement each other so well, and will look amazing paired together on the walls of their home!

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Next up is a year of portraits for one of our coastal families in Massachusetts. I absolutely adored photographing their maternity session AND cake smash session on the same beach. Partway through the year I said to this sweet mama, “Wouldn’t it be amazing to do his cake smash on the same boardwalk where we did your maternity portraits?!” And we immediately fell in love with the idea, and made it happen almost exactly one year later! Depending on the season we can do some of the sessions outdoors between May through October, but the newborn sessions are always indoors.

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Pin this image or any from the post above to learn more about the NSP Baby Plans!

A Baby Milestone Portrait Session with Christmas Trees

Although it’s early January, we can share one last Christmas session on the blog, right?

I absolutely loved that this family chose to incorporate holiday lights & colors into their son’s milestone portraits, and we made it a whole family session to celebrate their little 6 month old!

Of course baby Ronan slept through the first part of the session, and these cozy family portraits are just so cute with him all curled up in his daddy’s arms!

Ahhhhh!!! Cutest sibling photo of the holiday season!

This six-month old cutie LOVED the camera! Doesn’t he look like a little model?!?!

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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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Glitter & Gloves: Pretty but fierce hockey portraits to celebrate a 7th birthday

I was so excited when Samantha’s mom reached out to plan her annual birthday portraits. She told me how Sammy had fallen in love with playing hockey this year, and she really wanted to plan an extra special birthday session for her daughter in her hockey gear with a Tutu du Monde dress.

Ummmm, YESSSSSSS!!!

Of course, I couldn’t resist adding a little extra sparkle and glitter.

We had so much fun incorporating her helmet, hockey sticks, guards, and pucks into the session. Sammy loved putting on her tough face and her fierce face, and kept bursting into giggles, too. It was truly the perfect session and such a blast to photograph!

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A Boho and Peony Milestone Session with Corinne

Peonies have long been my favorite flower. We had them on the tables at our wedding, and I even made my own wedding bouquet full of these fluffy pink beauties. I have a vase of faux peonies on our nightstand, and we planted six peony bushes in our front yard when we moved into our house.

This spring I am so excited to use these beautiful blooms in the studio! Corinne came to the studio for a boho milestone session filled with peonies, and I love the dreamy look of her portraits! Her romper & floral crown were the perfect complements to these flowers.

She had the cutest little giggle, and I was so happy that we captured this whole-body laugh!

Funny faces are my favorite! We always capture the smiles, the serious faces, and the faces filled with wonder… but the ones where they scrunch up their faces into the cutest little expressions always make me smile!

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!

Nora's Six Month Milestone Session

Six month old babies are definitely at the top of the list of my favorite things to photograph.

Nora came to our Saratoga Springs portrait studio for her milestone session, and she was all about showing off those two adorable new teeth! This sweet baby girl was right on the brink of learning to crawl when we did her portraits, and she was happiest on her tummy while moving her little arms and legs as if she were swimming.

Nora’s mama chose a few outfits from our studio wardrobe for her session — did you see that WE HAVE AN ENTIRE BABY CLOSET FILLED WITH OUTFITS for your little one’s portraits? You can show up with just your diaper bag and we’ll do the rest to help you create beautiful portraits with outfits and a style you’ll love!

Nora’s big brother Greyson joined us for a few sibling portraits, and he did such a great job getting his baby sister to smile. He is such an amazing big brother!

A Pastel Woodland Birthday Session for Karsyn

Karsyn joined me at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio for a magical first birthday session. Her mama asked me to create a floral and rustic woodland scene for the birthday girl, so we used the Lavender Fields backdrop by Heidi Hope Backdrops, along with some birch trees, hanging flowers, and twinkle lights for the perfect scene.

Like most one-year olds, Karsyn was very interested in playing with the pearl beads that we keep in the studio to keep tiny hands busy!

We finished with a bathtub splash, and this sweet birthday girl loved the water! She started splishing and splashing all over the place, and she was especially fascinated in the soap bubbles.

Thinking of a birthday session for your baby? Let’s chat!

A 6 Month Studio Session for Baby Charlotte

Charlotte is one of our Baby Planners, and she came to the studio for her 6-month milestone session with the cutest outfits and the most adorable smile!

I love this age so much! Once babies start sitting up they really start showing off their personalities, and Charlotte was such a gem. She is a very playful baby and she showed us so many different smiles & expressions. It was hard to choose just a few favorites from her gallery!

I always love including these shots with mom or dad’s hands reaching in to catch or help support the baby. While some photographers might edit that out or throw the shot away, I love capturing this little moment that shows how you were always there for your baby. You have their back, you always catch them, and you’re watching right over their shoulder as they slowly start to gain independence and try out new skills, ready to help if they need it.

Evelyn's Six Month Milestone Session at our Saratoga Springs Studio | Saratoga Springs NY Photographer

I always have such a special time with our Baby Plan families.  I love getting to watch their little ones grow all the way through their first birthday (and beyond!), and little miss Evvie is no exception.  I'm so lucky that she comes to see me at the studio every few months for her milestone portraits!

I first met Evvie's family when her mama was pregnant, and we did a maternity session, Fresh 48 session and lifestyle newborn session.  She came to the Saratoga studio for her Christmas portraits, and I got to see her for her 6-month portraits right before my maternity leave began! 

It's been amazing watching this baby girl grow and change, develop a personality, hit her milestones, and hearing all about her first year.  I'm already looking forward to her 9-month portraits this summer!

We used our boho floral hoops for a fancy set-up at the end of her session.  How sweet is she?!?!

A Bathtub Splash after the Cake Smash - Saratoga Springs NY Baby Photographer

We have the most adorable new prop in the studio, and I think you're going to LOVE it!  It is simple, classic, and just perfect for our littlest clients! 

Just look at this adorable baby-sized bathtub.  Riley LOVED using it after her cake smash session for a little SPLASH (with a rubber ducky, of course)!

At this age, I love capturing all of the little details that make your baby so beautiful and unique.  Thick eyelashes.  Beautiful curls that are just starting to take shape.  Perfect little lips.  Finger dimples.  And those adorable leg rolls that you just want to squish and cuddle.

Many babies spend the happiest part of their day splishing & splashing in the bathtub.  For them, it's a playground filled with so many giggles and the biggest smiles.  Riley, of course, adored her bath time and she made the biggest splash!  

Huge smiles.  Lots of happy squeals.  And non-stop laughter as she played with her rubber duckies.  

Are you ready to book your SMASH & SPLASH?  What about a petite session with just a baby bath?  Email me and let's chat to plan your baby's perfect session together!
 

Samantha's Sparkly 5th Birthday Session in Downtown Boston | Boston MA Children's Photographer

Samantha's 5th birthday session was the stuff of so many little girls' dreams.

A sparkly dress.  Pretty shoes.  Twinkling city lights.  And all eyes on her with a photographer giving her her undivided attention.  
 

I loved helping Samantha's mom come up with an outfit and a location that would celebrate her daughter's spunky personality with a bit of whimsy, right in downtown Boston. 

We met up in the Seaport District with the beautiful Boston skyline sparkling in the sunset, and it was absolutely perfect.  Samantha enjoyed running up and down the walkways of Fan Pier Park, playing a few different games with me and showing off her ballerina twirls.  

The silver "5" balloon was the perfect prop for the birthday girl, and it was nearly as big as her!  Thankfully we didn't have too much wind to deal with that evening, and Samantha was able to hug that balloon tight and wave it around.  

When our sessions focus just on your little one, we always have time for an outfit change!  Samantha changed into a classic plaid dress and we headed on over to the blue bridge that is famous in this part of the city. 

It was filled with pedestrians leaving work, coming and going in all directions, but Samantha stole the show and carved out her own little space on the sidewalk.  Many of the city-goes stopped to exclaim how adorable she was, and of course she soaked up all of the attention with a great big smile!

I love planning sessions that celebrate your little one's personality.  These "Simply Me" sessions are the perfect way to showcase childhood wonder.  From the outfit to the location, we'll have so much fun bringing your vision to life. 

With the winter here, we're now planning sessions through March at your child's favorite indoor locations -- the skating rink, baking cookies in the kitchen, the library, a pretty lobby of your favorite hotel in the city, their favorite burrito shop, or Target.  You name it, and we'll make it happen!

Enter the Giveaway! A Guest Blog Post with Inspired Start about Early Allergen Introduction in Babies

I love teaming up with local family-friendly companies to do commercial photography for their business.  These shoots are full-day sessions where we bring in products, baby models, and and experts in set design to create gorgeous images for their website & marketing materials.  

I recently had the opportunity to work with Inspired Start, a Boston-based baby food company that is revolutionizing early allergen introduction in babies by incorporating trace amounts of common allergens in baby food pouches to build up your baby's immune system response to these ingredients?  The end result?  Bye-bye food allergies!

They just launched live on Amazon, and to celebrate I invited Jessica Deckinger, the founder of Inspired Start, to be a guest blogger and tell us a little more about Inspired Start and where this product idea came from.  

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Enter the giveaway!!

The very best part?  We're hosting A GIVEAWAY with Inspired Start & Nicole Starr Photography!  Click the button below to head on over to our Facebook page to comment on the post and enter to win!

What inspires you as a parent?  Click the button to comment on our Facebook post, and you could win a 3-box set of Inspired Start baby food for early allergen introduction, plus a $250 gift certificate towards a photo session with Nicole Starr Photography at our Saratoga Springs or Attleboro studio. 

Gift certificate must be used between November 2017-March 2018.  To be entered to win, please leave your comment below and be sure to LIKE the Inspired Start and Nicole Starr Photography pages. 

Winner will be contacted on Friday, November 17.

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Tell us a little about you & your family.  

I am a typical working mom of three young children (which means I generally have at least 2 cups of coffee before I’m fully functional in the morning). In all truth, my girls are all phenomenal humans! They are ages 7, 4 and 3, and could not be more different!

My husband and I live in a small community right outside of Boston (actually the same community I grew up in!) While I occasionally like to dream about living a beautiful, magazine-worthy existence, our home usually looks more like a major world war of toys just took place...and the other side won. But one of the best things I’ve learned as a mom is that no matter how hard I try to be perfect at everything, I never will come close on most things. Forgiving yourself your flaws and imperfections as a mom is “the new black”. Anyone who has seen the inside of my closet lately knows my obsession with all-black clothing, so anything I refer to as “the new black” is really “the new everything”. ;) 

How did you get started working with babies & food allergies, and what brought on the idea of Inspired Start? 

I’ve been working for almost 2 decades in big companies. I’ve always loved what I do and I’ve been exceptionally fortunate to have worked with some pretty phenomenal people! When the last company I was with was acquired, I suddenly found myself thinking “maybe it’s time for me to try something a little crazy”. I wanted to take a risk and put myself outside of my comfort zone. I was ready to put all my experience to the test with no safety net, but my deal with myself was that I would only do it if I found something I was truly passionate about. When I met the team at Adeo and heard what the mission was, I knew I had found it. 

My oldest daughter developed a peanut and treenut allergy at age 1, and we spent years, lots of money, and many anxiety-ridden allergist appointments coping until she finally (and luckily) outgrew her allergy several years later. We are one of the few families I know who had a daughter that outgrew her food allergies. I never forgot how hard that experience was for me, financially and emotionally. I’ve always remained super-sensitized to moms who have kids with food allergies. When I started with Adeo, The LEAP study had recently been released. I knew that early allergen introduction was becoming more and more prevalent and wanted to be part of a team that helped bring groundbreaking scientific research to parents and families. I was lucky to be exposed to this research as part of my career, but I know that with three little kids I would not otherwise have found the time to read it on my own. 

Through friends with babies, I knew that pediatricians were starting to instruct parents to introduce allergens early and often, just like other solids foods. But as I’m hearing that, I remembered how hard I thought those first foods were with my daughters. If there is anything I can do to make that process easier for other moms, that’s something I can get behind. 

I'm fascinated by your system of packs and pouches!  Tell us about how Inspired Start's method for the early introduction of allergens works.  

Our whole goal with Inspired Start was to create something that would fit into what parents are already doing with new food introduction. It is a new enough concept for parents to introduce allergens early rather than delaying introduction, we didn’t want to add extra steps, strange formulas, or new routines to that mix. 

We talked to countless parents during the process of developing Inspired Start. Over and over again we heard that parents like to introduce new foods for a couple of days before moving on to the next. We also overwhelmingly heard that baby food pouches are the go-to when parents are on the move or want to save time preparing at home. Especially with foods like nuts and shellfish that are hard to make age-appropriate for babies, we didn’t want to add any additional time to parents’ existing craziness. In response to these findings, we decided a simple recipe combining an organic fruit puree and just a small amount of potentially allergenic protein in a baby food pouch would be the perfect way to introduce these allergens. We also decided that we wanted to give parents multiples of each pouch so they could introduce each new food for a couple of days before moving on to the next. Pack 1 and Pack 2 contain two pouches of four different recipes each. 

Inspired Start is a three-part system, but it is designed to be flexible. For parents that have already introduced many of these foods in some form but want to have an easy way to consistently keep them in baby’s diet, the Variety Pack contains one pouch of each of our delicious recipes. I actually use the Variety Pack at home with my oldest daughter (her favorite foods are pasta, bread, quinoa, rice, and more grains) to keep a great source of protein in her diet. 

When is the best time for babies to get started?

It's varies for every baby! Whenever baby is starting other solid foods (purees, infant cereals, etc.), he or she will also be able to eat the pureed recipe in each of our pouches. That being said, some families choose to introduce the bases (apple, pear, mango, and banana) before introducing Inspired Start just so that the baby has already experienced the flavor of each of our foods. We put 4+ months on our packaging as a suggestion in line with published research, but we want families to do what is right for them and to make decisions with the help of their pediatricians. 

What does this mean for parents, and hopefully, what does this mean for food allergies in the future?

Early allergen introduction is a new way of thinking about the first foods that our babies experience. The reality is that many of these foods are not naturally in baby-appropriate form and let’s face it, we’re parents, not superheroes. When things get crazy at home, we reach for the fast and easy foods. That means not always feeding baby a truly varied diet that regularly includes potentially allergenic foods. With Inspired Start, parents have a simple way to do that. 

Our sincere hope is that we are opening up a world of healthy and varied eating for a new generation of kids by starting early with early allergen introduction!

Where can parents find more info?  

If parents want to hear more from the amazing allergists, nutritionists, and moms who helped to develop our product, they can visit our experts page (www.inspired-start.com/experts). Our website as a whole, especially the blog, is a great resource for parents who want to understand how allergen introduction fits into general new food introduction. We also always encourage parents to reach out to us directly via phone or email. We’re a team of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and baby food enthusiasts. We really care about providing support to the families that rely on Inspired Start. 

Behind the Scenes of our "Three of Hearts" Cake Smash | Down Syndrome Awareness

Three babies.  Three cakes.  And one very special cake smash.

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes peek into our "Three of Hearts" cake smash with Mae, Harper, and Catherine.  This was such an amazing session with three beautiful babies, that we couldn't help but share a peek into the making of their cake smash images!  Check back later this week for the full cake smash gallery to see the stunning & hilarious moments that we captured together with the birthday girls!

The full story will be coming to the blog later this week, but these three little girls all happened to celebrate their first birthdays three days in a row, and they all underwent lengthy hospital stays and surgeries due to heart complications when they were born in Boston last summer.  These heart warriors pushed through and were all able to successfully breastfeed this year, too!  They also happen to have Down syndrome, and they met for the first time at our photoshoot with Julia's Way in June, just a few short days before they all turned one!

Of course, these little heart warriors rocked their Julia's Way onesies before the cake smash got underway.  Just look at how excited Harper is to show off her stylish onesie!

We had all three moms in the studio for this session, plus the founder of Julia's Way, Ella Cullen, with her little girl Julia Grace.  A huge thank you to our behind-the-scenes photographer and my good friend Jamie of Koss Photography for capturing the event for us!

When designing a setup for these little heart warriors, of course we went with a heart theme!  Catherine, Harper, and Mae rocked the most beautiful tutus and pearl necklaces that perfectly framed their heart scars on their chests.  

The girls all LOVED the camera, and they did such an amazing job during their session!  I went in fully aware of the possibility of three meltdowns, but we didn't have any -- well, at least until the very end!!  Their curiosity & sweet personalities all shone through, and it was such a joy to capture them individually and together on camera!

So what happens when you put three cakes in front of three babies?  

Some babies love it, others hate it.  Some are curious and cover their whole body in frosting -- Harper!!  Others think about face planting into the cake and rock their body back and forth to get their mouth closer and closer to the cake -- Mae!  And others are much more interested in playing with their pearls than actually getting any frosting on their fingers -- Cate!

Follow us on social media to see the first sneak peeks later this week, and we will update this blog post with a link to the gallery post as soon as it goes live!
 

Portraits of Motherhood: Slowing Down to Capture the Moment (Saratoga Springs & Boston Family Photographer)

I just love our motherhood sessions.  Every time that I am so lucky to capture a mama and her babies in front of the camera, it's my absolute favorite experience!  So often moms hide behind the camera, shying away from stepping in front of the lens, focusing instead on just their children and saying that another day, another time, another month, then they'll get in a picture with their children.  For so many moms, it just isn't a priority right now.

But I like to think otherwise.  

I think that motherhood is such a beautiful journey (even the tough bits!), and that you deserve to capture this on camera.  I believe that getting moms in front of the camera with their babies is one of the most amazing gifts that you can give to your children.  

During every single phone call I have with moms before their sessions, I always tell them how they will be so grateful they spent a few minutes capturing a handful of portraits with their babies, because soon their little ones will grow up.  They won't cuddle up in your arms anymore.  They will no longer fit on your lap.  You'll forget how their cheek felt rested against your shoulder, and the way their tiny hands wrapped around your fingers for comfort.  They'll go out into the world as independent children, then teenagers, then adults.  And that is the moment when you'll be so grateful for these images that take you back in time.  

These images freeze a moment and bring you back to the early days of motherhood filled with chubby baby cheeks, melodic giggles, and that amazing baby scent that you'll be so nostalgic for when they are grown.  These images will remind you of sticky fingers, goldfish cracker crumbs, and boo-boos covered in colorful bandaids.  You'll recall the way they sang their favorite songs in a high-pitched voice, making up the words to the parts they didn't know yet.  You'll remember the way they held their baby brother and sang lullabies while giving their new sibling a kiss on the forehead -- you'll even remember the part where the kiss turned into a toddler tackle because... well, toddlers!!  

And then one day, when your babies have babies of their own, you will give them these portraits of the two of you.  You'll show them just how tiny they were, how loved they were, and how much happiness they brought into your life.  They will see a glowing and confident mom who was proud to be in a photo with her little one, a mom who put herself first sometimes and made it a priority to capture these beautiful moments with her baby rather than always hiding behind the camera.  

And they will understand, and treasure these portraits that much more when they have a glimpse of you as a new mom.

If you've been hesitant about getting in the picture, giving a long list of reasons why you shouldn't be in front of the camera right now... stop.  And think of the even longer list of reasons why you SHOULD step in front of the camera.  

Or, just think of the one reason why, the most important reason in the world: your child.

Motherhood is a crazy beautiful journey, and you're doing an incredible job.  Celebrate it!

Our popular Celebrating Motherhood Sessions will be on May 6 (Attleboro) and May 20 (Saratoga Springs).  I would absolutely love to see you there!  

Registration opens on April 3, and spots are expected to fill very quickly as this event always sells out within a couple of days.  Be sure to join our newsletter for more info, and follow our Facebook page for announcements and links when registration is open!   

A Tiny Ballerina Session at Boston Ballet School

On a chilly winter morning, I was lucky enough to be invited to Stella's ballet studio to capture some moments of this tiny ballerina in action.  Stella takes beginner ballet classes at Boston Ballet School in Newton, and I always love seeing her mama's posts and videos on Instagram of her little dancer.  

I have always dreamt of doing a tiny ballerina's portrait session in a light-filled ballet studio, so when we started planning Stella's session together and I saw the studio with their gleaming floors, exposed brick walls, and huge windows with natural light streaming in, I was in photographer heaven!

One of the things that Stella's mama and I were most excited about with this session was knowing that this tiny dancer will be able to look back at these images in 15 years and see her innocence, curiosity, and budding dance skills from the very beginning.

Stella LOVED running around the studio and showing me her ballet moves -- did you know that she calls her feet a "pizza slice" when moving them into position?!?!  We did a few quick little outfit changes for this tiny ballerina, and my favorites were with her little ballet slippers, simple leotard, and classic wrap sweater & leg warmers.  

These next two might be my favorite images from the entire session!  Those little lashes, those tiny toes, and that cute way she has to reach up above her head to touch the barre.  

These are the moments you want to remember when looking back at her early days in ballet lessons.  

These are the memories that will forever come to mind when you watch your ballerina at her recitals 5, 10, 15 years from now and one day much later when she brings her little ones to ballet classes of their own.

Would you love to plan a Tiny Ballerina session for your little dancer?  Email me at hello@nicolestarrphotography.com and let's plan the perfect session for your ballerina today!  Now booking in Saratoga Springs & Boston.

A Playful Outdoor Fall Photo Session at Larz Anderson Park

This is what happens when you bring two brothers outside for a photo session on a chilly November day: Giggles, laughter, wrestling, running across the park to warm up, and SO.MUCH.FUN.  Nathan & Noah were an absolute blast to capture on camera, and I am so happy that we fit in a last-minute photo session for these boys in time for their family's holiday cards.

These two arrived to Larz Anderson Park ready to play, and the beauty of our laid-back sessions is that playing is always an option.  It's even encouraged!  I always aim to capture the real you -- your real smiles, your real laugh, and the real way that you elbow your brother in the ribs when you think no one's looking.   ;o)  After all, these are the moments their mom will remember in 20 years, and these are the ones I want her to treasure right now.

I love the smirk in this photo below!

This next photo was captured after the boys were jumping off the wall, and I'm pretty sure they were trying to fly.  Any mom of boys knows that this is just how your photo sessions go.  So, like any mom of boys, this mom was worried about what we did or didn't capture during our session together.  Of course, I told her that it's not all of the crazy moments that we capture -- though we do get a few of those, too!  It's the millisecond in between, and knowing right when to click that shutter button to capture the photo of her boys that she will have on the wall for the next 20 years.

This one right here.  That's the one.

Are you a parent living in Newton, Brookline, Brighton, JP, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Chestnut Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods?  Check out Macaroni Kid -- Newton-Brookline!  The boys' mother, Ali, runs this weekly e-newsletter and website bringing you a list of local family-friendly events.  There is so much amazing information for families on their website, including DIY projects, recipes, local events & festivals, shopping guides, crafts for your kids, and coupons for some special savings for your family!

Macaroni Kid is also on Facebook, so be sure to follow their page for daily updates for family fun!

Macaroni Kid featured Nicole Starr Photography earlier this fall after hearing about our photo sessions for National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.  Check out the featured post here.

Behind the Scenes at Rockin' NDSS Studios

UPDATE:  Our Rockin' NDSS Studios project has been featured in an article on The Mighty!  Check it out here.

Last week's photo shoot at the National Down Syndrome Society in NYC was so much fun!  It was a heart-warming, eye-opening, incredibly collaborative experience that left us all with full hearts, happy souls, and tired bodies.  Overall, it was a huge success and I am truly honored to have played a small part in making this dream become a reality!

You can read my full blog post by clicking here to learn more about these extra special photo sessions, what we're going to do with the photos next spring, and see every single one of our lovely & talented models who rock that extra chromosome.

Here I am sharing many of our behind-the-scenes photos from our two days at the NDSS offices.  We turned their staff's offices into dressing rooms, their hallways into makeup studios and hair salons, and their conference room into a photo studio.  A little imagination goes a long way, and this amazing team of organizers, hair stylists, makeup artists, moms, dads, grandparents, cousins, siblings, models, and photographers truly showed what amazing things can happen when we all work together.

Enjoy a peek into our #rockinNDSSstudios adventure!

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Three photographers excited for sessions to begin: me, Sherri Harnisch and Wendy Zook.

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Joey, our Slash model out on the streets of New York City!  He really mastered the hard-core rocker look, tattoos (sleeves) and all!!

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Lady Gaga and Joan Jett in the makeup studio!

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A little bit of windblown fan action on our very own Mariah Carey!

Sibling love!

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Katelynn celebrated her 5th birthday by coming to our photo session as Scary Spice!  What a cutie!

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Kelly Clarkson and her twin sister.  As a twin myself, you know I always have a special place in my heart for twins on camera!

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Wendy really got our little Pat Benatar to rock out.  We had a full-on dance party in the studio to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" to get this little one in the spirit, and it truly worked!  Her photos are phenomenal!

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Our Usher had all the moves once we put on his favorite song.

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Isn't she the most adorable Tina Turner?  I love the missing front teeth!

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Our Buddy Holly was a little uncertain about the camera at first.  His sisters started a dance party with his guitar, and before we knew it, he was rocking out all by himself.  We couldn't resist a few fun photos of his whole family's jam session first, though!

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Sara's presidential duties at the NDSS also include custom makeup application.  This little guy was an amazing band member for KISS!

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Fist bump with Bob Dylan!

Rock on!

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Mason didn't want to have all the fun by himself, so he pulled his big sister out onto the dance floor at the end of the session.

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More KISS band members and their family's dance party!

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Oh my goodness.  This Elvis impersonator was seriously impressive.  Mickey owns multiple costumes, he performs all around town, and he is REALLY, REALLY GOOD at what he does.  I loved watching him when he was totally "in the zone" as Elvis during his shoot with Wendy.

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Teaching his sister and father how to groove.

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The sweetest sisters!

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Runaway baby!  Johnny Cash and June Carter.

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Grace was our youngest model, only 11 weeks old.  I insisted that we capture a few images with her gorgeous mama, and I am sure she is going to treasure these forever!  (Don't worry -- we'll send you a copy of the photos, Celine!)

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  From the bottom of our hearts.

A huge thank you to every single person that made this event possible, turning it from a dream into a reality.  It was a labor of love, and these two days spent sharing stories, making new friends, and bringing dreams to life were so incredibly worth it.  This was most definitely the most rewarding professional experience of my year, and it's all because of the incredible individuals that came together to make it happen.

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Now that you've had a behind the scenes look at our NYC experience, don't forget to check out our full blog post here on the Nicole Starr Photography page, too!

To see more of this journey, visit blog posts by fellow photographers Wendy Zook Photography and Sherri Harnisch - Picture Taker.

Rock Star Sessions with the National Down Syndrome Society in NYC

UPDATE:  Our Rockin' NDSS Studios project has been featured in an article on The Mighty!  Check it out here.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little "extra".  

Oh my goodness!  My heart is so full right now!  I am wrapping up 2015 with what has truly become one of the highlights of my year -- and this has been an amazing year already, so that's saying something!

I've spent the past week going through my photos and reliving the brief but incredibly satisfying two days I spent in New York City doing photo shoots for the National Down Syndrome Society.  It was an amazing experience, and I'm still so overwhelmed with all of the smiles, laughter, and bonding that we fit into the little hallways and makeshift dressing rooms and studios of the NDSS offices.

This photo sums it up for me.  It's a behind the scenes look from my dear friend, Wendy Zook Photography, and I love the emotion captured in this moment.  There was so much laughter and so much connection between everyone involved.  In the end, we truly are more alike than different, and I LOVED getting to know each and every person that was involved in our sessions.  (Right here is when Judy told me, "Of course, sweetheart! Don't worry -- I got this!" when I showed her the Mariah Carey look we were going for in her shoot.  Such a doll!)

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When the National Down Syndrome Society first contacted me about joining them in NYC for an extra special photo shoot, I was speechless and so, so honored.  They had this crazy dream of bringing together a bunch of individuals with Down syndrome, dressing them up as rock stars, and having two days of photo shoots to recreate famous album covers that would be used as posters at their spring gala, their biggest fundraiser of the year.

They wanted me, Wendy Zook Photography of New York, and Sherri Harnisch - Picture Taker of Nebraska to help them bring this dream to life.  For two days, we worked with an incredible team of photographers, organizers, hair stylists, makeup artists, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and models who all came together for our amazing Rockin' NDSS Studios photo sessions.

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Our models ranged from 11 weeks new to 50 years old, and came in from all across the state and the country for these once-in-a-lifetime sessions.  They shared their stories, their dreams, their struggles, and their goals.  They taught us about their lives, what they were working hard for, and how much fun they were having in the process.  They studied hard to come prepared with the look, the moves, and the music of their idols.  We watched them make new friends in the group photos, shaking hands and sharing hugs while their families rushed to share their phone numbers to set up a get together.  We had dance parties in the studio, and we definitely rocked out to "Shake It Off" a time or two with our cameras snapping to loosen the models up.

It was SO.MUCH.FUN.

These photos are still a work in progress, and will be turned into posters for the NDSS Gala's fundraising auction next March.  We'll get to see these life-sized rock stars on display at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square.  I can only imagine how amazing that nightclub will look filled with all of these smiling rock stars' faces.  :o)  I can't wait to see it in person in March!

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And now, here are the photos you've been waiting for!

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Carter as Justin Bieber

Ben as Buddy Holly

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Caryn as Carole King

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Carson as Janis Joplin

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Auren as Usher

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Emely as Beyonce

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Riley as Marky Mark

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Brennan as Elton John

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Lucas as Kenny Chesney

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Anthony, Race, Sammy & Matthew as The Beatles

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Ryan as Bob Dylan

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Kailani as Tina Turner

Gabriel, Taegon, Luciano & Mason as KISS

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Judy as Mariah Carey

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Kayla as Madonna

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Francesca & Robby as June Carter and Johnny Cash

Grace as Aretha Franklin

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Luke as Billy Joel

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Joey as Slash

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Amber as Ginger Spice

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Katelynn as Scary Spice (This photo was taken on her 5th birthday!)

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Elena as Joan Jett

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Ameliah as Gwen Stefani

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Janissa as Diana Ross

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Evelyn as Pat Benatar

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Christopher as Elvis Costello

This is one of a three-part perspective on the #rockinNDSSstudios experience. To see more of this journey, visit blog posts by Wendy Zook Photography and Sherri Harnisch - Picture Taker.

And, because I couldn't possibly fit all of my photos into one post, be sure to check out some of our behind-the-scenes photos and fun family moments captured that day at the #rockinNDSSstudios by continuing on to this post.

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Love the photos?   View our original photo project for National Down Syndrome Awareness Month with Nicole Starr Photography right here with our local Massachusetts families.