Light and Airy Motherhood Session in our Saratoga Springs Portrait Studio

Katie and Lucas recently came to the studio for a 6 month milestone portrait for Lucas. Katie is one of my dearest friends. We’ve known each other for years. I love watching her on this motherhood journey and seeing how much joy her sweet boy brings to her life. She truly lights up when she is with him, and her face is absolutely radiant when he smiles at her. And just look at the way he looks at her! I was thrilled when they mentioned visiting - and squeezing in some portraits, too! 

She and Lucas came to visit for a few days and we enjoyed some studio time to celebrate the halfway point of this crazy and wild journey of the first year of parenthood. It was so exciting to see everything Lucas can do now - one of the reasons I LOVE milestone sessions! He absolutely loves tummy time and was even sitting up on his own. 

All dresses and outfits that Katie and Lucas used are from the studio’s Baby Wardrobe and Mama Wardrobe. The light grey overalls and white dress looked perfect together - creating truly light and airy portraits that are so classic. I hope that Katie and Lucas will treasure these portraits for many years to come. 

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Springtime Motherhood Portraits at our Client Appreciation Event

I’ve always loved doing motherhood portraits, and this spring I decided to create a Client Appreciation Event to show all of our 2022 families just how grateful I am that they trusted me to capture their family’s milestones last year. This Client Appreciation Event could not have been more fun. I loved catching up with all of my 2022 families and seeing how all of those sweet babies had grown! It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of business and motherhood, but it was so nice to slow down and hear what was going on in everyone’s lives this spring.

Each family that I work with - whether I’m capturing newborn portraits, a milestone, cake smash, or family photos for the year - is so important to me. Family portraits are special. Honestly, they’re one of the only times moms get in the photos and I know the process can feel overwhelming. It’s always been my goal to create a stress-free and joy-filled environment for my families during their portrait sessions. It’s why I have a client closet, a snack bar, and props/outfits onsite for sessions.s I want every single one of my clients to feel special and pampered, and our Client Appreciation Event was one more easy way to do that.

The spots for our Client Appreciation Event filled up right away, and the moms have been raving about the experience. I had a blast catching up, pampering these incredible moms some more, and capturing a few photos too. I’m already excited to plan for next year’s event for our 2023 clients! Thank you to everyone who made 2022 so special - and to all of my already amazing 2023 families. I’m so thankful for each and every one of you!

One of my favorite parts of our Client Appreciation Event was the swag bags we gave everyone! All of the businesses included are local, small business owners and mamas themselves!

Swag Bag Contributors:

Cookie Tastic
Kiwi and Rose (earrings)
House of Colour Saratoga Springs
Turn a New Leaf Intuitive Massage
Kallisto Gems
The Broadway Grind

A huge thank you to our other collaborators:
Hair stylist: Jessica Lee of Sanctuary Salon in Saratoga Springs NY

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Springtime Motherhood Portraits with Florals and a Boho Egg Chair

I have been doing a springtime Celebrating Motherhood portrait event for as long as I can remember. It’s one of my favorite times of year to create something beautiful with lots and lots of flowers and photograph mamas just loving on their babies.

This year I went with a boho floral setup incorporating our wicker egg chair, and I absolutely loved how it photographed. It’s the perfect size for some cuddles, and it looks stunning with the white walls and giant white window in the studio. Plus, with the new (bigger!) studio, I was able to keep our egg chair setup all spring and we even incorporated it into a few other families’ portrait sessions for a shot or two here and there.

As always, neutrals are my go-to outfit recommendation in the studio. A few families did a gorgeous pop of color combined with those light neutrals, and it all came together beautifully. Scroll down for a peek at some of my favorite portraits in our boho floral egg chair prop this spring!

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A Letter to All Moms: Please Get in the Picture!!

Dear Mamas,

Get in the picture. Stop hiding behind the camera and step in front of it with your babies. Hand your camera over to your partner, your friend, your neighbor, ANYONE walking by on the street, and ask them to please take a picture of you and your kids together.

You already know that these years go by too quickly. You already know that your children are only this little for a little while. I don’t need to remind you of any of that.

But 20 years from now when your kids are looking back at old family photos, you don’t want them to ask you, “Wait, mom, where were you? Why aren’t you in any pictures with us?”

And 30 years from now when your kids are becoming parents to little ones of their own, they’re going to want to see YOU in the same stage that they are going through. They’re going to want to see you pregnant, you as a brand new mom, you as an exhausted but ridiculously happy toddler mama. They’ll want to see you getting your hands messy and baking with your family, you running into the waves with your kids at the beach, and you cheering them on at their first sports game or recital or play. They’ll just want to see YOU in the pictures.

During Grayson’s first year, I was always the one taking the pictures. As he was about to turn one I realized that I barely had any photos of the two of us together except from our Fresh 48 session at the hospital, a few photos I prioritized on my first Mother’s Day, and some cell phone photos.

So I did three things.

• I started handing my camera off to my husband and asked him to take some photos of us just doing regular stuff together. A lot of photos were blurry or my head was cut off, but hey, at least I was in the picture!

• I started using a tripod and capturing more of our everyday moments at home. Cuddling up together after nap, learning to walk, playing on the kitchen floor. The simple motherhood moments that I knew I wanted to remember forever.

• And I booked two professional portrait sessions — one family session, and one mommy & me session. Those two photos at the top of this blog post? They are two of my most treasured photos, and both of them are hanging up in our house so that I can enjoy them every single day and remember how perfectly Grayson fit in my arms!

You can do those same three things.

Hand your camera off to anyone and ask them to take a few photos of you snuggling your kids. It can be on a special day like a holiday, but it can also be on some random Tuesday out in your garden.

Set your camera up on a tripod (or a chair, or a stack of books, or on the floor!) and set the timer, then jump in and start loving on your kids. Or capture some moments of you guys doing an activity together that you love, and just set your camera off to the side to do the work while you’re busy with the kids!

Find a professional photographer whose style you love, and talk with them about what you’re looking for in your portrait session. Talk with them about meaningful locations, things your kids do that you want to remember forever, and that dream shot that would make you so happy hanging on your walls. Be open and tell them what you want, and they will make it their mission to bring that to life for you.

So mamas, please get in the picture! You’ll only regret the photos you didn’t take, and you’ll never look back and wish you had taken fewer.

With love,
Nicole
(and Grayson, who will appreciate this many years from now!

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