There are sessions when I spend a whole hour just trying to get a big sibling in the same FRAME as their newborn brother or sister.  Not with this family!  Big sister A loved being in front of the camera and loved showering her new baby brother with kisses.  Newborn A was just as content as could be.  This session was especially fun to look forward to because I was let in on a little secret that no one besides the ultrasound tech knew… a BOY would be joining the family.  I could barely contain myself during our pre-session as mom talked about flowers and gardens and all along I knew this would be a session filled with blue!  I was sure I was going to slip and call him a “he.”  Finally, I could talk to mom again when the secret was out.  I am overjoyed looking at all of the sweet moments we captured of the W family welcoming their new baby boy.  Big sister rocked every possible sibling photo I could think of for this age and then she played so nicely for the rest of our session.  Newborn A rocked his individual portraits too, but he mostly just loved to be cuddled.  I can’t wait to show you the rest mom and dad!

I loved meeting the W family last week.  They are one of our newest 2013 Baby Plan families!  Their sweet baby girl was a social butterfly.  Approaching 3 weeks old, she wanted to take in the world around her.  She loved to be held and cuddled and fed.  She looked like a living doll with the most gorgeous head of hair and pouty lips.  I had so much fun getting to know her and I can’t wait to spend a year celebrating her as she grows.  Mom and dad were completely in love with their new little one.  We started our session with plenty of family portraits where she cooed and smiled for us.  After 2 hours she finally drifted off to sleep and we captured plenty of dreamy images to end our day.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I know I say it a lot, but one of the things I love most about my job is watching families grow.  Capturing each new baby as they enter the world and join a family amazes me every time.  This family has been coming to me for portraits since mom was pregnant with her first.  Big sister A was one of the first newborns I photographed ever (perhaps a Throwback Thursday post to come?).  They were back again with the birth of little brother J, now 2, and I was thrilled to hear the news that a third sweet baby would be joining the family.  All in all, this was their 9th session with me!  It’s no wonder that I love these kids like my own when I see them again!  Baby L was just as perfect as her big brother and sister… only, I was very surprised to see a full head of brown hair on this one!  Other than that, she looks just like her big brother and sister did as babies… lucky girl!  Enjoy your sneak peek P family.  Thank you for another perfect “session” as A would say!

I was thrilled when A contacted us to photograph her 1 year old daughter C and baby-on-the-way K!  She’s a local photographer who I’ve known through our photography groups here in Southern New England for a few years now.  She’s an amazing photographer in her own right, but I know just how hard it is to try photographing your own newborn just after giving birth.  I always love working with other photographers because I know just how much they appreciate beautiful photography and everything that goes into it!  A’s gorgeous family was nothing short of perfect at our session.  Newborn K was a social butterfly.  She was so ready to meet the world, mom actually had her in the CAR on the way to the hospital!  I know mom’s hands must be full with these two sweet girls, but in the best kind of way imaginable!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Many find the thought of pulling off an entire sleepy newborn session with a room full of people, kids jumping around the bean bag and parents trying to keep everyone happy on 2 hours of sleep a bit overwhelming!  Our quiet newborn sessions used to focus on only the newborn for just that reason.  Then, I photographed this session.  Mom expressed to me before our session that she really wanted to capture the full family.  She was willing to pay two session fees!  Well, that wasn’t necessary, I was up for the challenge.  I loved every moment.  It was one of my favorite sessions I’ve ever photographed and still is to this day.  This session made me see how beautiful and meaningful it can be to capture a family welcoming a newborn baby.  When I had my daughter Grace almost two years later, I ended up wanting to capture family and sibling photos even more than I wanted fancy newborn poses and props.  When I look back at the photos of Grace as a newborn (a time already a bit faded in my memory), the images of Giuliana staring down at her in awe are the ones that still bring tears to my eyes.  So now, at our studio, we offer two different types of newborn sessions.  You can choose a Newborn Session that focuses on your darling bundle of joy in all of their perfect sleepiness or you can opt for a Newborn and Family Session that captures those sweet sleepy poses in addition to all of the love showered on baby by their welcoming family and older siblings.  Newborn and Family Sessions are even more beautiful taken in your own home if you prefer to have us come to you!

This Throwback Thursday I wanted to share with you some favorite images from this gorgeous family newborn session taken in 2011 so that you can see the beauty in getting the whole family involved.  ~ Heidi

I had so much fun with the M family welcoming newborn baby E into the world.  She was already an adventurer, having been born in the blizzard of 2013 and packing up to move to Japan with her parents in just a few short months!  I was so glad I had the opportunity to meet her before her travels.  She was ready to greet the world.  After a quick sleepy stint on the beanbag, this baby girl wanted to party.  She was wide awake for most of our 4 hours together!  I think my favorite portraits are the ones where she is looking right up at mom and dad, but the portrait below incorporating the lace from mom’s wedding dress is so touching too!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I have been loving our Newborn and Family sessions lately.  Watching big siblings welcome a new baby into the world has to be one of the greatest moments in the story of a family.  I can see these photos being pulled out at high school graduations and on wedding days.  Of all of the photos from when my second daughter Grace was born, my favorites are the portraits I have of Giuliana holding her.  The wonder and joy on the faces of children as they love on their new baby is so beautiful!  We started our session full of family fun and then it was C’s turn to steal the show.  After all of the commotion, he was worn out!  He loved posing on the bean bag, and with some serious cluster feeding, he even slept like a champ for our last few sets.  Enjoy your sneak peek!  ~ Heidi

I was so excited for a session with one of my favorite families as they welcomed their newest addition last week!  Sweet baby T was 3 weeks old on the day of our shoot and she slept like a dream for me.  2 year old big sister S started out a little shy, but we were friends in no time!  She did a great job with her newborn sister.  She sat right down by the bean bag and quietly looked on, taking it all in.  Then, she carefully posed her own little stuffed animals on our extra bean bag.  S was a baby-wisperer in the making!  I love capturing family portraits during our newborn sessions.  It can be such a busy, sleep-deprived, foggy time for parents, but when they look back at the photos, I know that they will remember all of the joy and wonder that was at the heart of this special time in their lives.  Enjoy your sneak peek R family!

Our first baby girl was a bit of a surprise for Shaun and I.  We were a few months married and just 26 years old when we found out we were about to become parents.  Most of my girlfriends are just now getting married and starting their families.  I am overjoyed to watch them become mothers for the first time and sentimental thinking back on those first few days of motherhood.  There are some things in life that must be felt to be understood.  There is nothing in the world like holding your firstborn child.  Awe over the miracle of new life and creation envelopes your long nights and foggy days.  You feel at once completely extraordinary for bringing this new life into the world, and yet strangely connected to every other woman and all of humanity.  Every quiet moment, every tiny detail, every rise and fall of your newborn’s tiny chest is momentous.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I wish I could relive every teeny tiny newborn breath.  And I wish for everyone I know to know that joy.  Every mother does.

I was so thrilled to visit two of our college friends 2 weekends ago and meet their new baby boy.  As you can see, he is quite adorable.  I couldn’t wait to hold him, but I was also excited to be able to capture a few mementos of this time for their family.  Mom took all of my advice and worked hard so we could get a few sleepy shots while I was there.  I brought along my camera, one blanket, and a handful of hats.  We got baby T down to his birthday suit and took a few pics around the house.  It took all of 15 minutes!  You can even see my makeshift set up below.  Beautiful newborn photography can happen anywhere.  The beauty is found when you focus on the simplest of things… love

I hope you enjoy these portraits J and D.  Congratulations!

And here is a little behind-the-scenes for ya   See, it really can happen anywhere!

In teaching photography, I often get asked the question “what happens when the baby just won’t sleep?”  Well, that depends how you approach your session.  One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a photographer is to let the baby lead the way during a shoot.  Each baby is a unique little person.  Some are alert, some are sleepy.  Some love to be curled up, some love to be stretched out.  My favorite part of a newborn session is the beginning, when I get to know the baby.  I like figuring out what makes them tick and creating the session around what keeps them happy.  Baby L started our session wide awake.  He was so strong and had amazing eye control already.  I love creating portraits of newborns when they are awake just as much as I love the sleepy shots.  About an hour in, baby L finally fell asleep in my arms.  Parents usually say “I’m sorry they were so much work to get to sleep” but I assure you all, cuddling newborns to sleep is the best part of my job!  I loved my time snuggling L and once he drifted off, he rocked every sleepy shot we tried!  Enjoy your sneak peek.