Posts Tagged: baby studio portraits
baby, baby, baby ~ professional portraits of those first, sweetest moments
“The Angel that presided o’er my birth
Said, ‘Little creature, form’d of Joy and Mirth
‘Go love without the help of any Thing on Earth.'” – William Blake
Baby, baby, babies. They are awesome, and noisy, and smell great, and then stink up a diaper. They can make you feel like you won the lottery and make you want to yank your hair out – in between naps – and feedings and trying to find your way back to normal with a new human around. There are so many important milestones in a life, but the entry of a new person is one of the biggest. We always encourage new parents to consider getting portraits made of their newborns. We know you’re tired and we know there is some effort involved, but here are some things to think about:
- We’re good at it. We’ve been doing this for well over a decade (nearly 2) and we have the props, places to nurse in private, a changing room…. we’re ready for you.
- You’ll never be able to capture these moments from the first 10 days again. When they are over, they’re over. There will be other moments, but not during these first, fresh, tender few days.
- You’re tired and need a hug. Let us get Little Miss or Little Mister photographed while you rest, even for a moment. If you need to feed, no problem. If you need to change him or her, no worries. If you need that hug and an understanding nod, we have those in spades. You’re not alone. We can make it fun.
“When you were born, beloved, was your soul
New made by God to match your body’s flower,
And were they both at one same percious hour
Sent forth from heaven as a perfect whole?
Or had your soul since dim creation burned,
A star in some still region of the sky,
That leaping earthward, left its place on high
And to your little new-born body yearned?
No words can tell in what celestial hour
God made your soul and gave it mortal birth,
Nor in the disarray of all the stars
Is any place so sweet that such a flower
Might linger there until thro’ heaven’s bars,
It heard God’s voice that bade it down to earth.” – Sara Teasdale
These little miracles will be smashing their first birthday cakes after a single trip around the sun. Then they’ll walk, if they aren’t already and talk, and start reading and you’ll find them upside down in a hamper or wanting to jump off the front porch barefooted or flushing something valuable down the throne…… and suddenly, it’s their first day of kindergarten and then senior prom.
Do yourself a favor if you are expecting and think about newborn portraits and photo shoots for your soon-to-be-born baby. If you hired Pixels for your engagement and wedding portraits, then you may have already chosen to have us capture newborn photos when the time comes. We do have a package that many of our clients have taken advantage of. Regardless, you’ll love these images. We’ve designed walls around children and family portraits and would love to do the same for you.
See this little princess wrapped in pink below? That’s Berklee. Just below her image is a recent one of her, now nearly 3 years old, with her new brother Wyatt. Pretty sweet, huh?
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
newborn portraits | what really happens?
Earlier this week, I wrote about how setting realistic expectations for your newborn portrait session is important. And it is, but don’t let that deter you from scheduling and having a portrait session when they are so young. Some of the most beautiful portraits we take are not always of brides, but of the newest creatures to join us on this spinning planet. More importantly: we’re ready! We know what we’re doing and we’re ready to go. Don’t worry!
So, what really happens during newborn photo sessions?
Well, for starters, the sessions don’t flow from pose to pose and set to set, as I’m sure you’ve already imagined. We’re dealing with fresh little beings who have been breathing on their own for only about 10 days. They don’t know about lighting, where to look or to remain still, because they are little tubes. Breast milk or formula goes in and poop comes out. In the middle they stare, cry and sleep.
A newborn session can take up to four hours. During that span, our camera is not up with the shutter clicking away, because, as mentioned, newborns babies are entirely unpredictable. We never know when or how often they will cry, sleep, eat or need a diaper change and all those things tend to take the most amount of time during our session. A fraction of the 4 hours is spent capturing images, but don’t worry, we tend to get the magic because we know what to look for and when to seize a moment.
To get those cute cuddly curled up newborn photos, our portrait session needs to take place within the first 10 days after birth. An exception to this would be premies and Moms who are recovering from a c-section. While there are breaks for diaper changes, feedings and tears, newborns at this early, early stage, do tend to be more receptive to cuddled and curled poses and will drift off to sleep while we orbit around them.
Inspiration & Props
At our Pixels studio, we have lots of props, wraps, hats, bows and head bands. New parents have enough to think about without having to bring a lot of extra stuff with them. You don’t need to bring any special outfits or props unless there is something specific you want incorporated. We ask that parents send us photos of the nursery or any other part of the house where they will be hanging the portraits so that we can coordinate props to match. All of our studio props and wardrobe items are cleaned after each session.
Studio Space
Our studio is also clean, cozy and extra warm for newborns. We have a convenient changing table and if you’re a nursing Mom, we’re prepared for that as well with a clean boppy and a private comfy chair for you. Ryan and I have been doing this for a long while and have been prepared since the beginning. Now that we have our son Finley, I’m proud of the accommodations we provide for newborn portrait sessions.
Here are a few tips and suggestions that I email our clients prior to the session:- Give your baby a bath and lather him or her in lotion and bring the lotion with you. This will help condition any peeling skin.
- Keep your baby awake before the session if possible. We know this can often be tricky during the car ride, but do your best.
- We want you to bring us a hungry baby! When you arrive he/she will be ready for food and a nap. Those sleeping angels make the best portraits. Try not to feed for a few hours before arrival. Feeding when you arrive at the studio will ensure that he/she will drift off to sleep and be most cooperative to being posed and photographed.
- If you are nursing, there is a list of foods that we recommend you avoid for 48 hours before your session that will help keep your baby from being gassy or fussy during the session.
The most important thing to us is that you get photos of your sweet child that you will cherish. That only happens when we make you feel comfortable, free to move around depending on what the baby needs and completely supported. Believe me, you are!
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
new addition | newborn cameron
How lucky you are, Cameron. You can’t imagine the love that was surrounding you on this day. They say that newborns are near-sighted and mostly focused on mom’s eyebrows and forehead, so you will indeed have to take my word for what you couldn’t see. Behind my lens, you laid there in complete coziness, but you were not alone. So much of your family’s journey was floating around me. From seeing your mom and dad newly married and in love to capturing that couple with a baby on the way and a new daughter and now you. Your timing was perfect. Welcome!
Even your feet were in love with each other. They kept smooching.
Your sister Madelyn came to the shoot and we’ve photographed her growing up too. While we only see your family a couple of times a year, we always look forward to it. And now here you are. This may not always be the case [Secret: siblings can get on each others nerves, but it usually ends well. Keep that in mind when Madelyn boots you out of her room in 10 years.], but right now, you are the apple of her eye. Your sister adores you.
You are a precious being, Cameron and I’m adding my name to the list of fans to go along with your mom, dad and older sister. Come see me again soon, please and take sweet care of yourself. You’re at the very beginning!
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
jaxon turns six months old
In no time at all, you can go from delicious 6 day old bundle to bib overalls.
Meet a little man working the bald is beautiful angle. And he really works it.
We blinked and this little brother and son is half-way through his first trip around the sun. If I had a nickel for every time I got to stare at the mini-down on top of a kid’s teeny head, I’d be rich and I’d still be behind the camera. That smile is going to break hearts and it’s already bringing his sweet mama, and this photographer, to her knees.
He’s thinking, processing, gesturing, grinning and for all we know making trades over the phone with a savvy broker who speaks fluent Baby. Perfect skin and working bubbles, Jaxon shines with that kind of inner light that comes from no worries. His grandmother saw these portraits and said: “How beautifully done! These show his personality so well.” And his mom thanked me for being “so patient and loving with Jaxon.” I love what I do. I love the families and the squealing newborns, the 6 month old squishies, the siblings and the crawling and everything that comes after. I cannot wait to see him at his first birthday. Maybe he’ll let his brother come along!
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
A Half Birthday Portrait Session | Sweet Sawyer Dean
Traci Pierce has been standing over her second son Sawyer and apparently holidng a watering can.
He’s growing fast and now at 6 month’s, he has a face that’s moving from baby to boy.
Traci wanted Sawyer’s 6 month photos to be the same as his older brother Holden’s. White cotton, simple and classic. It’s pure and sweet and I love that she wanted that simplicity. It’s a color-scheme that let’s the child shine through. Both Sawyer and his mom were crisply dressed, but gooey together. I loved this shoot!
Traci and her husband Andy have moved into a new house – as if 2 young boys wasn’t enough work. We loved being with them at Christmas for their in home session and the newness of the house was everywhere – and wonderful. A special service Pixels offers is assisting clients with rearranging and redesigning previous wall collections we created for their old home when they transition to the new one.
A few weeks ago I visited their home, took measurements and photos of all the walls where they saw their story being told and where they wanted to show off their family, and I made an inventory of all the photos we’ve printed and framed for them. Back in the office I created new wall collections using their existing photos and made suggestions of how to continue to build upon those layouts with the addition of Sawyer’s photos as well as future family portraits. The monochromatic approach makes this transition a bit easier, because bright white looks elegant in any surrounding. 
We love creating heirlooms for our clients, especially in a culture of selfies and snapshots and we certainly love it when a growing family can recalibrate a wall of photos to accommodate new siblings and new memories. The Pierces are dear to us and we’re excited that even on the busiest day, when there might be chaos in every direction, Traci and Andy can glance at the walls, see those boys in crisp white and think: “Well, THAT happened! At that time they were new and teeny and luscious and perfect.”
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.