Photography through Baby's First Year

A new baby! Congratulations! I hope you have your camera ready, because this first year is a whirlwind of change and excitement. You'll want to document each step, because at the end of the year you will be astounded at how much he or she has changed.

I was just moving some old videos from a camcorder tape to DVD, enjoying some pretty long (dare I say slightly boring?) videos of my now-tween daughter, from when she was a fat bald baby. I remember those soft giant cheeks, her fuzzy head, and her bright interested eyes, even though now it almost seems like it's from another lifetime. I'm so grateful for the time and effort I put into the many (very many) photographs and videos I took of her in her first year.

Portrait of a chubby baby
5 months old - serious, and seriously chubby

I'm sure you will love taking pictures of your baby too. If you are interested in professional pictures as well, there are a lot of options out there! When my daughter was born, the only option for professional photography that I could think of was to take her to the mall. And - I was not a mall person. (Still true.) This was the beginning of my photography career, though it took me a few years to work on skills and decide to go pro. I had a film Canon Rebel and I decided that once and for all it was time to actually learn how to use it. My pictures were not great, but they improved over time.

Portrait of a happy baby on a park bench
1 year old, more grins
Since the digital revolution, you can now choose from any number of local photographers, and never have to take your baby to the mall (unless you want to!). I have another post that talks about choosing a photographer, so I'm not going to repeat myself here.

1. It should be easy to get professional baby portraits

When I put together my "Cherished baby" photography packages, I tried to do what I would have liked as a new mom. First of all, I would have wanted professional photography to be easy. When you work with me, you do have to make that first call or email :) - but after that, I will take care of everything else!
Antique looking portrait of a sweet baby on a park bench
10 months old, wearing my grandma's antique dress

2. Baby portrait packages should be flexible

Second, I would have wanted some flexibility. I offer four different packages for baby photography, ranging from one session to five, some including maternity and some including a family session. I think as a new mom I would have found something I wanted. If you'd like more information about my "Cherished baby" packages, please send me your email address and you will get a link right back for my online magazine that shows you all the options.

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Portrait of a happy baby sitting on a slide
15 months old, at the park across the street where we used to live

3. How often should you get baby portraits done?

Third, I would have wanted professional pictures throughout the year. Not just once or twice. (Actually I took serious pictures - or as serious as I could - every month. But I wouldn't have wanted professional portraits that often.) Most of my "baby plan" clients choose to have pictures done 4 times a year.


This video shows some of the babies I photographed last year on their journey through their first year - from newborn to one year old.

 Professional portrait of a newborn baby
This blog post talks about newborn photography - I would have loved this with my first baby! At the time I had no idea that it was even something that people were doing.

Professional portrait three month old baby on her tummy
I like to do the second session when your baby can comfortably hold his or her head up during tummy time. Usually this is at about three months old. This blog post gives more details.

Professional portrait of a six month old baby sitting up
The third session works best when your baby can easily sit up unassisted, but before he or she starts to crawl. Usually this is between six and nine months - more information in this blog post.

Professional portrait of a one year old baby
And the most fun session of all is when your baby is one year old - cake smash and more in this blog post here.

4. Baby sessions should be a good value

Lastly, as a new mom, I would have wanted to feel like I was getting a good value for my investment. I kept that in mind as I created the pricing for my "Cherished baby" packages. All of the collections are discounted from my regular prices. I know that custom photography is an investment and that it's not for everyone, but if it's something that's important to you, I think it is 100% worth it. I also offer payment plans if that is helpful to you. My price info is also found in my "Cherished baby" online magazine - here is that sign-up again if you'd like a link to it:

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Over the years I have blogged a lot of baby sessions - I will link to a few of them here in case you haven't had enough baby sweetness yet! And I'd always be happy to chat with you about baby photography - just give me a call or email me.

More newborn sessions

Professional photo of a beautiful newborn baby girl Albuquerque  Here's some newborn sweetness to brighten up your day.

Professional portrait of a newborn baby Albuquerque  A beautiful newborn and her family

Professional portrait of a newborn baby Albuquerque  A newborn baby in the garden

Professional portrait of a family with a newborn  A newborn and her family

Professional portrait of a newborn baby with a huge smile  I have never seen a newborn smile like this before!

Professional portrait of a sleeping newborn baby  Beautiful soft sleeping babies

Professional portrait of a newborn baby sleeping on a vintage suitcase  How a newborn session typically works

Professional portrait of a sleeping newborn baby  Can you get newborn portraits if your baby is older than 2 weeks? Sometimes!

Professional portrait of a sleeping newborn baby  Newborn baby princess

Professional portrait of a newborn baby with wide eyes  Newborn photography



Professional portrait of a newborn baby and her sister Newborn sweetness

Professional portrait of a newborn baby outside in nature Five days old

Professional portrait of a newborn baby with a baseball A new baby boy

About three months old (tummy time)

Professional portrait of a beautiful four month old baby  Four months old, with some delicious toes

Professional portrait of a happy three month old baby  Three months old

Professional portrait of a laughing three month old baby  Baby's first year - three month session 

Six to nine months old (sitting up)

Professional portrait of a laughing eight month old baby outside on location  Mr. Personality

Professional portrait of a nine month old baby and a lot of dinosaurs  Nine months old

Professional photo of a beautiful baby at Galloping Grace pumpkin patch in Rio Rancho  Baby portraits at the pumpkin patch

One year olds

Professional portrait of a happy one year old baby eating cake in a studio Albuquerque  It's a cake smash! Watch the frosting fly!

Professional portrait of a one year old baby at her birthday session  This session has kisses, escaping balloons, a pink cake, lots of giggles, a vintage suitcase, and some sister love.

Professional portrait of a one year old baby and birthday balloons  Big smiles and pink frosting 

Professional portrait of a one year old baby and birthday cake   A lot of frosting, a lot of fun! 

Professional vintage portrait of a one year old baby with a baseball ball and bat  Vintage baby portraits

Professional portrait of a one year old baby at the park   Birthday cake smash sessions - inside and outside, messy and not so messy

Professional portrait of a one year old baby at home with lego wall art  One year old home session

Professional portrait of a one year old baby sitting in his cake  Baby IN the cake 

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