Best of 2022 Newborn Sessions

What a year! 2022 marked my tenth year in business, and I am so incredibly grateful to every single family that trusts me to capture their most special moments and milestones for them. My son is in his second year of preschool, and one of the things that his teacher has told us parents multiple times is “Thank you for sharing your children with us.” I absolutely love the sentiment, and I feel the exact same way toward each of the families that I work with. SO, THANK YOU. Thank you for sharing your children with me, and thank you for allowing me the privilege of creating artwork that showcases your family’s story. This truly is a dream job, and it is such a joy working with so many lovely families and their babies.

Newborn sessions have always held a special place in my heart, and those tiny little babies with their sleepy yawns and soft, round cheeks are what drew me to become a portrait photographer in the first place.

We welcomed our second baby into our family this year, a baby girl named Adelaide. And as we introduced her to long-time family friends, it occurred to me that for some of them, it had been DECADES since they had last held a baby that small. It is not lost on me how special this job is that I get to do this every day for my job. It really is an honor to be able to hold these brand new babies week after week, curling them up into the sweetest poses and watching magic unfold when they are snuggling in their parents' arms.

Every January, I love sharing a roundup post of some of my favorite portraits from newborn sessions over the past year. I hope you enjoy these sweet little babies as much as I do! This year they will all be coming up on their first birthday, and I look forward to seeing them back in the studio for their first birthday cake smash!

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Baby Starr | My Favorite Portraits from Grayson's First Year

Grayson turns one on Wednesday. This has been the fastest and most amazing year of my life, and it’s definitely been the year that I have taken the most personal photos! I’m so glad that I made myself commit to a monthly photo project with Grayson. It’s been amazing watching him grow, and even on the craziest and busiest months it was nice to slow down and document our little guy.

This week is going to be one big trip down memory lane, and we’re starting it off with a post filled with all of my favorite portraits of our sweet baby boy!

I keep looking at the calendar and saying, “One year ago we were getting the call from the doctor to go in for an induction,” and “One year ago we were in the hospital and this was happening,” and “One year ago…”

It’s incredible how much has happened in one year!

Our sweet baby boy arrived 17 days before his due date, and he was perfect with sleepy eyes, the creamiest skin, and fluffy blonde hair!

Grayson’s Fresh 48 portraits were taken at Glens Falls Hospital by the talented Lauren Kirkham Photography.

It took me three tries in the studio to do my own son’s newborn portraits. He was so difficult to settle, and he jumped with every single click of the shutter on my camera. It’s funny to see how different he looks from one newborn portrait to the next because you can really tell which ones he had gained some weight in because they were taken a week after the first ones!

My first Mother’s Day! Gosh, he was so little then!

We really do have the happiest little guy! Even when he was just a few months old he was all smiles for the camera, and all smiles when we put it away, too! I just love his personality and I’m so grateful that we have a baby who is so filled with JOY.

Six months old and sitting up on his own! Little did we know that he would spend MONTHS sitting without moving on to the next physical milestone (crawling). Now at one year old, he is finally starting to butt-scoot!

This boy LOVES books, and he loves putting everything in his mouth! A few of his books have bite marks and chunks missing! Favorite titles this year are:
There’s a Bear in My Chair
Fox in Socks
Ten in the Bed
The Pout Pout Fish
Llama Llama — all of this series!

Grayson and I took these self portraits when he was 37 weeks and 4 days old — the same amount of time that he was inside of me for!

All of our holidays this year…

He sleeps with this elephant, and he knows that this toy is for naptime and bedtime. It’s so sweet how it’s always in his arms when he is in his crib. He hugs it, uses it like a pillow, and tosses it across his face to block the light. The elephant is never more than a few inches from him when he’s asleep!

This lucky boy spent a lot of time dog-sitting Bailey this year, and he is officially obsessed with this (very tolerant and gentle) dog! His first word came at 11.5 months — DOG/DOGGIE!

Those thighs! He’s slimming out now that he’s moving around more, and I already miss those rolls on his legs!

I’ll be sharing a few very special posts this week, along with his cake smash and updated 12 month portraits! More to come soon!

A Springtime Milestone Session for a Baby Girl in our Saratoga Springs Studio

Oh my goodness, you guys!!  Just look at Hazel!  Isn't she the cutest bright-eyed baby girl?

Baby Hazel came to the studio for a beautiful springtime session.  I am so excited to finally bring out the pastel colors, all of the flowers, and a few adorable new outfits now that winter is over and we're getting ready for lots of springtime loveliness here in our Saratoga Springs portrait studio.  

This sweet baby girl absolutely rocked her portrait session with her Sweet Ivie headbands and our Photographer Rising Lavender Fields backdrop, painted by the talented Heidi Hope.  

At seven months old, she is at one of my favorite ages to capture on camera.  The sitter stage is full of personality as babies are sitting independently, discovering their toes when laying on their backs, and not quite crawling away from the camera yet.  In a few months she'll be crawling and walking around the room, but this stage of discovery and awe is always such a fun one to capture on camera since it is so fleeting.

As I get ready for spring here in the studio, I am loving finding new ways to incorporate greenery into our sessions.  This beautiful eucalyptus garland with blush pink roses is my favorite addition to our prop closet, and I love it against the cream wall and floors.  

Plus, doesn't Hazel look amazing with the Sweet Ivie headband that coordinates so perfectly with her dress and backdrop?

We are now booking springtime sessions here at our Saratoga Springs studio!  We have plenty of outfits, headbands, diaper covers, and wraps for your baby to enjoy a fully-styled session with Nicole Starr Photography!