A Summertime Family Portrait Session in Saratoga Springs with an Outdoor Cake Smash

What a cute family!  This mama was excited to capture some summertime portraits for a mommy & me session, and she dressed her little ones in coordinating nautical outfits to match the dress that she found for her daughter.  We had a blast running around Spa State Park for their portrait session, and the kids were all smiles.

I always love capturing a few extra special mom & baby portraits, and I love how cuddly Ronan was with his mama!  Just look at his adorable little smile, and those cute baby teeth!

We celebrated Ronan’s first birthday with an outdoor cake smash! We typically do our cake smash sessions in our Saratoga Springs studio, but due to the reopening restrictions after covid and the timeline of this session, we opted for an outdoor session for everyone’s health & safety. It did not disappoint! We did a fun little beachy theme for the birthday boy, and he loved digging into his cake!

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Getting in the Picture: My Quarantine Self-Portraits with Grayson

Recently I shared a “Letter to All Moms: Please Get in the Picture!”. I talked about how important it is to make sure we document the fact that WE WERE THERE in our little one’s childhoods. In fact, we are often so “there” in their daily lives that we never have any pictures to prove it!

I get it. I truly do! During Grayson’s first year I had only a handful of photos of me with my baby. There was nothing I ever wanted more in life than to be a mom, and I spent my days documenting everyone else’s motherhood, but I barely had any photos of my own experience with my baby.

So I set out to change that.

I took an online course in self-portraits. I purchased a tripod. I learned how to use the interval timer on my camera, and how to nail the focus when looking through my lens at the empty spot on the floor (or chair, or steps) where I would be. I joined online communities for inspiration & encouragement. I started sharing these photos, talking with other moms, and holding each other accountable for getting in the picture more often so that our babies would have memories to look back on one day, and so that we could look back on this stage of motherhood 20 years from now and remember what it felt like when our littles held our hands, sat on our laps, and curled up close to us.

And I am so glad I did!

During the coronavirus quarantine I created many goals for myself, and one of them was to get in the frame more with my little boy. I wanted to capture our daily lives. At the beginning of quarantine, we spent a lot of time indoors because it was so cold and rainy outside. This giant cardboard box became a reading nook, a hiding place, a soccer goal, a train car. So we got inside for a few photos!

Grayson’s room is the one room in the house that gets the BEST LIGHT all day long. I especially love the way the light streams through the windows in the mornings. We always cuddle up in this chair to read three books before nap and before bed, plus many more books throughout the day. Our little guy loves books! So of course that was something I wanted to document, too! Plus, look at him with his little purple ball! He always finds a ball to hold!

We have spent soooooo much time outside in the yard. He helped me with yardwork in the early spring, trying to “rake” leaves with his tiny snow shovel, and picking up stray sticks to put them in a pile. Then we started gardening, planting flowers, watering flowers, and planting tomatoes & strawberries. I do not have a green thumb, but every year I wish I did! So we’re trying it out, and he’s getting so excited to watch everything grow! Plus, he discovered that he really likes to play in the dirt — even though he hates being messy!

We have baked SO MANY THINGS during quarantine! I’ve always loved to bake, and he has been my little helper in the kitchen since very early on. We made him a learning ladder/stool when he turned one, and he has been standing and helping at the counter ever since! He especially enjoys baking, and he gets so excited and yells “Yayyyy! Baking! My favorite!” whenever it’s time to bake, running into the kitchen and climbing right up on his stool.

I wanted to document our baking adventures, but our little baking corner of the kitchen is so dark and narrow, so I moved everything to the table where we get great light through the patio doors. Grayson helped me scoop and measure. He can name and identify all of the ingredients, and he counts the eggs when passing them to me. Somehow we haven’t broken a single egg yet, but I’m just waiting for the day we have gooey egg dripping down the side of the bowl!

Another realization in this self-portrait process?
Apparently I own A LOT of striped shirts!!!

The official taste tester in the Starr household! He takes his job very seriously!

You don’t need anything fancy to get in the photos more with your own kids. Set your phone up on the counter and press the timer, then run into the frame and love on your kids. Hand your camera off to your partner and ask them to snap a few photos of you doing something you love with your kids.

Just get in the picture. You will treasure these memories forever!

A Mommy and Me Session in the Boston Public Garden

Meet Jack. The smiliest, most adorable little boy who I had the pleasure of photographing in the Boston Public Garden this spring with his mama. This sweet 4 year old is constantly on the go, and we spent a playful hour together filled with giggles, laughs, and bubbles for an extra special Mommy & Me portrait session.

Boston is such a beautiful city in the early spring, and tulip season is always breathtaking. The misty weather didn’t dampen our spirits, and Jack and his mama layered on their rain gear and enjoyed splashing in the puddles in the garden.

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About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region, and she also works with families at her Attleboro, MA studio and on location in Boston and on Cape Cod. 

Our sessions are relaxed and fun, and we’ll enjoy an hour together laughing, cuddling, and capturing authentic smiles and belly laughs with your little ones.  

A Springtime Mommy & Me Session in our Saratoga Springs Studio

This sweet little family was so much fun for their springtime session at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio!  If you haven't noticed, I have been loving all of our spring sessions lately.  I'm shaking off the winter blues by incorporating lots of flowers, greenery, and pastel colors.  Plus, these adorable little headbands from Sweet Ivie are my new favorites, and they're part of a new collaboration I'm doing with the designer!

This family has been living abroad for a few years, and they just moved back to the U.S., so it was the perfect time to capture some sweet memories of this gorgeous mama and her little ones!

Federico had the most amazing curls, and such a spunky personality!  He is an adventurous little guy who brought his big imagination into the studio.  The moment he saw my curved bench he decided that it was (of course!) a racetrack, so he pulled his toy cars out and started racing them up and down the seat of the bench!  Love his creative little mind!

Daphne was the sweetest little thing, and she loved pretending to feed the birds on our new hand-painted Lavender Fields backdrop by walking over to them with flowers in her hands and letting them have a little nibble.  She spent the second half of our session bonding with the birds, and we were able to capture so many adorable images of her and those sparkling blue eyes!

Love her dress?  Me, too!  It's from Nellystella, and you can rent the same one from Rainey's Closet for your upcoming session!  You'll be seeing a lot more of Rainey's Closet on our website in the coming months because their dresses are so soft & whimsical, and absolutely the best quality out there for unique looks for your session!

Love the backdrops?  Check out a few other recent spring sessions at the studio!

Hazel & the Lavender Fields Backdrop

Two Sisters with their Sweet Ivie Headbands

Portraits of Motherhood: Slowing Down to Capture the Moment (Saratoga Springs & Boston Family Photographer)

I just love our motherhood sessions.  Every time that I am so lucky to capture a mama and her babies in front of the camera, it's my absolute favorite experience!  So often moms hide behind the camera, shying away from stepping in front of the lens, focusing instead on just their children and saying that another day, another time, another month, then they'll get in a picture with their children.  For so many moms, it just isn't a priority right now.

But I like to think otherwise.  

I think that motherhood is such a beautiful journey (even the tough bits!), and that you deserve to capture this on camera.  I believe that getting moms in front of the camera with their babies is one of the most amazing gifts that you can give to your children.  

During every single phone call I have with moms before their sessions, I always tell them how they will be so grateful they spent a few minutes capturing a handful of portraits with their babies, because soon their little ones will grow up.  They won't cuddle up in your arms anymore.  They will no longer fit on your lap.  You'll forget how their cheek felt rested against your shoulder, and the way their tiny hands wrapped around your fingers for comfort.  They'll go out into the world as independent children, then teenagers, then adults.  And that is the moment when you'll be so grateful for these images that take you back in time.  

These images freeze a moment and bring you back to the early days of motherhood filled with chubby baby cheeks, melodic giggles, and that amazing baby scent that you'll be so nostalgic for when they are grown.  These images will remind you of sticky fingers, goldfish cracker crumbs, and boo-boos covered in colorful bandaids.  You'll recall the way they sang their favorite songs in a high-pitched voice, making up the words to the parts they didn't know yet.  You'll remember the way they held their baby brother and sang lullabies while giving their new sibling a kiss on the forehead -- you'll even remember the part where the kiss turned into a toddler tackle because... well, toddlers!!  

And then one day, when your babies have babies of their own, you will give them these portraits of the two of you.  You'll show them just how tiny they were, how loved they were, and how much happiness they brought into your life.  They will see a glowing and confident mom who was proud to be in a photo with her little one, a mom who put herself first sometimes and made it a priority to capture these beautiful moments with her baby rather than always hiding behind the camera.  

And they will understand, and treasure these portraits that much more when they have a glimpse of you as a new mom.

If you've been hesitant about getting in the picture, giving a long list of reasons why you shouldn't be in front of the camera right now... stop.  And think of the even longer list of reasons why you SHOULD step in front of the camera.  

Or, just think of the one reason why, the most important reason in the world: your child.

Motherhood is a crazy beautiful journey, and you're doing an incredible job.  Celebrate it!

Our popular Celebrating Motherhood Sessions will be on May 6 (Attleboro) and May 20 (Saratoga Springs).  I would absolutely love to see you there!  

Registration opens on April 3, and spots are expected to fill very quickly as this event always sells out within a couple of days.  Be sure to join our newsletter for more info, and follow our Facebook page for announcements and links when registration is open!   

Celebrating Motherhood Photo Event at Little Lovage Club

I love this job.  I love capturing the most amazing moments that families will cherish forever, stopping time while their children are still little and we create such beautiful memories together.  However, one thing I have noticed as a newborn and baby photographer is how infrequently moms are in front of the camera with their children.  They are always behind the camera, taking the photos of their babies, and rarely do they get the chance to feel gorgeous and amazing while jumping in the frame with their little ones.

Our Celebrating Motherhood Event aims to change that.

Last month, we had 21 moms join us at Little Lovage Club for a day of pampering and photos, treating the moms to hair & makeup, childcare, and a gorgeous photo shoot with their little ones.  This was our second motherhood event at Little Lovage Club, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN.

Just look at all of these gorgeous mamas, absolutely radiant as they get to cuddle up with their little ones.  I love that we captured these sweet moments of them together. These are the photos that they are going to pull out in 20 years and give to their grown children to display in their own homes.   These will be framed and displayed on walls, shelves, and tabletops for generations, showcasing their beautiful love.  

New moms, expecting moms, moms of 4, tired moms, happy moms...  Everyone came together intent on having a relaxing, magical day with their babies.  These moms know that their kids will only be little for a little while, and they truly wanted to capture that on camera with THEMSELVES in the frame, too!  This was definitely an event that I loved, and I can't wait to organize more Celebrating Motherhood events soon.  New York mamas are already asking me about when we'll do one here in the Capital Region -- soon!  Very soon!

A few of my favorites were the three generation shoots, bringing in grandma for some playful photos with her daughter and grandchildren.  

We were so fortunate to collaborate with an amazing team who made the day run smoothly, kept the moms feeling beautiful & relaxed, and helped the children stay happy & upbeat.  A huge thank you to our incredible support team -- we could not have done it without you!

Hair Styling - Tiffany Cantin, HMUA from Six Bay Road Salon

Makeup - Sarah Adams for Follain

Childcare - Sensible Sitters

Our Amazing Hosting Venue - Little Lovage Club