Quinn: When baby won’t sleep through her newborn photos. While the baby boy in my last post was chunky and sleepy, petite Miss Quinn’s session turned into a study of what to do when baby simply can’t settle into a session, no matter the tricks I try.
Mom mentioned that baby girl wasn’t exactly a sound sleeper while I was setting up, but I decided not to worry. Nope, I didn’t sweat it until several hours later, LOL. Quinn was one of those babes that is (thankfully) more the exception and not the rule when it comes to photographing newborns. She was fed, warm, swaddled, not swaddled, white noise was playing, mom&dad retained their senses of humor and weren’t hovering. We even tried a pacifier for the first time – it only worked temporarily.
So, what’s a photographer to do? When I know a baby is simply not going to let me go through my posing flow, I just go a different route – aim for calm instead of sleep. That was still tough with Quinn, but patience pays off. So does coming back a second time, haha. When a baby is just over it and we need a good break, I am willing to give it another go on a different day. Even the newest people can have off days, it’s ok!
Thankfully, even though Quinn was awake, she was content enough to let us take a few sweet images with her parents. Mom’s photo is one of my favorites!
When you’ve alllllmost got it, but girlfriend decides you don’t. These pictures seem to crack up daddies.
Awake and curious, I’ll take it! The last image features a keepsake blanket Quinn’s aunt got for her. 
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The chub was strong with this little cub. Hadden wins the “Most Squishable Newborn” award for 2018 in my books. At just 8 days new on our session date, he was sleepy and so fun to work with. I swear, a little cheek goes a long way when it comes to helping babes cruise through a session. I love it!
Mom chose a pretty blue backdrop and I stuck to neutrals, along with my favorite honey-colored bear bonnet, to compliment.
Hadden’s mom also requested this “potato sack” pose. I love to make it a sort of teddy bear sack by adding an eared bonnet.
Hadden was so content all curled up in mom and dad’s arms. It’s always amazing how small a new baby is when you compare pictures just a few weeks down the line. It’s so important to capture your little while they are so new!
Thank you again ‘T’ family. I can’t wait to see you again soon!
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Oh my gosh! Talk about sidetracked by Fall and Holiday season mania – I had baby Sophias’ indoor/outdoor newborn session all cued up to publish and never hit the green light!
Over the summer, Sophias’ parents reached out just days after she was born and we found time to do a pretty, sweet little in-home session. Mom chose pinks and a feminine aqua color as her palate to coordinate with her nursery colors. I think the colors looked perfect with Sophia’s fair complexion.
Their first family portraits are definitely standouts to me (and on my social media accounts, lol) since Charlie the pug practically stole the show. Rarely do dogs cooperate during a newborn session, but this guy was happy to be included, haha.
The use of the fuzzy pink blanket was also mom’s request. I think it added a nice texture, and now the family has another personalized touch to their images. I love when I can get a really nice profile image of baby, and perfect piggy toes are THE BEST.
White always looks fabulous on every baby, and it’s timeless.
Of course I have to use a bear bonnet!
A couple of days later I revisited the family to try for a few outdoor images. Once again, Charlie decided to steal the scene!
Spring will be here before we know it and I look forward to experimenting with outdoor newborn setups again soon. The beach would be amazing.
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So far, all of my newborns this year have been amazing; sleepy, happy and fairly content to let me take my time with their sessions. This guy, however, takes the cake. Baby Dominic, sleepiest boy ever, was a precious little biscuit! Even while his parents and I chatted and friends stopped by to visit the new family of three, Dom dozed while I worked. Sometimes parents tell me their babies are so sleepy and content – then I show up and they don’t want to miss a party. Happily, Dominic did not suffer from FOMO!
Mom chose a neutral palate for her little boy. I’ve had this shade of – we’ll call it truffle – in my collection for a while and I was so glad to finally use it! It’s perfect on his delicate skin.
I can’t with this little bear. It’s my favorite bonnet in my collection (and yep, I made it myself 🐻) . Dominic rocked it!
It always amazes me when I wrap up a newborn baby in a curly pose – they were JUST tucked up similarly inside mom only days before. Gives me the warm fuzzies, lol.
Thanks again to Dom’s super sweet parents – I can’t wait to do it again! And thanks to Dominic’s Aunt Casey for putting us in contact. She’s amazing!
To book your own newborn session, reach out with an email. I’d love to chat!
Baby Zara was three weeks new when I met her for her newborn session. A wee bit past the “ideal” newborn session age. Despite being outside the sweet spot, she did beautifully and let me pose her without much fuss. Maybe one or two protests, haha.
This first image of Zara and her mama is one of my favorite mother and newborn images to date. Z was content and you can see the joy in her ‘Mum’s’ expression.
Mom also chose my two favorite colors for girls, pink, of course, and aqua to match the nursery – I’m obsessed! The deeper pink looks so pretty against Zara’s skin, so warm and feminine.
Zara’s parents travelled with an identical bunny while expecting her. It was only fitting that we do a setup with the bunny earthside 🙂
Z was also about 4 weeks in the following images, she did fairly well wrapped and laying on her back, but there was no way I could have posed her like a 2-week-old baby!
After seeing a couple of sneak peeks posted of Zara, her mom and dad got ahold of me to come back for more images. Grandma and auntie decided they needed portraits with Z, too. I was more than happy to return, and even happier when Zara’s grandmother fed me delicious Indian cooking! 
Since I was back, we decided to nip outside for a few family images with the baby. It was very hot (surprise, surprise) so we didn’t stay long.
Zara is so loved. It was such a joy to meet her wonderful parents and grandparents – she is one lucky girl! And I’m a lucky photographer, thank you again S family for your amazing hospitality! I can’t wait for our next session!
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When you purchase a new home & baby turns one at close to the same time, the occasion calls for a photo shoot!
The B family was already planning to mark little Poppy’s first birthday with a family session, but to make it even more personal, we moved our setting to their new front yard.
I was lucky enough to photograph Poppy as a newborn (she was actually my last newborn before I left for Charleston) and we talked about how different a one-year session experience would be. She was good as gold as a newbie, but it really is great fun to see how my littlest clients change in such a short period of time.
I think these are going to be among the images that Poppy will appreciate most when she’s grown up. A sweet, happy baby with her parents on their front stoop is iconic to me. Warms my heart.
Would you like to arrange a family photo session for your family? Reach out with an email to get the ball rolling! Sessions are fully customizable!
Taylor turned one this past Spring and I was more than happy to make a trip back to NJ to document the occasion. I first photographed her as a chubby-cheeked newborn and she was one of the prettiest babies ever. She still is!
The weather wasn’t ideal, but hey, when you have a happy baby plus parents who are enthusiastic & looking fab, it works out.
We started with some cute family images against the Manhattan skyline (a favorite among my New Jersey clients) then got down to some cake smashing! Taylor was very awake and squirmy during her newborn session, so I love that we were able to capture some even better images of her with mom and dad this time around.
Pro tip – Taylor wasn’t walking yet, but the crate helped her stand when she was bored with sitting.
Pino the adorable Shorkie was all about pictures this time around. Cuteness overload!
Turns out, Taylor is an excellent cake-smasher! Mom got Taylor’s cake from Sweet in Hoboken, they always do a nice job with simple, pretty, smash-able cakes.
I loved getting to catch up with the K family. I always get a kick out of seeing my newborns as they grow, and how moms and dad’s really get that whole parenting thing down. What a difference a year can make 🙂
To schedule your own cake smash or family session in Charleston, reach out with an email!
Is there a more charming proposal than a Downtown Charleston proposal? I think not!
Conor had the right idea in June when he chose Chalmers Street to pop the question to bride-to-be, Jackie. He and I met a few days ahead to go over his plan and scout our location. It worked out beautifully.
Downtown is not only beautiful, but is sentimental to Conor and Jackie, so it made perfect sense to add yet another memory to their story here.
I knew they were coming down Chalmers Street, so I semi-hid behind some parked cars to wait for the signal. Conor hid the ring box in his sock (ouch) and when he knelt town to “fix something”, I started shooting from my spot. As the shock on Jackie’s face settled into pure joy, I knew it was ok to move in closer. She was totally surprised, and of course, thrilled.
You may be wondering if this is invasive or if having a photographer capture a proposal spoils the surprise. I’ve done this a few times now, and have yet to be a spoiler! The moment is so intense, that I think all surroundings become white noise. That, and I’m good at blending in, haha.
We walked around Chalmers Street and made some sweet portraits of Conor and Jackie. They are not “formal”, but I love that about this type of session. I loosely posed them, but the smiles and affection are completely spontaneous and genuine. She just said yes, after all!
I’m so happy with these images, and I hope they will be proud to show them to their children and grandchildren many years from now.
If you’d like to chat about photography while you pop the question, reach out with an email!
I love a good cake smash session. But, make it a harbor cake smash with the cutest boy I know, and forget it. Winner winner cake for dinner.
I first met Hudson on a boat, stuffed into his (loathed) life jacket at just a few months old. Thankfully, he’s much happier being out on the water now, and rather than cake up the boat, we decided that a dock session would be perfect.
We headed to a public dock near downtown Charleston one evening last weekend, and it worked out perfectly. The sun was hazy and it was plenty warm. Most of the boats were back after a beautiful day – just the background I was envisioning!
It’s never a given that a baby will be gung-ho about their cake. Some don’t like the mess on their hands, some are overwhelmed, others enthusiastically dive in face first. We all thought Hudson was going to be happily swimming in cake and frosting once he got a taste. He gave it a couple of once-overs and poked at it while we all made the usual goofy faces and noises. When some frosting made it into his mouth, he made that “oh, this is sugar!?” face, and played for a minute.
Sometimes it takes a few times to reset (crawl-aways happen, lol), but it always works out!
It was cute as could be. I adore Hudson and his awesome parents, and this gorgeous location!
To book a harbor cake smash or full one year session for your little one, reach out with an email!
Ten days after my maternity session with her parents, Miss Charlotte arrived! I knew she was going to be one of my first Charleston newborn within a few months of my move, so this was an exciting day.
Mom chose mint and peach for Charlotte’s solo portraits, and they are some of my favorite colors to play with. Minty-aqua is really so versatile. It goes with pinks, soft lavender, and of course, more peach! I think it’s especially appropriate to use here in Charleston – it’s beachy and matches pastel downtown. 🙂
Charlotte was sleepy and content during her session, I loved it. Once she had a full tummy everyone was able to sit back and relax while I worked. I’ve said it before, but when parents sit back and relax during a newborn session, baby just knows and things go smoothly.
Tushie up!
It was close enough to Easter, that I had to put her in the floppy bunny ears!
This isn’t the first time I’ve had a newborn give a big smile in mom’s arms. She couldn’t get anymore beautiful or sweet.
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