Classic black and white personality portraits with Saratoga Springs child photographer

Little Loves sessions were such a blast this year! I offer these limited edition portraits a few times a year and they’re always a big hit. Our Little Love sessions are classic and full of lots of smiles - and laughs. Throughout each session, I work with your little one to capture all of their unique personalities - from all sides: fun, silly, shy, quiet, sweet, curious, loud, thoughtful. I provide prompts to help them show different faces and expressions. Once they warm up and feel relaxed, I can just see them start to enjoy themselves!

The results of these sessions are always so timeless. I love a good classic black and white portrait! I know that each family will treasure these portraits as a little glimpse into their sweet babies and their fun personalities. And, I love dreaming about how they’re displayed in each home!

During Little Loves portrait sessions, I always take the time to capture a few new portraits of siblings together. They’re some of my favorite moments because they’re often unprompted. These kids always want to hug and laugh together. I love watching them just be the friends that they are. I know they wind up being their parents’ favorites, too!!

---

Save this post for later!

Fun and Laid-Back Fall Family Portraits in Saratoga Springs

Just look at these two brothers! Aren’t they the cutest, most adorable little guys you’ve ever seen?!?!

We had so much fun during this fall family portrait session in Saratoga Springs at Saratoga Spa State Park. It was unseasonably warm and the family had to swap out their sweaters and boots for short sleeves and sandals that afternoon, but we still captured so many fun and cozy moments of this beautiful family together!

My favorite thing about this session? The minion shoes! In typical toddler fashion, little brother decided that he only wanted to wear his brand new yellow minion shoes that day, so they made an appearance in their family portraits! I love that this will be a part of their story forever!

One of my favorite ways to get kids to cuddle up and smile during a portrait session is to get them really close together and have them take turns telling jokes, tickling each other, and trying to squeeze a laugh out of the other one. It works every time!

This portrait session really was so much fun. It was filled with laughs and giggles, and so many games! The boys had a blast and they were surprised when we were all done! Wondering how to make your family session this easy? Check out the link for more tips!

---

Love this fall session? Pin this image or any from the post above for inspiration!

First Birthday Portraits with a Camping Theme

When your family loves camping, you do a camping theme for your first birthday portraits! Ryder celebrated his first birthday in style with a studio session that highlighted his family’s favorite summer hobby. We used buffalo plaid, birch trees, a campfire, and a camping lantern to create the perfect whimsical setup for their little boy.

Ryder did such an amazing job and he was so happy the entire time. Such a little sweetheart!

This little guy was all smiles, especially by the time we pulled out the bathtub!

Every birthday session includes family portraits, and we went to the nearby Spa State Park for some family portraits at sunset with Ryder’s three big sisters. I’ve been photographing them for years, and it was wonderful seeing how comfortable and excited they were in front of the camera.

And then when the camera was turned back around to Ryder, he was thrilled!! He is one lucky little brother to be so loved by all of his sisters.

The sunlight was perfect streaming through the trees. We really had the best sunset that evening, and it gave these portraits a beautiful golden glow.

---

Inspired by this fun camping theme cake smash? Pin this image or any from the post above for inspiration!

A Sparkly Simple Studio Session in our Saratoga Springs Portrait Studio

As we move further into 2017, I love that my style is evolving to include even more soft, airy & whimsical session designs.  Give me all of the creams, whites, blush pinks, florals, flowing fabrics, chiffon, and a little bit of sparkle and I am one happy photographer.  Add in an adorable baby and a twirling little girl, and it's pure bliss here in our Saratoga Springs portrait studio.

When Kahini and Aarnya joined me for their spring portraits here at the studio, I was thrilled to use a few of our sparkly dresses & rompers from the studio wardrobe collection, as well as these beautiful new headbands from Sweet Ivie.  

If you have not heard of Sweet Ivie yet, you must check them out!  The owner of this Etsy boutique lovingly creates the most beautiful felt flower headbands I have ever seen.  Each one has the perfect combination of colors, and they are so wonderfully made that they will quickly become a favorite for special occasions and day-to-day hair accessories for your little girl.  Plus, the nylon headband is super comfy and will stay put on your little one's head without sliding off, and it's stretchy enough to fit all sizes and ages!  Seriously, I kind of want to start wearing their headbands...   ;o)  

Look at that sweet little twirl!  Kahini looks like a flamenco dancer with the swirl of her skirt and a flower in her hand, don't you think?  

While baby sister Aarnya was a little unsure of the camera, we found a few songs and snacks to keep this little girl happy during the session.  You never know how your baby will react during their portrait session, and I always suggest parents come prepared with an easy snack (puffs, cheerios, a bottle) and a favorite song ready to go on their phone.  It does the trick every time to keep babies in a happy mood as they get used to their new space!

We are now booking springtime sessions at our Saratoga Spring boutique portrait studio.  The studio is fully stocked with dresses, rompers, diaper covers, headbands, backdrops, and adorable little props to complement your little one's session while not overpowering the star of the show -- your child!  Contact me today at hello@nicolestarrphotography.com and let's plan your session!

Family Portraits in our Saratoga Springs Studio

While I spend most of my time in the studio with sleepy little newborns, birthday babies enjoying their first taste of cake, and toddlers who are filled with curiosity & excitement, every now and then I have a family visit me whose children are grown and they want to capture this new stage that their family is in.

The D. family came to me for a family portrait session while both daughters were home from college on break, and I was excited to welcome the girls, their mother, and their grandfather in for a fun and relaxed portrait session together.  Being a small family, they share such a close bond and it was so beautiful to see.  We spent an hour together and they regaled me with stories of innocent pranks the girls used to play on their mother, adventures they've had together, and so many moments that had us all laughing.

Their grandfather was so excited to tell me all about his daughter & granddaughters, and he was happiest when surrounded by these three beautiful women that he helped raise and shape.  He truly was beaming the entire time, though my favorite story of him came after our session when I received this message about the first time he saw his family's photographs:

"I went out to visit Dad for the long weekend, and you would have gotten a kick out of him.  Jossie texted the images to us while we were at lunch at a restaurant, and he was nearly in tears over them.  But he quickly recovered, and began practically tackling people -  from our waitress to the folks at church and store clerks  – so he could show them the photos on his phone!"  

That just made my day!  

Thank you for such a wonderful session together, D. family!  I hope your family will enjoy these memories up on the walls of your home for many, many years.

We're planning limited edition holiday sessions!

These two gorgeous backdrops just arrived to the studio, and we can't wait to start using them for our holiday sessions!  We're excited to offer two weekends of holiday sessions, one for our New York families and one for our Massachusetts families!  These are the ONLY dates that we will be offering holiday sessions in the studio.

Attleboro, Massachusetts
Saturday, October 29
Sunday, October 30

Saratoga Springs, NY
Saturday, November 5
Sunday, November 6

Here's are sneak peeks of both sets that we'll be offering -- aren't they adorable?!?!

Full details and session reservation details
will be coming your way on
Monday, October 3!

Mark your calendar!