One-Year Baby Milestone Sessions are Joyful and Fun!

There are so many milestones in your baby’s first life, and a professional photographer can help you capture some of them. One of my favored baby milestones to photograph is the one-year session! I do one-year sessions either outdoors or in my studio. If you have a baby that likes to move and doesn’t like to sit still, an outdoor session can be playful and fun. Studio sessions are great because with my studio lighting and white background, I can create light, bright, modern images of your baby. I like to make my sessions fun and relaxed.

If you were a fly on the wall of my studio, you would hear me playing peek-a-boo, making all kinds of random animal noises, pretending to cough and sneeze, playing music, literally anything to elicit even a tiny smile from your baby. I never promise smiles, by the way. One year olds are unpredictable! But, I do my absolute best to help your baby feel relaxed, at ease and happy. If I can produce a giggle or a full-blown smile, that’s a home run. These photos are from a recent one-year baby session, and as you can see, this little one had a blast during her studio session!

Newborn Hospital Sessions are Adorable!

I had never heard of “newborn photography” until I gave birth to my twins in a hospital in New York. The day after delivery, a photographer employed by the hospital knocked on the door to our room and asked if I wanted some photos of my new babies. I was delighted and agreed. The photographer took very simple, natural photos of my newborns. She placed them together, lightly swaddled by the white hospital sheets, and photographed them leaning into each other. Somehow, just a day after birth, she captured marvelous hints of their personalities, like my daughter’s sweetness and my son’s playfulness.

Those simple, natural, beautiful images are still some of my most favorite photographs, and I have them framed decorating my home. Looking at those photos, I remember how little my babies were when they were born. I remember the pumping and nursing, the sleeplessness, the magic and awe of holding them in my arms. It’s hard to believe they were once so tiny!

Because I treasure those photographs from my own hospital newborn session, I particularly enjoy capturing the day after birth for clients. Newborn sessions at the hospital are called “Fresh 48” sessions, because they capture your baby in the first 48 hours after birth. I focus on capturing the feel of those early hours, the closeness, the love, the tiredness and the beauty of those early moments. I like to focus on snuggles and tiny details like toes, fingers, and eyes. I capture your family together, including any visiting grandparents or siblings. I of course capture lots of parent/baby images.

I love Fresh 48 sessions so much! They last about 45 minutes to an hour, and I usually provide my clients between 50-90 unique images edited for exposure, color and contrast. If you are thinking of doing a Fresh 48 session, and have questions, feel free to reach out! Here are a few images from my most recent hospital newborn session. This gives clients an idea of what to expect in terms of style during my newborn sessions. As you can see, I keep things simple, organic, natural and beautiful during hospital newborn sessions — just like my clients.

Gorgeous Austin Newborn Session (Blush Pink and Lavender)

I loved working with this baby during her newborn session. Here parents booked a standard newborn session so that we could get the full gamut of classic newborn poses, everything from potato sack pose, chin on hands pose, and several wrapped poses in bowls, buckets and beds. Isn’t she just gorgeous! It’s rare to get photographs of a newborn with eyes open where baby looks content and calm, but she gave us those images as well! While I photographed and wrapped baby, her parents relaxed in the sitting area in my studio, enjoying watching the session. That’s one of the best things about a studio newborn session with Snow Pixie Photography — parents get to relax, often for the first time since having baby, while I take over for a couple of hours!

Blush Pink Girlie Newborn Session in Austin

I love when families come back! This beautiful family has been my client for many years. I have had the privilege of photographing their family, maternity, newborn and baby milestone sessions. I just love seeing newborns grow into little walking, talking, personality-filled humans. This newborn photography session with this sweet baby girl in my Austin studio came out beautifully. We did girlie, sweet details, with a tiny tutu, delicate tie-backs with pearls and blossoms, and used soft colors like pale pink and white. The parents were thrilled with the results and one of the images was published in Tinies Magazine! That was such a cool honor to be featured as a photographer, and a lot of fun for my clients. Newborn sessions are all about capturing the magical beauty of your new baby, and all the love surrounding it. They are hands down one of my most favorite sessions. If you are interested in learning more, contact Snow Pixie Photography!

Fall Maternity Session In Austin with Snow Pixie Photography

What a gorgeous maternity session! It doesn’t hurt that my client is stunning. I loved how they styled the session with subdued colors like black and navy, that paired perfectly with the browns and faded greens of early Winter in Austin. Why do I love maternity sessions? It’s a chance to get to a know a couple before I do their newborn session, and it’s also one of the most fun love-filled sessions. Maternity sessions are about capturing the love between a couple, and the love and anticipation they have for their growing baby. They are sweet, unique sessions that I recommend every couple have to capture the memories from this very special and moment in life. It’s also so much fun, years later, to be able to point to pictures from your maternity session, when your toddler or second grader asks, and say “That’s YOU, right in there,” cuddled in mama’s tummy, surrounded by love.

Maternity Photography: Why I Love Photographing Mamas-To-Be

Why do I love doing maternity sessions? I love capturing the beauty of pregnancy! I myself loved being pregnant. Yes, there was discomfort, don’t get me wrong. But, it was also one of the most special times of my life. I loved the cravings, I loved feeling the babies move around in my belly (I had twins!), and I loved all the little things I did to nurture myself and my growing babies while I was pregnant — including naps!

Pregnancy is one of the most special times in a woman’s and couple’s life. But, beyond just being special, pregnant women are beautiful! The female body, and its ability to nurture and birth life is truly extraordinary. Women are fierce! I love celebrating the beauty and the strength of women, and maternity sessions are a perfect way to do that.

Couples maternity sessions are also so much fun, because they are all about capturing LOVE! Along with engagement sessions, maternity sessions (pre-kids), are such sweet moments in a couple’s life to capture. Especially after nights of no sleep, when you are both covered in spit-up, it’s nice to have photos reminding you of how much you love each other. :)

Here are some images from one of my recent outdoor maternity sessions. Aren't these two the sweetest?

March 2018 (Newborn)

Studio Newborn Session - Two Week Old Baby

I loved everything about this newborn session!  The baby was a perfect doll and slept the entire photography session (I have been on a roll in 2018 with soundly sleeping babies!).  The parents were the sweetest and an absolute joy to work with.  I also loved the colors, mixtures of grey, pinks, and whites.  It is always hard to choose my favorite images from newborn session galleries, but here are a few of the ones I loved.  Look how radiant this beautiful mommy is!

February 2018 (Newborn)

Studio Session

I first met these lovely clients when I did their maternity photography session.  A short time later, their beautiful baby boy arrived, and I got to work with them again for his newborn session.  I held the newborn session in my studio, and like every baby of 2018 (so far!) he slept the entire session. I am on a sleeping newborn streak!  Some of my favorite images from the newborn session are of baby in the box, as well as the family images.  I used a natural flokati that I recently purchased from Rugs USA, and loved it!  

February 2018 (Newborn)

In-Home Newborn Session

I recently photographed this beautiful baby boy for his newborn session.  The newborn session was an in-home newborn session in my clients' home.  My clients and their beautiful new baby were all incredibly sweet, and the such a pleasure to photograph.  I loved so many of the images from this in-home newborn photography session.  Here are a few of my favorite photos of this beautiful baby boy, and his lovely parents:

 

January 2018 (Newborn)

Studio Newborn Session / Two Weeks

I had the sweetest couple and their new baby girl in my studio for a newborn session.  In the last few months I have switched to holding all newborn sessions in my studio and I love it!   I have different sets ready for clients and clients get a choice of all of the props in my studio.  For this little baby girl, we styled her newborn session with pinks and whites, and because her mommy is a hair stylist we did one special fun set-up.  Can you guess which one?  Here are some of my favorite photos from their studio newborn photography session:

January 2018 (Newborn)

In-Home Newborn Session / Baby Boy

This in-home newborn session was so much fun and very special to me, because it was my nephew! I photographed this beautiful baby boy for his newborn session when he was just under two weeks of age.  The baby slept almost the entire newborn session.  I love so many of the images, but some of my favorites are the photos of the newborn against the charcoal background. I also love how the family photos turned out!  As a family photographer, I often hold family portrait sessions outdoors. However, I always include a few family photos as part of my newborn sessions, as I believe it is so special and beautiful to capture images of mom, dad, and baby during those first few weeks after birth.  Here are a few of my favorite photos from this newborn session:

October 2017 (Newborn)

I recently had the honor of doing this baby boy's newborn session in my home studio!  He was such a sweet heart, and slept nearly the entire session.  Here are some of my favorite images from his newborn session: