Mom contacted me about a first birthday session for her youngest son, but did not want a session filled with props or a cake smash; instead, she wanted natural images of her son, which is the exact type of session I like to shoot. In the warmer months, I always suggest outdoor sessions to my clients for children’s photos. Shooting outdoors allows me to get the most authentic and natural looking images possible; additionally, these type of images are classic and can hang on your walls for years to come.

When my client said she wanted a session for her daughter's first birthday that was natural, I knew she had come to the right place. Don't get me wrong, I love studio birthday sessions, but if the weather permits, I always encourage my clients to choose an outdoor location of their choice. 

Outdoor locations allow you to get more "mileage" out of your photos. Not only are you getting photos of your child commemorating her first birthday, but you are also getting images that capture the natural essence of your baby.  These are timeless images that you can use not only for thank you cards, but to hang on your walls year round.

With the exception of the Winter months, I always encourage my clients to schedule their child's first birthday session outdoors. There is nothing more beautiful than using nature as a backdrop and photographing outdoors allows me to capture your child exploring the world in a natural way.

To capture that soft and gorgeous golden light, I only schedule beach photos at sunset. I have recently been photographing families who have young children at sunrise. Because sunset is so late in the summer, this time of day seems to work better for toddlers. I will be the first to admit that getting up early enough to catch a sunrise at around 6 am is very difficult; however, the light at this time of day is absolutely breathtaking and I can't think of a better way to start your day than watching your child frolic and play in the sand while the sun is rising.   

Like many Long Island family photographers, I schedule my sessions around the light.  The best time of day to schedule a session forfamily photography or children's photography is an hour before sunset, which in the photography world is known as Golden Hour. In the Summer, this means that a photography session would start at around 7:00 or even 7:30, depending upon the month during which we shoot. Shooting during golden hour is especially important for beach photo sessions for families and children .  

I have been busy in March and April photographing expanding families and their newborns. It has been great getting to know each family and I am always honored to capture these moments for them.  I am so very happy that most of my clients are opting for family newborn sessions. I feel it is so important that in addition to portraits of your baby, you capture those sweet moments that encapsulate the first few days home with him.  

The morning after the recent nor'easter snow storm that dumped 8 inches of snow in areas across Long Island, was warm and mild. I woke up early that day in anticipation of an arduous journey through snow covered streets to capture a beautiful family who recently welcomed a baby boy into their home. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped outside to see that most of the mounds of snow had already begun to melt and the day felt more like Spring than Winter. In fact, it was the absolute perfect day to travel to this Massapequa home for a cozy and connected family newborn session.  

I love when my former clients return for milestone sessions.  It is such a pleasure to watch the children grow and it is an honor to be able to document that growth for their parents.  I photographed this little beauty in June for her six month sitter session and when I saw her again the other day, I was amazed at how much she had grown in these last six months.  It truly was such a delight to be able to photograph her again.  

My last session of 2017 was a newborn session that took place right here in my Long Beach studio.  It was a brutally cold day on the day of Miss K's session, but thankfully my newly installed radiant heating system really helps to keep the newborns cozy and comfortable during the session.  It is so important that babies feel comfortable during a session and I use a variety of methods to ensure their comfort such as white noise, rocking, swaddling, and various other techniques.  The length of a studio session varies based on how well the baby falls asleep and how she transitions between poses.

Even though I love working with newborns and toddlers, a huge part of me is still connected to my career as a high school teacher and I truly miss working with my students; so, whenever I work with teens, I feel like I get a small part of that life back. Plus, I love that you can really get creative with these types of sessions and customize them to match the client's personality.  

Equestrian Portrait Session

When I launched the newborn segment of my business two years ago, I gravitated towards the lifestyle genre of photography. I wanted to make the process of newborn images stress free for my clients.  My goal was to capture images for them that preserve all of those emotions that come along with bringing a baby home.   

5 Reasons why you should book an in home newborn session 

I spent a gorgeous September afternoon at the park with mom, her twin sister, and the absolutely gorgeous birthday girl, Miss V.    Mom had selected the most adorable outfits for Miss V, including a gorgeous bohemian style pineapple print dress.  She also brought along a beautiful birthday banner that coordinated with the dress.  The birthday girl was a pleasure to photograph and never cried...not even after two full outfit changes!  My favorite part of the session was when we took her cake smash photos.  Miss V loved the cake and had so much fun with it.  

Clean Look for Classic Mom and Baby Portraits

Because my goal is to focus on the simple beauty of the newborn baby, as well as the love between family and child, it just makes sense to utilize a neutral color palette.  These colors utilized for the background of the newborn sessions' all me to place an emphasis on that beautiful simplicity of those first few moments with baby.  The scheme also enhances that gorgeous maternal glow that every new mom seems to radiate.  These recent images taken in the studio show exactly why I love the neutral palette so much. 

Brace yourself because you are about to see some images of a mother and daughter who are strikingly gorgeous. Now, I know that you might be thinking that it is not quite fair for one family to possess this much beauty in their gene pool, but they are also amongst the most  kind hearted souls I know. 

There is nothing more perfect and beautiful than a newborn baby.  So, I like to keep things simple during my studio sessions and focus on that natural beauty of the newborn.  To accomplish a natural look, I photograph on neutral backgrounds and instead of forcing babies into awkward or unnatural poses, the baby is guided and positioned into poses that are natural, safe, comfortable and free of props.   If the baby does not want to be in a particular pose or position, I do not force the baby.  Ultimately, I want to create classic images of your child that will stand the test of time.  

I have been busy editing my  Mother and Child Sessions.  I had so much fun photographing moms and their little ones.    Every mother has a different and special relationship with her children and it is such an honor to be able to document that bond for moms.  This recent session was an absolute blast. Not only were mom and her daughter beauties, but they were so much fun!   Little Miss A has such a sweet and charming personality and was an absolute delight... 

My grandparents were an integral part of my childhood and I know that there is nothing quite like the bond between grandparents and their grandchildren. My approach to these sessions is to capture your children interacting with and loving on their grandparents.  
It is so important that you document that bond for your children; they will thank you for the photos when they are older. 

It has been a very rainy June; however, on the day I photographed these siblings for their birthday photos, it was close to 100 degrees out.  These two little ones are amongst the cutest and sweetest children I  know. Of course, I am slightly biased because they happen to be my goddaughter and nephew. Regardless, it is always a pleasure to photograph them and to spend extra time with them.   Here are a few of my favorites from the session.