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!

This session made my whole week! These girls are just the cutest, sweetest things, and little N actually clapped for the first time during the session. We were all clapping and cheering for her as she played with blocks, and she suddenly started clapping for herself. Her face is the best- disbelief and looking at her mama, who was cheering even louder for her! 

As soon as big sisters S and M put those pettiskirts on, they were dancing around the studio. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the studio so full of giggles and they danced and posed together. Little N actually clapped for them as they danced, too!

Loved hanging out with you, M family! So happy to have caught a milestone for you!

~ Mariah

Baby C and his family visited the studio on a snowy winter morning last week.  The light coming in the studio windows was gorgeous reflecting off of all of that white!  The studio was nice and toasty and baby C cuddled right up into all of our sets.  I love our snowy set from this session.  I’m enjoying playing with different textures and fibers this winter.  Of course, it was perfectly fitting for the day of C’s visit!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I was so thrilled to see one of my 2012 newborns back in the studio last week to celebrate his first birthday with a cake smash.  He started off our session feeling a little shy, but I must say, some of my favorite portraits were from when he was hanging on to his dad.  Something about those just perfectly captures the curiosity of a 1 year old and the way they want to explore the world without getting too far from mom and dad.  It didn’t take long for J to warm up, as you can see!  He set the record for the fastest cake tip in Heidi Hope history with the cake turning over in just seconds.  J was much more interested in playing with the cake than eating it.  He created a true masterpiece out of frosting!  I think we have a little artist on our hands.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I had so much fun last week with all of our Little Star sessions.  Winter is the perfect time for these sessions and they are always a fun way to get those milestone portraits of baby!  Mom loved all of our classic, timeless baby portraits and really wanted to show of C’s personality.  He was so adorable, I could see why!  He started off our session quite serious, but by the end he was rolling around laughing.  He especially loved stacking blocks and practicing his new crawling skills.  I loved the portraits below that incorporate his special blue blanket.  It’s always fun to capture a little piece of babyhood with the portraits we take.  And how amazing do C’s big blue eyes look with it?!  Enjoy your sneak peek!