All about our Little Loves Sessions: Children’s Personality Portraits in Saratoga Springs

As a photographer and a mother, I truly believe that every stage of childhood is worth documenting. Our children change so quickly, and it’s absolutely wild looking back at photographs from one year to the next and seeing how much they have grown. They lose their baby cheeks, dimples appear, teeth fall out and new ones come in, hair grows and haircuts change, eye color changes ever-so-slightly in the little ones, and they come more and more into their personality. I am always so excited when families book my Little Loves sessions, as these are the perfect way to capture all of these changes in your babies (and big kids, too!). 

My son, Grayson, lost his two front teeth recently. As a former first grade teacher, I remember all of my first graders running around without their two front teeth. It is such a typical sign of a first or even second grader, and logically I knew it was going to happen soon. But when those teeth finally fell out, I felt a little bit sad! I said to Grayson one night when he was snuggling me at bedtime with that gap in his teeth and his high little-boy-voice, “Please don’t change. Don’t get any taller, don’t let your adult teeth grow in, and stay just like this. Forever.” He laughed and tackled me with a hug, and I understood why my own mom used to say she wanted to put bricks on our heads to stop us from growing. It’s so fast. And those little changes, like losing a tiny tooth that measures maybe a centimeter at most, makes such a difference and is such a sign of all of the big changes to come.

That’s why I love Little Loves sessions. They are short & sweet in the studio, and the perfect opportunity to capture your child just as they are at this stage before childhood takes your breath away and changes another little thing that is really such a big thing. These portraits are classic - and are often edited in black and white for an even more timeless look. With our custom heirloom artwork, your portraits can be displayed and hung up on your walls to appreciate and love for many years to come!

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From First Smiles to First Birthdays: Best Baby Portrait Sessions of 2024 in Saratoga Springs

I’m so excited to share another one of my favorite 2024 round ups: milestone and cake smash sessions in my Saratoga Springs studio! There’s so many incredible milestones that happen in the first year of life and it’s such an honor to be the one who captures them for parents. Whether we’re capturing your baby’s milestones or their cake smash session, I aim to create classic and timeless portraits in our all-white studio with minimal purpose so the focus is on your baby. Cake smash setups are a little more elaborate, but capturing your baby’s joy and experience is always most important! 

In the first year, your little one grows and changes so much. At 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, your baby is showing off all of the amazing things they can do! I’ve captured so many sweet toothy grins, a baby enjoying tummy time, and even toddling around the studio. Milestone sessions are a chance for your little one to show off - and a little way to freeze time so you can look back on these fleeting moments for years to come. 

When your baby’s first birthday arrives, it’s time to think about a cake smash!  I create a unique backdrop that reflects your family’s/baby’s interests. This year we had families ask for lots of creative ideas, from the Adirondack Mountains to French Bulldogs! All of our birthday sessions also include classic milestone portraits with our vintage high chair and a wooden cake prop, and of course the bathtub splash at the end! The bubble bath splash always brings out all the smiles!

I love that I get to follow families as their little one grows and capture each of the milestones that happen in the first year. It’s so special to me and it’s a part of my job I will never take for granted. Thank you for another beautiful year of capturing these special milestones!

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Six Month Milestone Portraits with Maizey

Maizey is one of our Collective Membership babies! Her family joined so that they could enjoy 4 sessions over an 18 month period, and this was Maizey’s second session! I love our Collective Membership families. It’s so fun to get to know them over those months, and watching their little ones grow. Maizey came in for her 6 month milestone for her second session, and it was a great time with this grinning little girl! 

As you’ve heard me say a million times, this is one of my favorite stages to photograph when babies are smiley, giggly, and starting to sit up on their own. They’re happy on their tummies, they grab at their little toes when on their backs, and they’re proud to be upright (with a parent’s hand nearby for safety!) when practicing their newly acquired sitting skills. Maizey showed off her sitting skills and even got to snuggle with her momma, who looked beautiful in a pastel pink gown! 

For Maizey’s session, we used soft colors - pinks, peaches, and ivory. We even used a few of the same layers from her newborn session to have that cohesiveness across her portraits from the first year. That’s one of my favorite things to do with Collective Membership babies. All of the portraits will hopefully be displayed together in your heirloom album or through your wall art, so using similar colors and vibes across the 4 sessions. 

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My favorite stage to photograph: Classic 6 month portraits

I have to be honest with you: 6 month milestone portraits are my favorite milestone to photograph! Around the 6-8 month mark, babies are really coming into their personality and learning all sorts of new and fun tricks. When they come into my studio, they’re able to show off their tummy time, sitting up skills, and oftentimes, some of their first smiles…not to mention, the cutest belly laughs are happening! It’s such a special time and if there’s only one milestone session you plan to schedule within your baby’s first year, I highly recommend it be this one! 

Recently, Cooper came into the studio for his classic 6 month portraits. If you know me, then you know I’m a fan of anything neutral and simple that will keep the focus on your sweet baby during their portraits. Cooper’s mom, Zara, chose the cutest knit outfits for him to wear. I think they were perfect and allowed us to really focus on all of the little faces, squishy details, and smiles he gave us. 

Reflecting back on Cooper’s portraits, I love how his smile and personality shine in these portraits without getting lost in a busy backdrop or too many props. He was the happiest little guy, and I kept telling his mama that I could photograph him every day with that great big smile and soft milky cheeks. This setup and the simple outfits allowed me to document the perfect pieces of him that his parents love so much – like his tiny little toes! As you can see, this studio milestone session was such a joy to capture and I hope that Cooper’s parents will treasure these portraits forever!

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Lauren Milestone Baby Milestone Portraits for Ella Kate

Ella Kate is 7 months old! We did milestone portraits when her big brothers were this age, and as it always goes for the baby of busy families, time flies by and parents remember, “Oh, wait! I forgot to schedule xyz!”. So when her mom reached out and said “Ella is six months already! I think I’d like to do a milestone session and capture this sweet stage!”... I was happy to fit her in right away for a studio session. 

This is such a fun age for milestone portraits. At 6-7 months, babies have some great milestones and things to explore. They grab their toes, roll around, and get to play in our studio. I love playing peekaboo with them so we capture their laughs! One of the other things I love about these milestones is documenting their beautiful finger and elbow dimples. Babies so quickly grow out of this stage, so having portraits of their adorable smile and chunky fingers is special as years go by! 

The best part about these milestone sessions? You literally don’t have to bring a thing, so zero planning was required other than figuring out what time worked best around her nap schedule. Ella borrowed outfits and headbands from the studio, and her mom picked out all of her favorites when she arrived. It was an absolute breeze, completely stress-free. Instead, we just had lots of fun watching this sweet girl and her new skills and budding personality!

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Six Month Milestone Portraits for Gabriella with Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

Gabriella is already six months old! I can’t believe this sweet girl is already halfway through her first year. I feel like it was just yesterday that she was here for her newborn portraits. Gaby was so sweet in the studio for her new milestone portraits and I loved the chance to see her and her sister Giuliana again! 

Gaby is a tiny little peanut and was still able to fit into our newborn size outfits! Her big sister was the same at this age, and it’s adorable to see a baby so small and so strong sitting up on her own. There’s something so sweet and yet so powerful about these girls!  

For Gaby’s portraits, we incorporated some of the same elements that big sister Giuliana had in her portraits, too. I love being able to do that with siblings. It’s a wonderful way to create connections between portraits that will be displayed together. For Gaby’s portraits, we used the same Caden Lane personalized blanket from her newborn portraits. We also did another portrait of the sisters with the baby stroller, echoing a similar one that we created during the newborn session six months prior. It was a sweet moment to see again! We also included some of their mom’s bracelets in a few portraits, too. It is so special knowing that we’re creating a new set of heirlooms for Giuliana and her sister! 

It feels like I’m going to blink and Gaby will be back here for her cake smash session. I hope time slows down a little before then! 

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Six Month Milestone Portraits for Sofia

Sweet Sofia is 6 months old! I can’t believe this darling girl is already halfway to her first birthday. Her mom brought her by the studio recently for her six-month milestone portraits and I just had so much fun capturing this smily girl. Sofia was super happy for us the entire time, which made our session a blast. Honestly, this is my favorite age to photograph - because their little personalties really come to life!

During Sofia’s session, I felt like I was having a bit of a flashback. Her big sister, Ella, did milestone portraits with me in 2019. We actually used a similar color palette for Sofia, and mom even brought in the same peachy romper for baby sister to wear in one setup! It was so sweet and super special to know these sisters will have matching portraits from this big milestone session!

The rest of the outfits for Sofia were from our studio’s Baby Wardrobe. I loved the white and mauve outfits mom picked out, along with some of my favorite headbands. Sofia seemed to like them too and enjoyed showing off all of her new skills around the studio. Happy 6 months, Sofia!

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Grayson is FIVE!

Our sweet Grayson is FIVE!

Five feels like such a huge milestone for our little guy, and I know that this year will bring so many exciting new changes & adventures for him. This birthday marks the transition away from the baby & toddler years, and into the big kid years. As a mom, I truly don’t know how time has slipped away so quickly. So of course, I wanted to celebrate his first five years with an extra special portrait session.

A few years ago I did a black & white photo setup for a client’s baby, and ever since then I’ve been hoping to create one for our little guy! I just love the contrast between the black & white backdrop and the vibrant, happy birthday boy. I went back through our photo archives from the past five years and printed all of my favorites into a photo backdrop for Grayson. I loved looking back through these memories, from his first day at the hospital to holidays and birthdays and silly toddler days at home. The hardest part was choosing which ones to include!

Looking through these images, I can’t believe how grown he looks! Love this little boy so much! Happy birthday, Grayson!

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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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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Milestone portraits with adorable knitted overalls and rompers

How sweet is Colton? This little guy was just in the studio for his newborn portraits and he recently returned for his 4 month milestone portraits. Because he’s a Baby Plan member, he’ll be doing sessions all year long with me in the studio! We did the same thing for his big sister, Elliana, too. I love when clients return with their new babies and I get to see families again and again! It truly makes my job so special.

Keeping with the colors we chose for Colton’s newborn portraits, he wore blue and green for his milestone portraits. His mom actually brought all of his outfits with them for their session, but if you love the looks, know that we have very similar outfits in our Baby Wardrobe! I absolutely love the look of these knitted rompers and jumpers. They’re so classic and super sweet on these adorable babies.

Baby Colton made my job super easy during his milestone portraits. He was so happy and giggly our entire session! I love the final images they chose for their prints and products - they’re going to look perfect alongside his newborn images!!

Want to see more adorable milestone sessions? Click here!

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Milestone Portraits with Adorable Sisters

I love, love, love milestone sessions! We usually plan these sessions for between months 6-9 when baby is sitting up unassisted or just beginning to crawl, and we always have the happiest babies! This stage is one of my favorites to capture on camera and I love having these smiley babies in the studio showing off their new skills.

Sienna joined me for her 6 month session and we used lots of blush pink and white to coordinate with her newborn portraits and with her big sister’s milestone portraits from a few years ago. These fluffy peonies always photograph so beautifully, and I love them here in these portraits!

Big sister Gianna joined in the portrait fun for a few portraits in our floral egg chair. This chair is so beautiful and still so popular, and I can’t quite bring myself to take down the decor on it yet!

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Nicole Starr milestone session without a white-on-white setup. You all know I love neutrals for baby portraits, and there’s nothing sweeter to showcase a baby’s beauty than a clean and classic setup like this one!

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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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Milestone Portraits for Baby Jacob - Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

Sitter sessions. That’s what we call a portrait session when baby is sitting up unassisted. These is one of my favorite stages to capture on camera, and I always adore the happy babies that come to our Saratoga Springs baby portrait studio for their milestone sessions when they are in this stage. They love sitting up, showing off their new skills, and checking out the world around them. They laugh and giggle, they have the biggest smiles when I bring out the rattles or the bubbles, they are curious about everything, and they really are such a joy to capture on camera.

Of course, baby Jacob was 100% all of that, and more!

All of his outfits were from the studio wardrobe, which meant that his mom and dad didn’t need to bring a thing to their session! We chose a bunch of favorites when they arrived and it made it so nice and easy for them not to have to even worry about finding outfits ahead of time because there were a lot of beautiful, neutral options here at the studio.

I loved this sweet boy’s milestone session, and we even captured a few portraits with his big brother because big brother wasn’t totally feeling the sibling portraits 7 months ago back when we did Jacob’s newborn session and he was still adjusting to his new role as big brother. But you know what? That is soooooo common and it happens often with toddlers when the new baby is brought home. But this time around, big brother Jonas was thrilled to cuddle up with his baby brother and we captured the sweetest moments between the two of them! Some kids need a little time to warm up to their new baby, but once they do it is pure magic that unfolds and I know these two are going to have the strongest bond as they share many adventures together!

Check out Jacob’s newborn session here and see how much he has grown!

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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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An Outdoor Milestone Session in Congress Park - Saratoga Springs

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

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

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

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

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Twinkle Lights and Peonies - A Beautiful Baby Milestone Session

It’s been quiet in the studio lately with everything going on with the COVID-19 pandemic, and I miss all of the regular baby cuddles and giggles that I normally get to enjoy every week! Thankfully I have a bunch of adorable sessions that still need to be shared, and this adorable baby girl tops the list this week!

Mia came to our Saratoga Springs portrait studio for her 5-month baby milestone session. We keep the focus on the baby for these portrait sessions with simple backdrops and colors to let her personality shine. I loved incorporating a hint of spring with some gorgeous florals and twinkle lights, too!

Mia is such a happy and smiley baby girl! I absolutely loved her session, and we captured so many unique expressions. This is one of my favorite ages to photograph, and this little girl absolutely rocked her session.

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Classic Baby Portraits for Two Adorable Sisters

The last time I saw this sweet family, big sister Elena was only 7 months old. And now she’s a vibrant toddler and an amazing big sister!

We did a beautiful sisters milestone session at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio for Elena and Julia, and I loved watching these cute little girls together! They wore the sweetest pink smocked dresses and they loved cuddling up together on the studio bed!

It was pretty special capturing Julia at 6 months old, almost the same age Elena was for her milestone session two year ago! We even made sure to capture a few similar portraits for comparison!

So happy! I love watching babies play with their toes! It’s always such a fun stage!

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