The third session in my "baby's first year" portrait plan is so much fun!
I used to do this session right when your baby was six months old,
but after some time and experience, I have found that I much prefer to do it as soon as your baby can sit up comfortably.
If we wait too long, then your baby can crawl away. Although this is certainly fun, it can be a little simpler if we try to do this session before that time.
Often your baby can stand, with a little assistance, and that's also fun to showcase.
This session is also perfect to do outside (weather permitting). My babies didn't always love bare feet in the grass, but if yours doesn't mind, there's nothing cuter!
Most babies can sit up at about 6 months old, and they tend to start to crawl at about 9 months. That gives us a nice window of time to schedule within.
I do many of these sessions out and about on location,
but I also love studio portraits. Especially when it's cold and windy out (I'm writing this in March, when you can never predict the weather...)
One of the best things about the "sitting up" session is all the smiles!
Sometimes we really have to coax the smiles at the second session, but I never have any trouble at this one.
If you are interested in a baby session, or in a year's photographic journey with me, I have all the information in an online magazine for you to check out. Just fill in your email information and you will receive a link right away!
The second session in my "Baby Expressions" first year portrait package is best done when your baby is about three months old. However, I have learned a few things in the last couple of years, and I no longer like to schedule this session solely based on his or her age.
I think it's more important to capture the development stage of Tummy Time! So I usually ask my clients to wait until their baby can comfortably hold his or her head up on their tummy.
If we do this session too early, it can look like a repeat of the newborn session, and I like to make sure there's a clear difference between what we capture at each session.
One other amazing change that happens at the second session is that Baby is ready to smile for us! Sometimes it can be tricky to coax smiles from a three month old (or thereabouts), but we keep trying until we get them.
I know that some babies really hate being on their tummies. (I raised three of them.) Even if they normally hate it, generally when we do this session we can get a few smiles before they decide they're done. They're so cute that it's totally worth it!
I totally enjoy getting to spend a few minutes with your little one. These sessions go much faster than newborn sessions (thankfully, whew!). It's so fun to see how much they have grown!
If you are interested in a baby session, or in a year's photographic journey with me, I have all the information in an online magazine for you to check out. Just fill in your email information and you will receive a link right away!
Nothing in the world is as amazing and wonderful as a new baby. Nothing changes your life as much, which I remember scared me before I had kids, before I realized that - sleep deprivation aside - no other change has brought me more joy.
Baby photography becomes important to many families when they have a new little one - one of the main problems with babies, in my opinion, is that they grow up and change too fast! (I still try to convince my 6 year old that she can go back and be just 4 years old again, and then she can stay home with me all the time... I think she is kind of scared that I could somehow pull that off...)
Since we can't stop time, or even slow it down (not that you would want to at 2:00am when you're up... again... with Baby - just remember, it does not last forever), one thing that made me feel a little better as a new mom was lots of pictures!
I'm sure you will have lots of candid pictures of your baby, and you
will love them. But if you're interested in professional baby
photography, spread out through his or her first year, I have four choices of photography packages
that many parents love.
My packages start when your baby is brand new.
Newborn photography is best done within the first 10 days of life. That
way he or she will more likely sleep really well, and we can pose and
play while Baby sleeps. Lots of the really sweet newborn poses just do
not work at all when the baby is awake.
Because of that, a newborn session is a little different from any other
sort of portrait session. I usually schedule at least 3 hours for a
newborn, to allow plenty of time for meals and coaxing to sleep.
We heat the room up really warm (which is just what you don't want as a
new mom... sorry...) because it helps the baby get comfortable. (They
love it.)
And then we apply an extra-large dose of patience! It's worth it.
Every newborn session is different, and they tend to be kind of unpredictable, but you can count on beautiful pictures of your baby at his or her tiniest and most delicate.
If we're lucky, your baby will even smile for us! (Re-read what I said above about these sessions being a little unpredictable, just in case.)
Two of my packages include more photo sessions throughout Baby's first year. I like to do these at around 3 months old (tummy time - so when he or she can comfortably look up from tummy position), around 6-8 months old (whenever he or she is good at sitting up, but preferably before they start to crawl away), and right around their birthday. I have three more blog posts coming that talk more about this (and show some really sweet babies too!).
Each session includes beautiful products - wall portraits, gift prints, or an heirloom photo album.
I love getting to see your baby 4 times a year - it is absolutely amazing to see them grow and develop, from a tiny newborn to a fast-moving and giggly one year old.
My "Baby Expressions" package can also be a great gift, if someone you love is having a baby. It is a popular baby shower gift - I have a nice gift certificate package that I will get to you ahead of time, and then the new mom can be prepared for her coming newborn session. I know that newborns are tricky to schedule, so I will reserve time around Baby's due date, and when he or she is born you can give me a call in the first couple of days to plan our session time.
Or if you are interested in a baby session, or in a year's photographic journey with me, I have all the information in an online magazine for you to check out. Just fill in your email information and you will receive a link right away!
I have been meaning to post this really fun senior session from last month. This beautiful girl wanted pictures in the snow. And in Albuquerque, snow is something that you just can't count on! I think it snowed during Christmas break, when my family and I were out of town, and that's about it. So finally we decided that we would have to drive to the east side of the mountains to get in the snow. We picked the Saturday BEFORE it snowed back there again... so when I got to the back of the mountain I was dismayed to find that the snow was really sparse! It didn't end up mattering, because we found a spot that had some great looking snow, and my kids even got to sled while we were snapping away. (They got hurt and cold and quit before we did.)
Anyway - long narrative aside - if you are a senior next year and you'd like pictures in the snow, get in contact with me early! I keep a list of people who want a snow session, and if it does snow, great! If not it can still work and be a lot of fun.
Sometimes I meet a senior and they totally blow me away.
Here is a guy who, in my opinion, is doing everything right. First of all he's a runner, which I love, though my level of running is nowhere near his level of running so there's no comparison there. But then. He's taking math classes at CNM for dual enrollment credit - one of the things I think is so important to do in high school. So smart. Wants to be a physicist, so I asked if he wants to work at the labs eventually. Oh, he already interned there last summer. Doesn't get any better than that... One of my goals in life is to teach my kids how to work hard and make their own success, and I LOVE when I see such great examples of that happening.
We met for some pictures, did the easy stuff first...
And then.... even though it was COLD... we had a lot of fun with some track pictures. Or at least I had fun (I had my coat on).
We even raced the sun to get the last few rays of the day.
No clouds for sunset pictures, but I do love our New Mexico skies.
Thanks so much, it was really great to get to see you again! Best wishes - I won't say good luck, because you don't need it. :)
