Tag Archive for: baby

Lifestyle Newborn Session: Baby Zayn

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Now that I have a little one of my own, my response to a friend or a loved one who’s having a baby is extra spirited. I can finally relate on a personal level, and I’m thrilled to find out about someone else’s joy and all of the fun things ahead as they expect their little one. So when my friend Annie told me she was pregnant with baby Zayn, I did a happy dance, or two, or three. Sometimes I just can’t contain myself and this was one of those times.

Bright-eyed Baby
Here’s one of my favorite shots from their on-location session at their home in Wexford, Pa. Look at those eyes! I’d just love to know what he’s thinking!

baby close-up

First Family Portraits
The baby’s first family portraits is one of my favorite parts of the session. Because that’s where you get to see the love. Sometimes the portraits are formal with everyone looking at the camera and sometimes they’re informal with a focus on relationships and emotions.

lifestyle newborn session

Mixing Natural and Studio Lighting
In my previous post, I mentioned the need for adding lighting to already existing natural light as a family portrait gets larger. Here’s a great example of just that. We started with natural light and I overexposed so that there is adequate light on their faces.

natural light family portrait

This was a cloudy afternoon in December and the sun was setting fast. So it was time to start mixing in some studio lighting, especially since we added in Annie’s parents and I’d need to increase the depth of field to make sure that everyone is in focus. So here’s a shot with some mixed lighting. I still wanted to keep the feel of this shot light and airy, so I made the most of the light coming in from the window and added some studio light to illuminate their faces. This might be too much info if you’re not interested in photography, but I think it’s worth mentioning because my clients sometimes ask why I use extra light in some shots but not in others.

family portrait with mixed lighting

The Lifestyle Approach: Keeping It Natural
Here are a few more natural light images since I’m partial to lifestyle photography and keeping things natural.

babe in arms

baby toes

Are you pregnant or adopting and looking for a newborn photographer? If so, please check out this post with an overview of custom newborn photography.

Introducing Little B!

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I’m finally taking some time to introduce the little guy who has been my muse over the past four months. He has many nicknames ranging from Angel Baby to Crab Cake, but his blog name will be Little B. I think it took me so long to post photos of him on my blog because there are always more photos that I want to create. In fact, I just processed and retouched two more photos before sitting down to write this post. I guess you could say he’s my special on-going photo project that will last as long as he lets me. So here are some of my very favorites starting somewhere around two weeks old.

sleeping baby

I know someday he’ll really dislike this photo below, but I hope he’ll eventually get a laugh out of it.

beefcake baby

And here he is for his dedication with his Daddy!

all dressed up

Couldn’t resist a photo with the Miller jersey!

Steelers baby!

I was so excited that he could sit up in this chair—it’s a family heirloom. And I can’t help but brag because he is looking pretty dapper for his Christmas portrait.

Christmas baby portrait

I mentioned that he’s my muse for photos, but he’s also inspired me to get in touch with my crafty side. So in addition to snapping his photo, I’ve been sewing like a mad woman and made him this bomber jacket and aviator hat. He wasn’t too crazy about sitting in the chair so I didn’t push it by waiting for him to smile. Plus, I think I’ll like seeing his melancholy face some day when I’m looking back. I know most people like to see their baby smiling in photos, but I want to remember all of his precious faces.

aviator baby

I love finding things that I can sit him in or use to prop him up. And this suitcase from my mom and throw blanket from my sister were a perfect match.

baby in a suitcase

That’s it for now. I’ll be sure to share more as we go. But for the moment, I think I’d just like to cuddle him.

Baby Steps

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I’m clearing out some cobwebs after a month or so of blogging since photographing my last wedding. Week after week, I’ve thought, I should probably get back to blogging. But I need to admit I’ve been deliriously distracted—my husband and I welcomed the most wonderful baby boy you ever saw into the world this Fall (right in the midst of the wedding season—thank goodness for a good plan B and some fantastic support from a few good friends). Anyway, we’re starting to settle into a rhythm with our Little B and are mesmerized with all of the fun things he discovers each day.

And as I’m learning to balance my roles as a mommy and photographer, I’m taking my own baby steps to get back into the swing of things. And for my first post of the new year, I had some help from Little B! We ventured out into the snow a few weeks back at a park in my neighborhood. Actually, Little B sat his car seat in the warmth of our car while I hoped out and snapped some inspired landscapes without having to walk more than a few steps from the car.

snowy trees

branch with pinecones

snowy bark

Yay! I did it! Yep, I’m cheering for myself, because I’m learning to celebrate the little things. I’m hoping to share some images of Little B in my next post. I just need to figure out which ones…

Cute-As-A-Button Newborn Photos

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I know the title to this post is a bit boastful, but I think I can get away with it as a proud aunt. I got to visit my sweet niece, Kynleigh, just about a month ago and she is an absolute bundle of cuteness. Normally, I like to do newborn portraits in the studio, but with my sister living four hours away, this session was definitely going to be on-location at my sister’s home in Baltimore. After a day or so of cuddling with her, my mom, sister and I unloaded my car full of gear and props and made a crazy mess of my sister’s living room. It took a while for little Kynleigh to adjust to the change of scenery, but once she settled in we had so much fun! Here are a few favorites from our session:

bunny baby

Kynleigh has no shortage of cute accessories and this bunny hat is perfect for a springtime baby. My sister made prints of this image as Easter gifts for our mom and her mother-in-law.

newborn in a white cap

I think this one above is my favorite. I love how she is cuddling her arms close to her face.

baby in a hammock

We, very carefully, placed Kynleigh in this hammock. What you don’t see is my mom laying on the floor beneath her and my sister close at her side. I know that hammock is very secure, but there’s something unnerving about seeing a newborn suspended underneath a small tree branch, so we take every precaution.

close up of a baby

Just some more cuteness. I think she was actually quite comfy hanging there.

apple for the teacher

And last, but not least, we put her in this apple cocoon. This little one could snooze! It was at least a full four hours of changing her accessories, moving her, and posing her, intermixed with the usual needs of a newborn such as feeding and changing. She was pretty tuckered out and was like clay in my hands!

Oh Baby! More Newborn Photography by Captivating Imagery

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Ten years ago, I would have squirmed when someone handed me a newborn. When a baby found its way into my arms, it would cry! I’m just pointing this out because I realized recently that I’m a whole lot more comfortable with babies and I think I have photography to thank for that. While I mainly focus on weddings, I started photographing newborns about two years ago. I have to admit that my first newborn session was pretty nerve-wracking. I could sense the nervous energy from the parents and the baby definitely sensed it from me. Poor thing!

My nerves didn’t have anything to do with what was happening behind the camera, but with everything that takes place in front of it: making the baby and parents comfortable, figuring out how to get the baby to sleep, pose, smile! That’s a lot of pressure when you’re not really used to babies. Add into the mix the feeding routine and the little surprises that come with taking off their diapers and that about sums it up. In the end, the newborn portraits turned out great! And since then, I’ve grown more and more comfortable with newborns and what I can do to make the process fun and worry-free! I’ve really grown to love photographing newborns and hope to have one of my own someday!

baby portrait in a hammock

This post includes some sweeties from recent sessions that I haven’t had a chance to blog about yet. This set shows some of the neat props I’ve collected along the way and have also found that it’s fun to coordinate with parents and see what we can come up with.

baby portrait in knit wool hat
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