I couldn’t wait to meet adorable J for our Little Star Session.   When I chatted with mom before our session, she loved all of our timeless baby portraits.  She liked photos that were simple and sweet with a few pops of color or small props and LOVED all of the photos with white lights.  I always love when parents tell me that is what they are looking for because out of everything we can dream up, my favorite photos of my own children are those timeless baby portraits that really capture their personality.  And, I can’t help it, there is nothing cuter than a naked baby!  J is the youngest of 3 kids and mom is excited to have a portrait to proudly hang with her others.  I can’t wait for you to see the rest mom and I’m dying to know what you pick for the wall!

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

We’ve been working for years with the very talented Kristen Marrah as one of our stylists before HHP sessions.  When I found out she was expecting last year I was over-the-moon excited!  I couldn’t wait to meet her family and help welcome their new baby girl.  3 month old Q was born to be a model.  She is one of the most beautiful babies I’ve ever seen and she loves having her picture taken.  I had heard so much about big sister M as well.  She was amazing with her new baby sis.  She helped feed her, hold her, and showered her with kisses.  She loved dressing up and posing for the camera too.  These two are sure to be voted most photogenic!  I wonder where they both get it from mom???  Enjoy your sneak peek!

T’s first birthday theme was Winter Wonderland.  Perfectly fitting for our first day open after the Blizzard of 2013!  We only had power for a half day, just enough time to pull off a beautiful cake smash.  Sweet Indulgence even pulled through with a gorgeous snowflake embellished cake after days without power or heat.  Talk about dedication!  The first birthday girl loved crawling around the studio and even occasionally practicing her new walking skills.  Mom did an amazing job styling the family.  I love all of the soft pinks and purples in each set.  Our whole session was classic baby girl with a little bit of playfulness sprinkled in!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

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!

J has the honor of being the first official post on our new blogsite! He was such a joy to photograph. So curious, happy, and his eyes stole the show in every frame.

We did a few classic nautical sets with the vintage sailor suit his grandmother gave him, then did a couple casual play shots with our suitcase and some toys. I love the last look, too- that little newsboy cap is just the cutest!

~ Mariah

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.

Meet two of our newest baby-planners!  Mom is a photographer in Massachusetts and we hit it off instantly at her pre-session consultation a few weeks back.  I could have chatted with her all day.  In true photographer fashion, she shopped for some amazing hats for us to play with during our session.  C and C were born ready for photos.  They totally rocked their newborn portraits!  We even pulled off a portrait with both of them just hanging out in our sling.  Thanks for the great day V family.  I’m already excited for our next play date!  ~ Heidi

The last time I visited with baby J she was sleeping soundly in our studio garden box.  Fast-forward 6 months and a happy, smiley baby J was back to play!  It just so happened that we had a gorgeous garden set up for our newborn clients the previous day, so I had to place J back amongst the flowers for a few portraits to match her newborn session.  We also had family portraits to capture as we began the session, letting J warm up in her parents arms.  I’m pretty sure it is impossible to do justice to how loving mom and dad were towards their gorgeous baby girl, but I hope that I at least captured it in part!  J already adores her books and her favorite story these days is The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  I love incorporating personal details into sessions in a simple, timeless way.  J loved flipping the pages of her book while I snapped away.  Enjoy your sneak peek!