And they're off! A Saratoga Springs Race Track Themed Cake Smash

You want to know the funny thing about our first year with our son? Most of the baby friends we’ve made were all born right around the same time as him. We have had playdates where literally all of the babies were born within days of each other, and some of us were even down the hall from each other at the hospital! It’s funny how it works out like that, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s been amazing being able to connect with other parents whose babies are going through the exact same stage that our son is in, and it’s truly been one of the best parts of this first year — you know, in addition to the thousands of incredible moments and laughs that Grayson has brought to us, of course!

So we decided to get a bunch of the babies together for one big cake smash!

Because we live in Saratoga Springs, New York, I’ve been eager to design a backdrop to go with the Saratoga Race Track that is so popular every summer when the town is flooded with people that visit just for the horse races. All of these birthday babies live right here in town, so of course we did a Saratoga Springs race track theme for their joint cake smash!

We dressed them up in the most dapper outfits with little bowties and hats on the boys, and ruffles on the girls. How sweet are they?!?!

Meet Grayson, John, Charlotte, and Corinne. Birthday buddies in Saratoga Springs.

We put four babies in front of four cakes, and it was hilarious watching them attack their cakes (or their neighbor’s cake!).

Corinne was truly the master smasher, and she demolished her cake! This sweet girl was all over the place, up and down and crawling on and off the set. She was absolutely amazing and we had so much fun and so many laughs watching how excited she was!

Haha! I just love how Charlotte is going in to swipe Grayson’s cake topper here!

John was a little hesitant to dig right in, but he made the most amazing expressions and he was very careful not to get too messy. I love how he crosses his little legs and tastes his cake with just one finger of frosting at a time!

Grayson wasn’t really into his cake. He was more interested in his cake stand or in his friends’ cakes! Either way, he was a happy boy surrounded by cake and babies! (Ha, that’s basically how I would describe myself! He is definitely my son!)

Charlotte was very dainty and methodical with her cake. She stayed put and focused on just her cake (but sometimes her neighbor’s, too!). She loved just reaching in for one tiny little bite of frosting at a time, and was happy as can be!

These four were an absolute blast! I loved this session, and I can’t wait to watch them all together as toddlers this year!

Our New Brand & Website #NSPLaunchDay

The day is finally here to unveil our beautiful new website & brand!  I am head over heels in love with how everything has come together to create a beautiful, airy, whimsical & pure storytelling look and feel.  

I have spent so many months digging deep into the heart behind my business, into finding the true story behind why I do what I do and how this best serves the families that I work with.  At conferences, in workshops, and in every business article written for creative entrepreneurs they tell you to find the WHY behind your brand.  Friends, I've found it.

I've realized that I've always had a fascination with stories (read more about this on the "Meet Nicole" section of our website!).  Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone's story is worth celebrating.  Being invited into my clients' lives to capture these stories and preserve these memories is such an honor, and I've worked hard to show this throughout my website.

So, how did this all happen?

I first connected with Erica at The Refinery in the fall when I was looking for a designer to help me with a full rebrand and website design.  I had heard amazing things about her, and I loved the clean lines and simplicity of her work.  After a few FaceTime coffee dates to share our ideas for the rebrand, we set a date to begin working on the content!

It all started with pinning pretty & sparkly images on Pinterest, and then turning them into an inspiration board for my brand.  This board represents the look, feel, focus, color scheme, and fonts of the new Nicole Starr Photography.  Three weeks ago, this was just a dream.  A pretty little collection of images.  Today, I can clearly see how it all comes together in my website, logo, and collateral materials.

From there, we pulled together all of my favorite elements to create a truly stunning logo that represents everything pure, magical, and airy about my website.  We went through a few different versions of the logo, and my friends and other creative colleagues lent their opinions to help me find the one that best represented my business.  

Here is the gorgeous logo that we settled on for the primary logo.  I love the stars, the soft colors, and the whimsical script paired with a timeless and classic serif font below.

Then came the web design!  But first, I had to decide what I wanted to include on my new website.  This was the difficult part.  I spent hours upon hours sketching ideas, writing content, and editing everything to perfection before sending it all off to Erica to work her magic.

I have been dreaming big ever since returning from the Creative at Heart conference last November, and there were so many new changes I wanted to implement and start offering to the families that I work with.  Among those were Fresh 48 sessions, a Baby Registry, and a SpokesMama program.  All of these are to better help you tell your story.  I'll be featuring each of these this week on social media through "In the Spotlight" posts sharing a little bit about each one.  In the meantime, be sure to check them out here on the website because I am oh-so-excited about each and every one.

Erica is a genius at web design, and before I knew it she had turned all of these big ideas into a beautiful, cohesive, and stunning website!  I woke up one morning and saw that she had sent me the first draft of the website in the middle of the night (there was a slight time difference with me on the East coast and her on the West coast).  My first response?  "OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!  It's so beautiful!"  

I was speechless and couldn't even believe that this beautiful webpage featuring images of so many stunning families was mine!  She took this dream and turned it into something concrete and oh-so-beautiful.  I'm still in awe.

I started this business 4 years ago as a creative outlet, and it has turned into something so much more beautiful & powerful than I ever imagined.  There have been so many milestone markers along the way that have made me feel like this dream is really going to BE something. Every single one has felt like a celebration to me.  Including this one, the latest one.

The first time I saw my images printed.  
The first time I published a blog post.  
The first time I held my business cards in my hands.  
The first time I hung a 16x20 canvas of my work.  
The first time I reached a $1000 sale.  
The first time I took my time to develop a real packaging style.
The first time I hosted a family in my studio.  
That time when I left my teaching job after 6+ years in the classroom to pursue my dream.  
The first time I hosted a beginners photography workshop.
The first time I followed a family through their entire baby's first year of photos.
That time I was asked to go to NYC for the NDSS photo shoots.
The first time another photographer hired me for her family's portraits.  

And now... the first time that my vision and my dream has truly been brought to life thanks to the amazing work of The Refinery.  

To all of my creative friends: if you're thinking of hiring a web designer to bring you to the next level of your business, just do it.  It's truly the best decision I've made for my business and I know that it's going to serve the families that I work with so much better.

To all of the families that have followed me on this journey and been so incredibly supportive: thank you.  Your stories mean the world to me, and your family's images are the best thing on this new website of mine.  I can't wait to capture more magical moments for your family, and I look forward to helping you tell many more stories that you & your children will cherish for a lifetime.

One last thing...  To thank you for being so amazing, we're hosting a giveaway on our Facebook page.  Be sure to enter the contest before Friday at noon!  You can view all of the details on our Facebook page.

2015 Year in Review Video by Nicole Starr Photography

2015 has truly been an incredible year, and I want to thank all of you for sharing so many magical moments with me!  

Enjoy this beautiful little video of some of our favorite images from the year.  I look forward to another beautiful year of storytelling in 2016!

To every family that asked me to tell their story: thank you.
To every mom who let me cuddle her newborn baby: thank you.
To every dad that wanted to surprise his wife with a keepsake gift: thank you.
To every creative entrepreneur that connected, laughed, shared, asked, taught, and learned with me this year: thank you.

And to every single person that connected with the stories in my photographs, commented on my images, shared their own stories with me, and let these beautiful families into their hearts through the images that I shared with you: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

A Musical First Birthday Cake Smash

Her name is Melody.  She loves music, singing, and dancing.  Of course we were going to do a musical themed cake smash for her first birthday photo session!

There are about a million and one reasons why I love cake smash sessions.  Cute babies, cake & creativity top the list.  I had this idea for a backdrop of floating hearts created from sheet music, and it came out just as beautiful as I had imagined it would.  I love when that happens!

music musical notes first birthday cake smash

pink, teal, and gray cake smash

It wasn't long before Melody knocked the entire cake right off of the cake stand.  Let the smashing begin!  She really got into it -- just check out her toes in these next few photos!  I just love it when the babies get so into the smashing that it is all they can focus on.  So sweet!

music musical notes first birthday cake smash

pink, teal and gray cake smash

pink and teal cake smash session

baby cake smash birthday photo session

The end of the smash always gives us the most comical reactions from the babies -- "What do you mean that cake's all gone?  And you want to wash me?  No way!!!"

music musical notes first birthday cake smash

Want to see the birthday girl in action?   Check out this adorable video clip!  I'm pretty certain that Melody LOVED her birthday cake!!

[video width="320" height="576" mp4="http://nicolestarrphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/30-3380-post/video-1446218810.mp4.mp4"][/video]

Happy birthday, baby girl!

View the rest of Melody's birthday session & family photos here.

The Arnold Arboretum for Rustic Family Photos

A first birthday is such an amazing time, especially the first birthday of your very first baby!  You're celebrating your first year of parenthood, your first year as a family of three, and 365 days of this amazing little one that has changed your lives for the better.

This family reached out to me to capture their daughter's first birthday photos, and as always we combined Melody's session with a beautiful family session to capture the love and the amazing bonds shared between this sweet little family of three (almost four -- baby #2 is on the way!).  We headed to the Arnold Arboretum to a nice secluded area near Peters Hill for the most gorgeous fall photos.

This baby girl is so, so loved!!

boston baby photographer fall family photos

boston baby photographer fall family photos, arnold arboretum

boston baby photographer fall family photos

boston baby photographer fall family photos, arnold arboretum

boston baby photographer fall family photos

We enjoyed gorgeous fall colors and sparkling sunlight at Peters Hill in the Arnold Arboretum.  I always try to find unique areas for my sessions, and when we revisit a location with a new family, my goal is to discover amazing little spots that we have not captured on camera before.  This little area of the woods was perfect for that with so many gorgeous areas bathed in the most amazing light.  I absolutely love this spot for amazing rustic photos nestled off in the woods.  Melody was quite intrigued by the pine needles carpeting the ground.

boston baby photographer fall family photos, arnold arboretum

boston baby photographer fall family photos maternity photos

boston baby photographer fall family photos

boston baby photographer fall family photos

boston baby photographer fall family photos

Afterwards, we headed back to the studio for the rest of Melody's session, including her first birthday cake smash!  Be sure to check out her musical cake smash here.  It was so much fun, and she really got into her cake!

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

A Dreamy Session with Newborn Twins | Albany & Saratoga Springs Newborn Photographer

Sometimes miracles come in pairs.

Finley Grace & Bella James

I love photographing newborns.  Absolutely adore it.  But when you bring newborn twins to me?  Oh my gosh, I'm in heaven!

After arriving one month early and spending some time in the NICU, I was so excited to finally snuggle with these baby girls in the studio.  They are just the sweetest little things, and I adored our session together.  Creamy, dreamy, whimsical & soft are my favorite types of sessions, and this one was no exception!  I love the soft, neutral colors that allow the babies to be the focus of the session, the way we had the most perfect light streaming through the studio windows to illuminate these new parents and their love, and the most peaceful little girls that slept the entire time.

I adore the stunning mama and baby portrait, below.  I recently came across a motherhood quote, and when I read it this photograph immediately came to mind.

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  

She never existed before.  

The woman existed, but the mother, never.  

A mother is something absolutely new."  ~Rajneesh

Love this fun shot of the babies in their daddy's arms!  They won't be that tiny forever, and it's amazing to see and look back on.

The best compliment that you can give a photographer is to have an emotional connection to the portraits that we take and the moments that we capture.  The photo below is the one that brought tears to their mom's eyes during our reveal session.  I just LOVE that a photograph can do that, and I'm truly honored that the photographs I take of your children mean so much.  <3  

And we'll finish with my favorite shot of Finley & Bella, two little twins all snuggled up together.  I love how they just curl up together and mold their limbs together into one tiny little space.  

Check out other newborn twin sessions here, here & here.

Love the clean and organic look of these photographs?  Me too!  View Lucy's clean and simple newborn session.

Making New Memories in Vintage Dresses | A Motherhood Session

Arlene is a dear, dear friend of mine.  We've known each other for years -- before marriage & babies & houses & PhDs & photography businesses.  I've loved capturing her little girls on camera, and I always adore the sweet moments we photograph when we get together. Sometimes, you just have to call your friend up to come over, get dolled up, and do a pretty motherhood session in the studio with her daughters.  And that's exactly what we did last Monday morning.

There is so much love bundled into these photographs, and there is such a history of love stories in each one, too!  Arlene's husband is a genealogist and is always sharing stories about their long lines of ancestors.  What I love about these photographs is the history in their outfits.  Arlene is wearing her wedding dress from their celebration in the Dominican Republic.  Little Daniela is wearing the dress that Arlene wore to her own parents' wedding when she was a little girl.  And her big sister, Alice, is wearing the dress she wore last weekend to Arlene's brother's wedding.  So much love, so much history, and so many stories in those sweet white dresses.

Alice & Daniela.

Looking at a photo of the girls from our last session together, I've concluded that this is their signature "sister hug".  Dani looks like she's used to dealing with her big sister's too-tight squeezes, and I just love the expression on her little face!

I've known Alice since she was a teeny-tiny baby in the hospital, welcoming her to the world with a "1st birthday" cake on her first day in our lives.  Watching her grow, and watching Arlene as a mom, has been such a joy.  That's what the heart behind our "Celebrating Motherhood" sessions is all about -- the magic of motherhood, and those gorgeous memories that moms make with their little ones.

Can't you just tell how much Dani loved the camera?  Such a little doll!

A Rustic Sunset Engagement Session | Boston Wedding Photographer

Happy fall, y'all!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's a crispness in the air, crunchy leaves underfoot, and pumpkin-everything everywhere.  I'm finally ready to embrace the season!

I love summer.  I live for summertime.

But there's something so cozy about sweater weather and baking season, so I'll take a few weeks of fall while I can enjoy it!  After all...

This amazing couple is getting married later this month, and I can't wait to capture their stunning and unique wedding on camera.  With a rustic and laid-back style, we met at The White Barn Farm in Wrentham, MA for their engagement session.  It's a local farm with a cute little farm stand that they visit on the weekends, and I was thrilled to capture their session here.  When I pulled up I met the owner ("Call me Gram"), who invited me in, showed me around, and told me to make myself at home.  What a sweetheart!  And that was just the beginning...

It was the perfect late-summer evening with just a hint of fall in the air.  A sparkling sunset and an adorable couple that was up for anything made for a stunning session together!

Love this stunning portrait!  Won't Courtney be a beautiful bride in a few weeks?

The best sessions are when couples (or families, or children) feel comfortable and act naturally, cuddling up together, laughing together, and just enjoying their time without worrying about what the camera is doing at that exact moment.  I love that we were able to capture those real moments of love between these two.  When you look back many years from now, THIS is what you want to remember:

Courtney & Michael's dog, Wilma, is a bit of a puppy celebrity among their family and friends.  She is HUGE, but seems to think that she's a tiny little lapdog.  This dog literally weighs more than I do, and she pulled me across a field (very ungracefully with my camera swinging from my neck!) as we were setting up this shot.  Somehow I didn't expect her to pull that hard and I imagined that it would be simple to pose her at a different angle... Nope!  However, I couldn't help but laugh as I scurried across the field to catch her and it took 6 hands to finally get her back for this shot.

You wouldn't know it by looking at her here, would you?  She loved the camera!  Such a little model!

A Sparkly Birthday Cake Smash {Maria}

There's something so magical about celebrating your little one's first birthday. I'm not talking about the parties, the decorations, the gifts.  I'm talking about reaching that monumental milestone that marks your first year as a family of three.  365 days of weathering the ups and downs while getting to know who this little baby of yours is.  12 months of parenting success.   Victory.

I love it when families come to me for their baby's first birthday session, and I always make it a point to snap some gorgeous memories of the whole family together.  Think about your little one's first year.  You have a million photos of your baby, a couple of your partner with the baby... and you're not in any of the pictures, right?  Jump in the frame and show your baby that you were there, that you were loving and happy and present.

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

Doesn't Maria have the most amazing sparkling eyes?  I could photograph her sweet & soulful expression all day!  And this little blue romper of hers?  I'm in love with it!  It was the perfect outfit for her one-year session.

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

Maria's mom wanted to celebrate her daughter's first year with a little *SPARKLE*.  Of course, I was thrilled about her pink and gold themed cake smash and was so excited to pull together the most gorgeous set up for her baby girl.  Sparkle and NSP go hand in hand, as you well know.  ;o)  Enjoy a few of my favorites from her sparkly cake smash session!

WM pink gold birthday cake smash set up

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

This little miss LOVED clapping her hands together, and I'm pretty certain that half of the photos from her session have her cheering herself on and looking to us to continue the applause.  Such a little cutie!

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

Happy Birthday, Miss Maria!  And congratulations to her amazing parents on their first victorious year as a family of three.

Did you love Maria's girly-girl session?  Check out another sparkly cake smash photo shoot here!

Want to learn more about our birthday sessions?  Read about our first year & cake smash sessions.

WM pink gold birthday cake

Vivian's Pink & Floral Simply Baby Session

baby girl pink and flowers

Not all babies are as smiley as sweet little Vivi.  Sometimes, photographers luck out with the happiest of babies that love being in front of the camera.  (And sometimes we need to use a few of these tricks for a successful portrait session.)  She came to the studio and that smile didn't leave her face for even one minute.  Her eyes were sparkling, she was playful, and she loved the attention that her mother and I showered on her.  This little girl is such a model, and I had so much fun capturing her personality on camera during our pink and floral Simply Baby session.

baby playing peekaboo with a blanket

Peek-a-boo!  This is one of my favorite games for babies 5 months and up.  Tummy time & smiles.

nicole starr photography

After a quick little outfit change, Vivian was ready to snuggle up with her lovies.  I love it when parents bring the baby's favorite blanket or stuffed animal to our session, and it's always so sweet to capture them together.  That blanket will one day be worn and gray, but you'll remember how much your little one carried it around, how you had to have a back-up at day care, at home, and at the grandparents' house, and how she never fell asleep without it.  You'll remember how she was the same size as her little pink bear, and how that bunny brought the biggest smile to her face every single time.

baby with stuffed animal lovies

baby girl in a basket

smiling baby girl

Eleanor Katherine {A delicate and floral springtime newborn session}

Eleanor Katherine

April 16, 2015  |  1:28pm

6 pounds, 3 ounces  |  18 inches

I was so excited to welcome Ellie and her parents for their newborn session.  This little girl's arrival to the world was much-anticipated and long-awaited, so we were so happy to welcome this tiny little girl into the studio for the perfect springtime session.

Eleanor was a dream baby.  Her parents followed my prep packet steps exactly, and she arrived to the studio all tuckered out, slipped right into a milk coma, and was in dreamland the entire session.  This allowed us to get so many adorable set ups of their little girl, and many of the specialty shots that the parents had requested for family members.

I always love starting with the family shots, and this has become one of my favorites of showing a baby girl in her daddy's strong hands...

Look at all that hair!

Cute new wrap, you say?  Why yes, it is!  Luckily my husband, Jeff, didn't mind browsing the scarf racks with me at TJ Maxx this spring when the perfect baby wraps were on sale.  He's a keeper.  ;o)

I love how tiny she looks in this one!

Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!

She is perfect in every way.

Aubrey {A Soft and Whimsical Six Month Milestone Session}

Aubrey came to the studio for her Simply Baby milestone session, and we had such a wonderful time capturing this cutie on camera!  These sessions are short and sweet and allow enough time for some creamy, neutral toned photos of your baby, and also a more stylized set that we plan in advance.  Simply Baby sessions are milestone sessions that I adore capturing -- there are a whole lot of physical changes,  developmental milestones, and a budding personality that develops between your newborn shoot and your first birthday shoot.  This is the perfect way to capture that!

Aubrey was all about the pearls (which happen to be a favorite for nearly all of the NSP babies in the studio!).   I'm absolutely in love with those expressive, big brown eyes of hers, and that fluffy peach fuzz atop her head.  Such a sweetheart!

Since setting up my studio, I've discovered that fishing line is my new best friend.  I am constantly using it to hang garlands, banners, puff balls, and butterflies for my sessions.  It works its magic, because then you get the wonder in a baby's eyes when she sees these butterflies floating right there in front of her.  :o)

This soft and whimsical set up is one of my favorites, and the pinwheels are still in the studio waiting for another little baby to come in for a magical shoot!  I just love how they look in the photos against my new rustic wooden floors & walls, and they worked perfectly with her cute little attire from Etsy!

Ready to chat about a Simply Baby session for your little one?  Email me at nicolestarrphotography@gmail.com and we'll find a time to talk!