A Little Loves portrait session to celebrate turning 5 | Saratoga Springs Child and Family Photographer

There is nothing better than watching kids grow in through the lens of my camera, in my studio. I’ve been photographing Elliana multiple times a year since she was a newborn, and recently, her mom brought her in for a Little Loves session to celebrate her turning 5. This session felt extra special because five is such a huge milestone. It bridges that gap between little kid and big kid. Five is often the age you start school, lose your first tooth, start to read, and learn so many amazing new skills. I loved celebrating this milestone with her!

Elli was SO cute in my studio this year. She was all giggles and big smiles, showing off her sweet personality. Mom chose the sweetest light blue and white dress - paired with the cutest white bow - for her photos. Sometimes, with Little Loves sessions, the final images are presented in black and white - but I think the color option was perfect to celebrate Elli and her bright personality. She is so sweet! We captured so many fun little moments, which is even easier since I’ve been part of her life for the last five years. We eased right into our shoot and were able to celebrate this milestone together. 

I also loved sitting with her parents, going through the gallery together after their session, too. We’ve sat at their kitchen counter so many times over the past five years going through their galleries and choosing their favorite portraits of their two children, and this time we kept reminiscing – “Doesn’t it feel like we were just in the studio doing her newborn session?” “Remember when we did her milestone portraits with the flowers?” “How sweet was she last fall in the field with her brother?!” And now this. Five.

It is always an honor when families trust me to capture their children’s milestones year after year. I love that so many families come to me for their newborn session, fall in love with the experience, and return to me year after year with their little ones. I never take this job for granted, and I am so lucky to work with the most amazing families year after year.

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What makes our Santa Experience Stand Out: Saratoga Springs Holiday and Santa Photo Sessions

I can’t believe it’s already time to start talking about our Santa experience, but at the same time, I can’t complain at all… I LOVE Christmastime! Over the last few years, I’ve worked so hard behind the scenes to create a truly magical and special Santa experience in my Saratoga Springs studio. As a mom, this time of year has also been special in my personal life and watching the magic come to life in my own two children’s eyes is more meaningful than anything else. Honestly, it’s the reason I love our Santa sessions so much!  We truly are bringing that magic to life, and watching kids' faces light up with joy and wonder. There’s nothing else like it! 

Today, I wanted to talk about what makes our Santa experience so special each year. Part of making magic is about creating a full experience - that starts before your family ever steps foot inside my Saratoga Springs studio. Here’s what happens:

The week leading up to the session they receive a letter in the mail from Santa Claus. That letter is addressed to your child inviting them to come and meet Santa. The elves make sure to use special North Pole stationary and stamps, finished off with a hand-poured wax seal. This sets the tone for an unforgettable experience for your child. 

Last year they were invited to the studio to help Santa finish painting nutcrackers that the elves forgot to finish. The kids had a blast using magic paint that appeared in their favorite colors! It was incredible to watch them light up as they worked alongside the big guy! Many of our little ones also wanted to sing carols with Santa and tell him some jokes! 

While sitting with Santa, each child has the chance to help check the Nice List - you can never be too careful, right? Watching the wonder in their eyes when they found their name on the Nice List was amazing! 

Of course, each child will also have the chance to share their wish list or letter to Santa with him. I don’t know if there’s any moment more meaningful than that to me as a parent! 

My own son decided all by himself he needed to bake Santa cookies last year, and he brought him homemade cookies to share! He even wanted to give Santa a gift, and he picked out a chocolate orange (his favorite thing to receive in his stocking every Christmas) and gave it to Santa because he thought he would like to receive one, too. I love that the interactions we create with this Santa experience are so personal and relaxed. It’s really about your child and what they want or need at the moment. 

I know that planning holiday sessions can be stressful for parents. They never know how their child will react and they worry it will impact the session. Perhaps the biggest concern: Will they cry? Here’s the truth: Some kids might. But honestly, most do not! 

Last year my daughter (age 1.5) was the only child all day who shed a tear all day, and that was likely because she just wanted to be with mommy who was shooting the session! I have a whole workflow planned out to capture happy photographs before the kids even spot Santa Claus in the room, and then we move through some more portraits together using songs, toys, and distraction to keep little ones happy who might otherwise be afraid. Santa has years of experience with little ones, and we employ endless patience to create the most adorable portraits of your children and to give them a beautiful, happy experience with Santa.

I promise you, creating a magical experience for your little one is the most important thing to me. I want them to remember these special moments for many holidays to come - and that comes from creating a positive and inspired environment where they can be who they want to be - all while visiting with Santa!

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Light and Airy Motherhood Session in our Saratoga Springs Portrait Studio

Katie and Lucas recently came to the studio for a 6 month milestone portrait for Lucas. Katie is one of my dearest friends. We’ve known each other for years. I love watching her on this motherhood journey and seeing how much joy her sweet boy brings to her life. She truly lights up when she is with him, and her face is absolutely radiant when he smiles at her. And just look at the way he looks at her! I was thrilled when they mentioned visiting - and squeezing in some portraits, too! 

She and Lucas came to visit for a few days and we enjoyed some studio time to celebrate the halfway point of this crazy and wild journey of the first year of parenthood. It was so exciting to see everything Lucas can do now - one of the reasons I LOVE milestone sessions! He absolutely loves tummy time and was even sitting up on his own. 

All dresses and outfits that Katie and Lucas used are from the studio’s Baby Wardrobe and Mama Wardrobe. The light grey overalls and white dress looked perfect together - creating truly light and airy portraits that are so classic. I hope that Katie and Lucas will treasure these portraits for many years to come. 

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Classic black and white personality portraits with Saratoga Springs child photographer

Little Loves sessions were such a blast this year! I offer these limited edition portraits a few times a year and they’re always a big hit. Our Little Love sessions are classic and full of lots of smiles - and laughs. Throughout each session, I work with your little one to capture all of their unique personalities - from all sides: fun, silly, shy, quiet, sweet, curious, loud, thoughtful. I provide prompts to help them show different faces and expressions. Once they warm up and feel relaxed, I can just see them start to enjoy themselves!

The results of these sessions are always so timeless. I love a good classic black and white portrait! I know that each family will treasure these portraits as a little glimpse into their sweet babies and their fun personalities. And, I love dreaming about how they’re displayed in each home!

During Little Loves portrait sessions, I always take the time to capture a few new portraits of siblings together. They’re some of my favorite moments because they’re often unprompted. These kids always want to hug and laugh together. I love watching them just be the friends that they are. I know they wind up being their parents’ favorites, too!!

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Sitter Session Milestone Portraits in the Studio

‌Capturing milestone portraits might be one of my favorite parts of my job as a children's photographer here in Saratoga Springs! This winter was super busy at the studio with lots of families bringing their babies in for milestone portraits, especially with their second and third babies. All of them turned out to be so simple and classic… none more so than Jordan’s 8 month milestone portraits! 

I’ve actually photographed all three brothers’ milestone sessions, so seeing Jordan and his two big brothers, Jonas and Jacob, all together in the studio was a real treat! Jordan loved showing off his new skill: sitting up! He sat on the studio floor, on the blankets we gave him, and on the bed. It was perfect - and exactly what I want! I want to see what your babies are getting up to when they come in for their milestone portraits! He was so cute playing peek-a-boo and enjoying the little wooden toys in the studio. 

As I do with all of my milestone portraits, I kept the setups super simple so we could focus on Jordan (and his big brothers). Everything was neutral and mom chose some super cute blue outfits for our little guy to wear. The end result is SO timeless. I know these portraits will be cherished in their home for years to come! 

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Six Month Milestone Portraits for Baby Luke

Happy 6 months, Luke! Luke, along with his big sisters Nora and Margot, came to the studio recently to document his newest milestones. His big brother, Greyson, wasn’t able to join for this session but we hope to capture a few photos with him next time Luke is in the studio! I just adore the family. They’ve traveled 3 hours to my studio with three of these kiddos to capture their six month milestone portraits, so Luke’s portraits were very special to me.

Luke is Mama’s first baby boy, and she loved going through the studio’s Baby Wardrobe and choosing a few favorites for her son to wear in his portraits. All of these outfits are from the studio! I love how he looked in all of them. They’re all so classic - neutral colors, which I love - and he was so sweet.

Luke was soooooo smiley throughout the whole session. His sisters loved on him with full force and gave him all of the hugs and kisses and cuddles. Then once it was his turn for his individual portraits, his face simply lit up with the biggest smile! In so many of these he is looking off to the side at his mama, and I love the eyes and that sweet smile he has for her. How incredible is that? They’re going to have such special memories looking back at these portraits years from now.

Thank you for sharing another milestone session with me! I’m so happy I got see Baby Luke and his darling big sisters!!

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6 month milestone portraits with Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

I absolutely adore working with Jen and her boys. I’ve photographed all three boys since they were born. Each has had a newborn, milestone and first birthday session in my studio… well, Baby Rhys is only on his milestone session. He’s got another 6 months before he turns one! Either way, I love seeing them in my studio every few months. It’s a great time to catch up on what’s been going on - and I adore watching their boys grow up. They’re all so sweet!

During the milestone sessions, we always update a portrait of the brothers together. This time, since we were close to Halloween, it seemed fitting to do their photo in their costumes. The middle boy’s middle name is Draco, and we’ve always leaned into the dragon theme for his portraits. Naturally, the three boys are dragons for Halloween this year!! They were SO cute and excited to be in their costumes. I loved capturing that fun portrait of them.

It was good to see Rhys, too. I saw him for his newborn portraits 6 months ago. Now, he’s just the most mellow baby and so happy. He made my job easy with lots of easy smiles and sweet big eyes. Mom picked out the cutest little overalls for him. He looked like such a little man! I can’t believe he’ll be back for his one year session before long!

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Baby Milestone Portraits with a Family Heirloom Dress

It was so good to see Baby Briar in the studio again! I met Baby Briar when she was a newborn – and I captured her mother’s maternity portraits, too. It’s always so special to then see those babies grow every few months when they come back to the studio for milestone portraits. For Briar’s six-month milestone portraits, we planned a classic and simple studio session. 

Briar’s mom chose a few outfits for the portraits – including a sweet pink romper I adore from the studio’s baby wardrobe. It was the perfect pop of color in Briar’s newborn portraits! And she looked so sweet. They also brought a family heirloom: a cream crocheted dress for Briar to wear. The dress was her grandmother’s, who wore it as a baby, and has now passed it between new babies in the family! It was so sweet – and it looked amazing with my Moses basket. 

Six-month milestone sessions are always a great time. Babies are learning to sit up, they’re laughing and have the sweetest smiles. I love watching them show off their new skills and explore the studio. I’m so happy to share these sweet milestone portraits with you today for Briar!! 

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Classic studio portraits with family heirloom dresses

Meet Annabelle! This sweet girl came to my studio for milestone portraits to celebrate a few things! First off, she’s 2.5 years old so we wanted to take the time to photograph her at this stage. Toddlers are so much fun. They’re talking, they’ve got sweet personalities and the best laughs and smiles. I’m so happy her mom decided to document this beautiful time in her childhood.

Annabelle’s mom also brought in two very special heirloom dresses for her session! The first was a dress that’s been passed down multiple generations from her grandmother’s Norwegian family. It’s a traditional Norwegian folk dress that Annabelle’s mother wore when she was little, too. For Annabelle’s family, it was important to photograph this sweet girl in her family’s dress. What a beautiful way to celebrate her family’s heritage, special traditions, and clothing. I created the Norwegian folk art backdrop especially for her session to complement the dress.

Her family also lives part of the year in Kenya, so they brought a second dress in to celebrate that part of her life. This beautiful white dress was sent by their neighbors there and Annabelle looked so sweet in it! Again, what a wonderful way to capture what’s going on in her family’s life right now.

We ended the session with a few classic Easter portraits in the studio. Annabelle had fun being her silly self during those - and I love how they came out!! Annabelle’s session is a great reminder that milestone portraits are truly about capturing what matters most to your family.

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Beyond the Newborn Session: Capturing the First Year of Milestones

I don’t know what it is about parenthood that makes time fly by, but I know that ever since my son was born, I’ve blinked and another year has gone by. As a mom and a professional photographer, I understand the value of portraits of my child from the newborn stage and beyond. Newborn portraits are one of the things most parents put on their “parenting to-do list”. That first year is fleeting and I think it’s so important that everyone has a chance to document their precious baby. But the documentation shouldn’t end there.

When I was a new mom, I constantly had my camera out to capture every little moment and changes in our son after our newborn portraits. Looking back, I’m so happy that I have truly beautiful and classic baby portraits of my son, in (and out) of the studio to document those stages, too. Every time he started on a new milestone or learned a new skill, I wanted to capture it forever.

Our babies change SO much in the first year of life - more than any other year as they grow. They grow their first teeth, laugh for the first time, and learn to sit up, crawl, and walk. Capturing all of those milestones truly matters. We all say we never want to forget those stages and changes - and with studio portraits, you never will. You’ll have those dimpled cheeks and baby giggles documented forever to enjoy.

As babies grow, they enter into my favorite stage, the “Gerber Baby stage”, when they’re 6-10 months old. This is one of the most popular milestone sessions in my studio. Babies are sitting up solidly, they're happy and expressive, they interact with you and play into all of the games (peekaboo, tickles) to let us capture their amazing smiles. They're not that mobile yet so they're not running away from the camera - so it works out for us. These are often some of the best portraits to capture your little one’s personality as they start to figure out who they are.

After the “Gerber Baby stage”, our babies inch even closer to turning one… and then comes the super popular cake smash session! These cake smash portraits are always a lot of fun. They’re a celebration of your baby - and of your family’s journey over the last year. I love watching babies and their families interact during their one year milestone and cake smash portraits in the studio. It’s also the perfect time to document something your baby is interested in, when you choose your cake smash theme.

Capturing your baby’s first year is so important. These studio sessions are the perfect way to document each of your baby’s milestones along the way - and a great way to ensure you’ll always have stunning portraits to remember each sweet baby smile by. Our baby’s first year always flies by… make sure you don’t miss teh chance to document it all!

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Beautiful Milestone Portraits in our Saratoga Springs Portrait Studio

Baby milestone sessions are always such a treat, and I love when families bring their little babies to the studio for portraits to capture their smiles, their personalities, and all of their milestones. There is so much that happens between the newborn stage and the first birthday, and I love capturing that for families to slow down time and remember forever!

Rolling over, sitting up, grabbing their toes, and shyly showing off their gummy smiles and their brand new baby teeth. All of these are such fleeting moments during your baby’s first year, and they all deserve to be beautifully documented.

Giuliana joined me at our Saratoga Springs studio for her 6 month portrait session, and this itty-bitty girl fit into some of our tiniest outfits in the studio’s Baby Wardrobe. We chose adorable headbands for her to coordinate with the colors in her nursery and with her newborn portraits, and started off with a few portraits on the studio’s boho egg chair. (See more portraits on this springtime prop here!)

I love all of these milestone portraits, and I’m excited to share them on the blog today! I hope you enjoy this sweet baby girl’s milestone session as much as I did!

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Classic Black & White Portraits - Saratoga Springs Child and Baby Photographer

There is just something so classic about a black & white portrait that shows your little one’s full personality, don’t you think?

I offered these Little Loves portrait sessions for the first time this winter and I fell completely in love with capturing the many facets of children’s personalities in the studio during a session that focuses on just them.

No props.

No colors.

No themes.

Just pure & classic portraits during a session that lets them be silly, happy, shy, loud, playful, and a million other things that make them who they are.

Many families chose The Mosaic Frame to showcase their children’s portraits. It’s a gorgeous new wall art piece that I’ve added to our product lineup. The 20” portrait has 9 images matted and custom framed for a statement piece that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face every time you see it. In fact, I have TWO of Grayson’s in our home — one downstairs in the studio, and a different one upstairs in our entryway! I love them so much and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of looking at it!

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Timeless Milestone Portraits for Baby Xander

Xander joined me at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio for his milestone session, and I loved capturing this sweet stage of sitting up, belly rolls, elbow dimples, and baby giggles. This is one of my favorite ages to photograph and I always love our milestone sessions that showcase your baby’s budding personality and their new skills that they are oh-so-proud of.

Your baby’s first year is an absolute whirlwind — and time seems to go especially fast if it’s your second baby, like Xander is! During these sessions we slow down time for just a moment and document their personality and this beautiful stage they are in.

From sitting up to tummy time, there are so many options with these portraits. They are the perfect transition between the newborn session and the first birthday cake smash, and we personalize the colors to fit your family’s style and decor.

Wondering what your baby should wear for their milestone portraits?

Let me help you!

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8 Month Milestone Portraits in our Saratoga Springs Baby Photography Studio

Miles joined me at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio for his milestone session, and I loved capturing these portraits of this adorable little guy! He is officially in the sitter stage and it is one of my favorite stages to photograph in baby’s first year —though by the time this blog post is published, he’ll likely be crawling and starting to chase after his big sister!

I love simple neutral outfits for babies, and these gray overalls and white rompers were perfect to keep the focus on Miles and his cute little expressions, baby rolls, and features! He was a happy little guy, and we captured so many sweet portraits of him that really showcase his personality and this stage of babyhood. I’m so happy to got that thumb-sucking portrait where he is grabbing his toes because it is perfectly, 100% baby!

These portraits on the chunky knit blanket are some of my FAVORITES! Love the textures and softness of these ones!

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Outdoor Family Portraits in Saratoga Springs with a One Year Old

Can we talk about how adorable this family is?!?!

We celebrate Henri’s first year with family portraits at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, and it was so much fun to see how much this sweet boy had grown since his winter milestone session. He is full of personality & big smiles, and he loves walking all over the place! We truly had a blast as we spent the evening laughing and talking, and capturing the most beautiful memories for this family to enjoy on the walls of their home.

Standing up like a big boy! One of the things I miss most from when my toddler was a baby are those chunky baby legs, so we made sure to choose an outfit for Henri that would emphasize those cute baby rolls that will only be there for a little while.

I love that we captured so many portraits that show his tiny front teeth! Soon he’ll have a mouth full of teeth, but for now it’s just those little ones in the front peeking through. So adorable!

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For the Love of Neutrals: All About Why My Baby Portrait Studio is Filled with Whites & Creams

Neutral & Natural.

Whites. Creams. Tans. Grays. Blush pink.

Weathered wood. Whitewashed wood. Linen. Wool. Textured fabrics. Delicate details. Handmade with love.

That describes my studio in a nutshell, and all of the elements that I love to incorporate into your baby’s portraits. You won’t find any crazy props or cluttered setups here. I am all about keeping the focus on your baby and showcasing their perfect little details and personality while embracing simplicity.

It’s timeless. It’s classic. It’s beautiful.

From the wooden props to the furniture & the walls, almost everything in the studio is shades of white & cream. I have a few colors of seamless paper and lots of colorful balloons, garlands, and flowers that we use for cake smash sessions. I use wraps, chunky wool bump blankets, and headbands for pops of color in our newborn portraits. But after many years of designing sessions and creating artwork for families to hang in their homes, I am drawn to those soft neutral colors and I just can’t get enough of them!

One of the questions I get asked often is WHY. So today I’m sharing a few of the reasons that our studio is filled with neutrals for our baby portrait sessions.

1. Neutral portraits match everyone’s decor.

Whether your home is decorated in neutrals, bold colors, or darker tones, family portraits in soft neutral colors will look good on any wall in your home. What if you redecorate in a few years and completely change your style? These portraits will still look perfect on your walls with the new decor. Your artwork is meant to be timeless, to last for generations, and to become a part of your home. Our neutral color base helps that happen!

2. Neutrals keep the focus on your baby’s personality & tiny features.

When you look back at these portraits in 15 years, you want to remember your daughter’s big smile and those cute little elbow dimples. That is why we keep the background clean and uncluttered with tones that make your little one’s features pop.

3. Neutrals don’t have to be boring!

I could work with all whites & creams every day and never grow tired of it! Layers, textures, different fabrics, and a mix of tones keep it interesting! Plus we add pops of color with outfits, flowers, and blankets.

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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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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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Holiday Portraits for the Whole Family plus a 6 Month Milestone Session

When your baby turns 6 months at the same time as our annual holiday portrait event, you combine your family’s holiday portraits with a milestone session at the studio, of course!

I loved seeing this sweet family again, and I can’t even believe how much David has grown since his newborn session!

These three siblings are always so adorable together, and I was so happy to capture this twinkling Christmas portrait for them!

We did a few more casual sibling portraits on the studio bed so that they would have some photos to hang on their walls year-round, and then lots of individual portraits of the baby to focus on all of his new skills and his blossoming personality!

You might not be able to tell from the photo below, but that is what his happy shriek looks like!!

David LOVED sitting on the tiny bed, and we captured the very best smiles from him!

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