A peek inside an awake newborn session

At 3.5 weeks old, Patsy was wide-eyed for much of our session in my Saratoga Springs photography studio and we captured so much beautiful eye contact with this sweet girl. Working with awake newborns is much different than working with asleep newborns, but I always remind families that we can capture beautiful portraits of their babies whether they are awake or asleep. No matter what your little one (or their big sibling) might do, we’re going to document their arrival in the world, I promise! 

The trick with the awake babies is to keep them calm and relaxed, and usually a combination of swaddles, heat, white noise (or the amazing Baby Shusher app that all families who visit my studio wind up downloading!), and plenty of patience will get them to stay calm. When the babies are in my studio, I talk to them as if they can understand me, and parents often hear me whispering, “You can be awake, little one, as long as you stay calm.” Sometimes when the awake babies get really wiggly I’ll wrap them up in a swaddle with a layer underneath to keep them from pulling a Houdini and escaping with their arms flailing all over the place, and oftentimes then the parents will hear me telling their baby, “You’ve lost your arm privileges for a little bit!” 

Actually, now that I think of it, this may be why my clients often exclaim some version of “You’re like a baby whisperer! Can you come home with us?!” during their newborn sessions in the studio. It may sound silly, but it always works for me. Patsy was one of those sweet babies who was wide-awake but calm for us! She allowed me to work my magic and we captured so many sweet moments of her. We even got to use my favorite Moses basket and managed a darling portrait of her with her big brother.   

With more than a decade of experience photographing newborns, there are so many tricks up my sleeve. The babies all do give in to sleep eventually, but for some babies it just takes a little more time depending on their age and their digestion – upset stomachs mean upset babies, which always take a little longer to settle. Luckily we never rush our newborn sessions, and we take all the time we need to capture a wide variety of portraits (awake & asleep!) of all of the cute little babies.

Patsy, you are darling and I can’t wait to see you grow up! I am so happy I had the chance to document your beautiful eyes - and little personality!

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Newborn portrait sessions with handmade pearl headbands

Welcome to the world Baby Vivienne! I’m so happy that I had a chance to bring this beautiful family back to my Saratoga Springs studio. 5 years ago, I captured  big sister Madeleine’s newborn portraits. Now she’s a big sister! It was very special to see how much she’s grown and to watch her bubbly personality shine through as she showed off her new baby sister.

This newborn session feels very springlike to me! We captured a few portraits inspired by Madeleine’s portraits a few years back - including the overhead circle bowl shot. It was special to recreate beautiful memories for this family. I’ve also added a bunch of new headbands including some with pearl details to the studio, which Vivienne’s mother chose for her daughter’s session. I love them so much and I’m so thrilled to see them being used. 

Many of my newborn clients fall in love with the soft colors and my natural style of newborn posing. I always choose to use minimal props to keep the focus on the baby. Pure and sweet, minimal is my focus - so I can capture the connection between family members. These sibling portraits of the girls are some of my all-time favorites, and the colors in the family’s outfits were perfect for the studio. Everything about Vivienne’s session just fit perfectly with my style and I’m so thrilled to be sharing it with you today! 

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Lavender and Blush Pink Newborn Portrait Session in Saratoga Springs

Welcome to the world, Edelyn! This sweet baby girl visited my Saratoga Springs studio for her first portraits (ever!) and I had the best time catching up with her moms and big brother, Everett. Back in 2021, I had the honor of photographing Everrett’s newborn portraits so it was even more exciting to capture his baby sister’s!

For Edelyn’s studio newborn portraits, her moms really wanted to use a hint of lavender and blush pink to bring some color into her setups. I think that the palette of soft, neutral tones with these pops of color came together beautifully for this sweet baby girl. During the session, we captured beautiful portraits of just Edelyn, as well as many of her moms and big brother, too. Have I said how special it was to watch this family welcome their newest member?! 

We even created a few portraits for Edelyn inspired by her big brother’s portraits, and their moms are going to hang them side by side in their home! I absolutely LOVE that idea and am always open to matching color palettes and poses whenever possible between your sessions with me. Similar posing is a really fun way to connect your special moments. Congratulations again to this sweet family - I’m so happy I got to see you again in my studio!

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Best of 2023 newborn sessions in Saratoga Springs

Newborn sessions are special for me. I’m always so honored to be invited into such a beautiful time in my clients' lives to celebrate the arrival of their new baby. Whether their sessions are at home or in my studio, every one of them is as unique as the family I’m capturing. 

For the 2023 year, I was extra lucky with the families who visited me. So many of my newborn clients this year were coming back to see me with their second or third baby, and I’ve been lucky enough to document all of their children’s milestones. It felt beyond special to be in the studio with families I adore and to be capturing yet another milestone for their family. 

In addition to our studio sessions, I absolutely adore our lifestyle sessions. Lifestyle newborn sessions are perfect for a relaxed peek into your lives at home. You get to spend your session cuddled up in the living room or all cozy on the bed together, or getting to know your new baby in the nursery that you so lovingly put together before their arrival. It’s a really unique moment and there’s nothing more beautiful than documenting a family at home. 

If a more traditional look is your style, newborn studio sessions are always a great time! They’re wonderfully stress-free - which is one of the best perks, in my opinion. So many families this year told me how much they enjoyed sitting in the studio and how relaxed it made them feel. My favorite memorable compliment was from a dad (who happens to live in my neighborhood!) that had been in the studio for about an hour or so, and between the flowing conversation, the white noise, the cozy temperature, and his sleep exhaustion from his first few weeks with a newborn, he said “I love your studio! It feels like we’re in Las Vegas and I completely lose track of time in here! I mean, what day is it?!?! Where are we?!?!” It was hilarious but also really spoke to me about the atmosphere we create for my families. 

I can’t wait to watch these little babies grow and invite them back into the studio in 2024 for their birthday sessions! Thank you to every family who trusted me to capture these special moments as they welcomed their littlest loves to the world. 

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Celebrating baby sister’s arrival with family portraits - saratoga springs newborn photographer

Welcome to the world, Ava Margaret! This sweet baby girl’s arrival was much-anticipated! Her mama went two weeks past her due date, and everyone was so excited when Ava finally arrived. I couldn't wait to meet her at their studio newborn portraits in my Saratoga Springs studio. This family is absolutely the sweetest and I loved every moment working with them. 

Ava was welcomed to the world by her big siblings, Adam and Ellie. I loved watching her big brother and sister with her! They were so gentle and nurturing, and their interactions were adorable. Plus they loved being involved in the session and even wanted to pose for their own individual portraits, too! I call that a definite win in my book - both as a photographer and mom of two littles of my own. 

For Ava’s portraits, we chose a beautiful neutral palette featuring ivory, tan, and some peach accents for her solo portraits at the end of the session. Most of our session was spent capturing this sweet girl with her parents and big siblings, but I loved being able to slowly transition down to her portraits. We focused on simple setups, with some cozy knit blankets and some of my favorite props to show off Ava’s adorable little features. 

Congratulations to this beautiful family! I’m so happy that your newest member has arrived and is so loved!!  

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Neutral newborn portraits with soft gray accents for Baby Roland

I recently had the joy of capturing Baby Roland and his wonderful parents in my Saratoga Springs studio to celebrate his arrival! Roland was so adorable our entire session! He gave us lots of cute expressions when awake, and also so many sleepy snuggles. His parents decided on a neutral color palette - focusing on soft grey accents. Dad wore a light blue shirt and Mom’s cream dress was perfect to complement the pastel choices. They both looked amazing! The portraits of all three of them are honestly some of my favorites from the session. Holley and Michael are incredible and I know that Roland will love looking back on these moments in years to come. 

Holley and Michael came to me after Roland was born to book their portraits. While many families book their newborn session while they are in their second or third trimester, every now and then a family contacts me after their baby has already been born. They often find that they got caught up in all the preparations for baby’s arrival (car seats! onesies! diapers! swing! bassinet! alllllll the things!!), and then once the baby arrives the days pass by in a blur for the first couple of weeks. Often they look up from the chaos and realize how quickly their baby has grown and changed already in just a few short weeks, and that’s when they go, “Oh my goodness, we never booked a newborn session!” And so begins the hunt for a newborn photographer for their little one.

If that is you, don’t worry! We’re sometimes able to fit in last minute newborn bookings because of openings in our schedule, and we’re always able to capture stunning portraits of your brand new baby no matter how many weeks old they are. As you can see from Roland’s portraits, anything is possible - and in the end, you’ll have stunning portraits to remember how tiny your little baby once was! 

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Older Awake Newborn Photos With Lots of Smiles

I recently welcomed baby Kiran to my Saratoga Springs studio for his newborn portraits. This little guy was a month old when he and his parents came by, and we were able to enjoy lots of eye contact and adorable expressions during his session because he was a little bit bigger and more awake! I absolutely loved working with Kiran and his family to create their heirloom portraits celebrating his arrival to the world! 

For Kiran’s session, we incorporated lots of neutrals with white. I’m obsessed with their family portraits with everyone in white. They’re stunning! We included a few pops of soft sky blue and sage green, which coordinates nicely with his nursery and their decor at home. I always encourage families to think about where they want to display images when deciding on a theme or color palette. I know Kiran’s portraits are going to look perfect displayed at home! 

My favorite part of working with Kiran and his parents might be that we were able to create a special gallery wall in their home to feature their favorite portraits. I love knowing that they’re going to enjoy these images on their wall every single day as their little boy grows. That’s why I do what I do: I want you to remember these moments and be able to relieve them as time slips away. 

Kiran, thank you for being such a sweet boy for me in the studio! Your session brought me so many new favorite portraits and I hope you’ll always see how loved you truly are in these moments. 

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Newborn portraits for Julian’s Baby Sister

Welcome to the world, Baby Lucy! I photographed Lindsay’s maternity portraits earlier this year and now her little girl has arrived! She and the family came to my Saratoga Springs studio for newborn portraits and I was so happy to get to meet Lucy! She’s absolutely precious. 

During Lucy’s newborn session, I had some flashbacks to capturing her big brother’s newborn portraits 2 years ago. It was fun to have them all back in the studio for new portraits. During his mom’s maternity session, Julian was a bit hesitant about being on camera. We managed to get some smiles. But, the studio is stocked with lots of toys and snacks (turns out he loves Goldfish!), so we had a good time for his sister’s newborn session. He was amazing - and even came to check on his baby sister while she was swaddled up for her portraits. It was adorable! 

I absolutely love the color palette that Lindsay chose for Lucy’s portraits. We focused on beautiful neutrals and introduced some soft pinks to round out the color palette. Her mom wore a beautiful pink gown from the studio and I loved how the texture photographed. Lucy wore some sweet floral headbands, too. She looked so perfect throughout the whole session!! 

Thank you to this sweet family for allowing me to capture another newborn session. I’m so happy to meet Lucy and thrilled we got to work together to document your growing family again! 

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Welcome Home, Alexander Pearce

Baby Alex’s newborn session at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio was extra special for quite a few reasons. This sweet boy is the newest member of our neighborhood, and our little baby crew of neighborhood babies born in the last 12 months is now up to SIX BABIES! But even more special was this sweet boy’s surprise arrival. His dads wished and waited for three long years before bringing their baby home, and when they finally got that magical phone call they hopped in the car and drove for hours to go meet their son for the first time. This perfect little baby is now part of the sweetest family and he is already so showered in love.

Tim and Jeremiah are so full of love for their little boy. I was overwhelmed, in the best way possible, while they were in the studio. Every newborn session is special, but when parents wait as long as Tim and Jeremiah have to meet their newest family member, I can’t help but get a little teary and feel grateful. I feel extra grateful to have met Alexander because I’ll get to see him grow up in our neighborhood, too. 

For Alex’s session, we chose to use neutral ivories and whites as well as some blue accents in his setups. Tim and Jerremiah wore blue to bring their family portraits all together, too. Looking back through these portraits with them was so fun because I could already see how these portraits would be displayed and loved in their home for years to come. 

Welcome to the neighborhood, Alex. I can’t wait to get to know you and watch you grow! Congratulations, Tim and Jeremiah. I am so, so happy for you and your beautiful family!! 

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Newborn Portraits with Blush Pink for Second Daughter

There’s nothing quite as special as watching one of my families grow. I photographed this sweet family and their first baby, Giuliana, in the studio when she was born. Now, Giuliana is a big sister to Gabriella. She and her family came back to my Saratoga Springs studio to capture newborn portraits for their second baby girl. It was so wonderful to see everyone again and celebrate their newest member! 

Throughout the session, we created a few nods back to Giuliana’s newborn portraits, include the portrait with her pink blanket and mom’s bracelet. It was really fun to create these images knowing that there was another set of them at home for Giuliana! Gabby was such a sweetheart for me throughout her whole session, too. She was happy to curl up and let her family snuggle her. 

Giuliana was AMAZING during her sister’s newborn session. She wanted to be involved in everything, and she kept coming close to me to “take pictures” with her wooden camera, check on her baby, and tuck her in with the blankets. Truly the sweetest! I am just so blessed that this is my job - and capturing those sweet moments is work for me. 

I can’t wait to see Gabby back in the studio in a few months for her milestone session! She’s going to be so big!! 

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Newborn Portraits with the Cutest Toddler Big Brother

I loved working with this super sweet family to welcome their little girl to the world! We planned a studio newborn session to capture her first portraits and their first portrait as a family of four. It was so special - and absolutely beautiful. Mom wanted to include lots of soft florals and greenery. Paired with beautiful neutrals, everything came together in such a lovely way! I always love these soft pastel colors for little girls.

‌When we were discussing what to wear, Mom decided to borrow a gown from the studio’s Mama Wardrobe. This is by far one of our most popular dresses and is super flattering on all mamas. The detail on the neckline and sleeves photographs so beautifully! I absolutely love and get so excited when mamas ask to use this dress!

‌Throughout the whole session, big brother was curious about his little sister. He and I had a great time laughing and finding little games (and tricks) to keep him involved in the session with her. I think the images of them together are just so beautiful. He’s going to be a great big brother as he continues to grow up!

After their session, the family returned to the studio to discuss heirloom products. They created a gorgeous album with their favorite portraits. I’m so happy with it and I hope they’ll cherish it forever! ‌

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Cozy winter newborn portraits for Anna Marie

Welcome to the world (and to the neighborhood!), Anna Marie! I’ve been waiting for this sweet girl to make her appearance since her mom’s maternity portraits. Lauren and Tim welcomed their first baby girl this winter (on their 20 year dating anniversary!!!) and I had the honor of capturing both Lauren’s maternity portraits and their cozy winter newborn portraits after she arrived. If you read their first blog, you know that Lauren and Tim are special to us because they’re our neighbors and moved from Boston last year. We’re so excited to be raising little girls together and I can’t wait to watch Anna Marie grow alongside Adelaide and Grayson!

For Anna Marie’s newborn portraits, we knew we wanted to showcase the winter season. With lots of cozy laters and knits, we were able to help bring the season into her portraits. It was so special watching Lauren and Tim curl up with their little girl in my home studio. Every newborn portrait session is special, but this one meant a little extra! We also wanted to incorporate Lauren’s gorgeous yoga pillow into their newborn portraits, too. I loved being able to photograph this vibrant pillow again - now with Anna Marie nestled in the middle. It was a wonderful way to connect the two sessions and bring everything full circle.

‌Lauren and Tim, welcome to parenthood! I’m so thankful to know you both and now, to know your little girl. We can’t wait to see what this next chapter brings for you three!

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My favorite textured knits for winter baby portraits

Like all baby photographers, I love prop shopping and adding to my studio's collection. I have many favorite pieces in the studio that I use for nearly every newborn session, and these go-to items photograph beautifully and are well-loved. I always opt for classic neutrals that will match with everything, and I keep my colors in line with my style and the style/color palette that most of my clients use in their homes, too.

As the I get the studio ready for all of the winter newborns that will be coming to the studio for their first portrait session, I’ve been shopping for new knits for the studio. During the winter, I’m all about creating soft and cozy layers for your baby. We have a huge variety of hand-knit props from talented artists all around the globe. Wraps, layers, bonnets, sleepy caps, blankets, rompers, overalls, and so much more. They add such beautiful texture to your portraits, creating visual interest - and help keep your little one warm and cozy, too!

Everything you need for your baby’s first portraits, all in one place.

One advantage of going to a photographer who provides everything for you is that they already know what fabrics and colors will photograph best, and you don't ever have to worry about choosing something that is cute in person but doesn't look quite right in the finished portraits. I have everything you need in the studio for your little one's portrait session. Choose from outfits, headbands, wraps and swaddles, bump blankets, bonnets and hats to make your baby’s look complete! 

During winter sessions, I try to mix chunky knits with softer, finer woven knits, pairing similar colors for a monochromatic look, or using mostly whites with a pop of color. My goal is to make it easy to focus on your baby in your portraits and showcase just how tiny and perfect they are!

Some of the most popular colors for newborn portraits in our studio are:

white
cream
slate blue or navy blue
mint green or sage green
lavender
blush pink
gray or greige

As you can see, choosing the perfect outfit for your baby’s portraits can be easy and fun! Make sure to talk with your newborn or baby photographer to find out what they have on hand this winter for the perfect, cozy look for your little one!

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Baby Girl Newborn Portraits with Pops of Color

I had the best time welcoming Baby Katelynn Carol to the studio for her newborn portraits! She brought along her parents and big brother, Cameron, to help welcome her to the world. Katelynn Carol was already 2 weeks old when she came to the studio - which is totally fine! I love photographing older newborns. There’s something special about their sweet little hands and feet, even as they start to fill up and curl up a little bit less.

Her big brother did such an amazing job in the studio and was so happy to be in front of the camera! He also loved playing with my toy wooden camera and pretending to take pictures of his family with it, and he had the biggest smile any time I turned my camera towards him to take his picture. I loved photographing him with Katelynn Carol, especially with one of my favorite props: the Moses basket!

We picked some beautiful pastel setups for this sweet girl to end the session. She looked so sweet in the different setups and some of my favorite headbands! I’m so thankful this wonderful family chose me to capture Katelynn Carol’s first days!

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Classic Studio Newborn Portraits for Baby Ea

Say hello to Baby Ea! Ea’s portrait session was my last newborn session before going on maternity leave to welcome my own baby girl! Ea was the sweetest girl, wide awake for our entire session… but perfectly calm. With that attitude, every single portrait was just adorable and I’m so happy she was so relaxed in the studio. 

For her session, Ea’s parents didn’t have too many requests. We wanted to keep the timeless and classic feeling for each of her setups. One of my favorites was the teddy bear setup because I caught the cutest little smile! Baby Ea is definitely already stealing hearts!! She’s seriously so sweet. Her parents did want to include fresh flowers in her setups, and I personally loved how the purple setup came out with them. 

After their session, we had their ordering session! All of these gorgeous portraits were turned into an heirloom album and circular wooden wall art. I hope that one day Baby Ea flips through her own album of portraits, like my son does, and that they can all look back on these early days of her life with fondness and happiness! 

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5 Props I Use in Every Newborn Session

As a studio newborn photographer, my style is all about minimalistic setups and focusing on your baby! Your baby is perfect just as they are, and I don't want to distract from that in your portraits.  I use neutral colors and natural textures to create a clean, timeless, organic look in your baby's first portraits. To create these natrual setups, I do use a few props. Today, I’m sharing 5 props I use in (almost) every newborn session. Many of these props blend right in and you don't notice them at first glance (like the wooden crate and the bowl) because your eye is drawn right to the newborn baby.

Swaddle.  

This is a must-have for every newborn photographer, and the first thing you learn when posing newborns is how to wrap the baby snugly so that their arms and legs don't wiggle out of the wrap.  The swaddle keeps them calm and happy, and it helps them feel secure.  This plus heat and white noise or a shusher app all come together to lull the baby to sleep and make it easy to pose the little one.  I like to use what I call "baby spanx" underneath the swaddle to keep baby extra snug, plus it makes it easy for me to change out the top layer for a new look while baby stays calm and happy while all tucked in.

White crate.

I start all my individual portraits with this one prop!  I like to layer it with whites and creams for neutral portraits, and then as the session goes on, I will add in colors through additional wraps, bump blankets, and layers.  I typically begin with the baby fully swaddled, and then I bring out their arms and flip them to their bellies once they're settled into a deep sleep.

Wooden bowl.

From there we move to the wooden bowl!  I love the round shape of it for overhead shots, and these always look so beautiful printed on our round wooden wall art pieces.  I also like surrounding the bowl with greenery or florals to accentuate the shape, plus it works well for posing babies on their bellies and capturing the head-on-hands pose.  

Bed or cradle.

I love these wooden props for sleepy poses!  We make sure to capture a few overhead shots, full body, and close-up.  Plus, I always enjoy backlit a profile view of the baby, too!

White or cream blanket.

I have so many different white blankets with different textures, and I love using them in a variety of ways in my portraits.   Sometimes I use it on the posing bed for traditional posing.  Sometimes I layer it spilling out of the wooden crate.  Other times I will use it as a soft texture underneath the bowl or bed to add a little more dimension to photographs.    

I’m always of the mindset that less is more when it comes to newborn portraits. I hope that these five props show you that you can truly create beautiful (and long-lasting) portraits for your baby without a lot of involved setups.

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Baby Starr | Adelaide's Newborn Portraits

Adelaide Olivia

June 17, 2022

We welcomed our daughter in the middle of June, and somehow an entire month has already gone by! I don't remember time going this quickly when our son was born, but the weeks have all blended into one another and time is disappearing faster than we can keep track of it. I swear I barely blink and another week has passed in a blur of feedings, naps, and doctors appointments!

Sweet little Adelaide Olivia was born on June 17, 2022. She is our rainbow baby, and we waited a very long time for this beautiful baby to join our family. She's finally her, and we are over the moon.

Adelaide is perfect in every way, and we are so in love already. Grayson is the proudest big brother, and he lights up every time he's in the room with her and wants to be involved in everything that has to do with his sister. His grandma keeps saying that "he was born to be a big brother," and it's true that he is really doing an amazing job in his new role already. We love watching him in this transition, and it's so sweet to see how he interacts with his baby sister.

She spent the first couple of weeks sound asleep, and we couldn't wake her up for anything! She was literally the sleepiest baby I had ever encountered in my 10 years of posing newborns. But that meant that I got to enjoy multiple mini portrait sessions in the studio to capture a few setups each day. This was such a stark contrast to Grayson's newborn portraits, where he wouldn't settle into a deep sleep because he knew mama was close by, and every click of the shutter startled him wide awake. Baby girl knew what to do, and she snoozed and posed and smiled! I had so much fun capturing these first portraits of her, and now I'm excited to choose which ones to print and frame in our home, and many more to put into an album for our growing album collection!

For Adelaide's session I enjoyed lots of neutrals, and you all know I'm a fan of classic baby portraits on white backdrops and layers. I pulled out all of my favorite headbands and floral crowns from Polka Dot Poppy, and I added a few new ones with baby's breath as a nod to the baby's breath I wore in my hair at our wedding, and that my mother wore in her hair at her wedding in the 80s!

And of course, I couldn't resist using the same tiny camera prop that I used 4 years ago in Grayson's newborn portraits. Every photographer has got to capture her baby's portrait holding a newborn sized camera, right?!

I have so much more inspiration for Adelaide's portraits this year, and I'm excited to share more with you as she grows!

Thanks for celebrating our sweet girl's arrival with us!

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Welcoming Jordan Elliot - Newborn portraits for this family's third baby boy

Welcome to the world, Jordan Elliot! I’m so happy to have welcomed the Popper family back to my studio for their third baby boy’s newborn portraits. This sweet family has three boys: Jonas, Jacob, and Jordan - all 22 months apart and I’ve had the honor of capturing all of their newborn portraits. It’s truly an honor to be invited back into their life to document their milestones and new additions as they grow.

When we began to plan Jordan’s newborn portraits, Natalia and I knew that we wanted to create portraits that would coordinate with his older brother’s newborn portraits, too. That would ensure that all three boys’ portraits could easily be displayed together and enjoyed cohesively. Because of that, we stuck with blues and greys to match the other two boys!

It was so fun too see everyone in the studio together while we photographed Jordan. Jacob and Jonas were thrilled to introduce their new brother to me and showing him off! Capturing their interactions might have been one of my favorite parts of this sweet session. Enjoy a look into Jordan’s newborn portraits today!

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Newborn Portraits with Teenage Siblings

Meet Baby Finnley and his big siblings Austin and Addie! I was so happy when Finn, Addie, and Austin’s parents reached out about scheduling a newborn session to capture their new arrival to the family. As they began to tell me about their family, I knew this was going to be a very special newborn session for all of us. Finn is lucky to be welcomed to the world by his incredible parents and his big twin siblings, who are just so in love with him. He’s one loved little boy, that’s for sure!

Posing Teenage Siblings with Newborn Babies

Photographing a newborn session with teenage siblings is unique, too. It was a lot of fun to work with Addie and Austin as we welcomed their brother to the world. These two are so sweet and it’s clear they love each other and their family very much!

While working with teenagers during a newborn session is much like working with an adult or a parent, there’s definitely a few differences. One thing I love is that we can do more of the poses I typically reserve for parents with a few adjustments. Not all big siblings are as comfortable holding or moving a baby as their parents are, so it’s easy to change things up so they’re comfortable. I always have my sessions follow the flow needed for the family - and tend to start with full family portraits so that the teens have a bit more time to warm up and be ready to hold the baby, though Austin and Addie didn’t seem to need that!

Once the teens are more comfortable and ready to hold their new sibling, we’ll get started with some of my favorite poses. I always check in with the kids to make sure they’re still comfortable holding the baby or moving them around. Sometimes, I’ll be more hands on if needed, but usually by just adjusting the poses to be seated, the teenagers often find much more confidence holding their new siblings! Having them seated just allows everyone to feel more confident and sure about holding the baby! The baby's safety is always the top priority in any newborn session, no matter who is holding them.

With some patience and guidance, we’ll easily capture some incredible memories for you and your family - including your teenage children holding their new sibling! Thank you to this sweet family for trusting me with this special memory!!

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How to successfully capture newborn portraits with a toddler sibling

One of my favorite parts about being a newborn photographer is seeing families come back with their second (or third, or fourth) babies to my studio. I adore watching the toddlers I’ve photographed since they were newborns become big siblings and welcome their new baby brothers or sisters to the world. It’s so special - being able to capture these milestones for families. Not just the new baby, but the transition into siblinghood for the older toddlers, too. But, capturing these toddlers comes with it’s own challenges, and just about every parent I talk to is worried about how their toddler will be with the new baby during our portraits. It’s such a common fear - and I totally get it! But it’s 100% possible to have a beautiful session - with your toddler and new baby. Look at how well Baby Dylan and his big brother Owen did!

When I last saw Owen during their outdoor family portrait session in the fall, he was shy and quiet and only wanted to be held by his dad. This time around, he was excited to introduce me to his baby brother Dylan, and he loved playing with all of the toys in my studio. He eagerly joined the family portraits, and he was all smiles for the camera when he saw the different rattles and bubbles that I brought out for his session. Now, I know that not all toddlers are like Dylan - but over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks about how to help your toddlers feel better in the studio during newborn portraits.

Tips for engaging toddlers:

• Go at their pace, don't rush them - or everyone’s going to have a rough time.

• Make them feel special! It’s hard to understand why you aren’t the center of attention anymore. Start off by talking to the toddler and playing with them, and make it all about them instead of all about the baby.

• Let them feel in control, give them easy choices like "Do you want to start with just you and baby, or mommy and daddy and baby? Do you think we should use the white or the blue blanket?"

• Never underestimate the power of a bribe. I keep my studio snack cart stocked with toddler favorites, and it's amazing to see how hard these kids will keep it together for a promised goldfish or juice box when they are all done!

• Give them breaks. Mix up the family poses so that the child isn't in every single one for long periods of time. Let them go play, have a quick bite, help you find a new toy, etc. while you mix family portraits with mom and baby, dad and baby, sibling portraits, etc.

• Make it fun! Sing songs, blow bubbles, hide toys or snacks with the baby, ask them to find an animal in your camera lens, use rattles, lean in for little tickles, etc.

• Remember to keep the baby's safety your top priority and plan all shots around poses that will keep the baby supported and secure. Always have a parent or two nearby to spot the baby, and give the toddler clues or magic words that will let them know when it's safe to get up and move.

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