As a family photographer I understand that the arrival of a baby into the family is a life-changing experience. From the moment you find out you’re pregnant, your life is forever changed. As your baby grows, you’ll want to document their life with photographs. Portraits capture the details of those fleeting baby moments, the milestones, and the journey of their growth.
In this blog post, we will discuss which milestones of your baby’s life are the most important through portraiture: pregnancy, newborn, 6 months, and one year. We’ll discuss why each milestone is significant and what types of portraits you might consider taking.
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Maternity
Pregnancy is the start of your journey as a parent. It’s a time of excitement and anticipation. Your body is changing, and your baby is growing. Capturing this time through portraiture is an excellent way to remember the beginning of your journey. Many Montgomery Family photographer ‘s serve maternity and newborn clients as well. (I know I do!)
Maternity sessions are the perfect way to document your pregnancy. I tend to treat maternity sessions just like family sessions. I include the whole family because, after all, this is a life changing milestone for everyone.
Newborn
The newborn stage is one of the most magical and challenging times for new parents. Your baby is just getting used to life outside the womb, and you’re trying to adjust to your new role as a parent. This stage is fleeting, and before you know it, your baby will be crawling and then walking. And let’s be honest, the sleep deprivation does not give you a fair advantage in the memory department. This is the one session you should NEVER skip.
When you work with me, you will get a complete Montgomery family photographer experience. I use a method called “baby led posing” where I really listen to your sweet baby and work with them to be as comfortable as possible. I don’t force unnatural poses on them. I look for opportunities in their natural behaviors that will provide you with stunning images no matter what their little personality is and no matter what is going on that day. Big stretches, swaddled peanuts, wide awake….I take it all in and make sure that I photograph their unique little personalities just as they are.
family photographer
6 Months
By six months, your baby has started to develop their personality and they have some new skills. They are sitting up, grabbing things, and starting to explore their surroundings. This is a fun stage to capture through portraiture because your baby is starting to show their unique character.
At six months, you may want to consider a milestone session. These sessions are designed to capture your baby’s development at a particular age. Some people opt for a simple shorter session for this milestone. Mom and baby only (although every family member is welcome to any session). This is a fun opportunity to see if we can match an image or two from their newborn session so we can see the amazing growth that’s happened in a few short months.
One Year
The one-year milestone is a significant one. Your baby has completed their first year of life, and it’s a time to celebrate their growth and development. This milestone marks the end of babyhood and the start of toddlerhood.
I have a slightly different approach to one year sessions than other photographers. With the smash cake craze many people have a plethora of images of their babies with….food all over their face. I’m sorry. Unpopular opinion time. But I don’t know why this is cute. My one year sessions are designed to celebrate the growth of your little one. Every image is meant to either be framed or put into an album. I don’t know about you, but I just don’t feel like I need images of my babies with food all over their face. I absolutely incorporate cakes into their first session, but this is not your average “cake smash”. First of all, the cakes used are next level luxurious. Second, I make sure that I get some beautiful reactions to their celebratory cake, but every images is classy and detailed without looking like your little one needs a bath. If this sounds like something you can relate to, lets change the expectation for one year sessions together.
Documenting your baby’s milestones through portraiture is a beautiful way to remember their growth and development for not only them but your whole family as well. From pregnancy to one year, there are different types of portraits you can take to capture each milestone but these four are my favorites and the ones I recommend to every client.
If you think you’d like to document your little one’s milestones, The Collective Membership might be the perfect fit for you.
If you are thinking about hiring a family photographer I would absolutely love to have a chat with you about an experience with me. I am so very passionate about not only getting your memories printed for your home but also serving you. You have enough on your plate right now. Lets not let those images sit unseen on a USB drive, but lets also not add another thing to your to-do list. From the details of picking outfits to designing to delivery, I will handle it all so you don’t have to. In order to give my clients this luxury service, I only take a limited number of clients per month so contact me as soon as possible to get on my calendar.
If you are looking for a family photographer you might also be interested in reading these helpful blog posts:
- How to choose Outfits | Newborn Photography Auburn AL
- Pike Road Newborn Photographer | Virginia Schultz
- Birmingham Maternity photography | What To Do in Your First Trimester
Virginia Schultz is a published Omaha newborn photographer specializing in motherhood storytelling and custom heirloom artwork for busy and stylish moms in the Omaha & Lincoln metro. From handmade albums to exquisite, museum-worthy frames, her passion is to serve clients by designing artwork for them that will last generations. Your memories deserve to be seen.
Currently serving Sarpy, Douglas, Cass, Landcaster, Saunders, Mills, Pottawattamie & Washington Counties including Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna, Elkhorn, Boys Town, Bennington, Council Bluffs and surrounding areas.
You can see my work featured on the cover of the August 2022 magazine and the September 2022 magazine.
