"My baby is too old for a newborn session, they're already three weeks." What if I told you that I have three week olds ALL the time... and have even photographed a one month old? Camile is the second baby girl for Crystal and Philip. I photographed big sister Graces' Fresh 48 session and then Camile's! Philip was out of the country for work, and had very limited availability. On the day of their original session (scheduled for three weeks), Philip was sick so we rescheduled to a week later at exactly one month old. I sent along the preparation packet to Crystal and told her that with a bit of patience, we would make it work.
And boy, oh boy, did it work.
When Camile arrived at the studio, she was sound asleep, so we started with sleeping images. Amazingly enough, she opened her eyes and I started talking to her... and she made eye contact with me and smiled. I thought to myself "This has to be a fluke." But no. She did it again. And again. I was ready with my camera and captured her sweet little baby grin. When I came out, I mentioned to Crystal that I was super lucky to be getting all these random eye contact smiles and she said, "Oh no, she does that all the time at home too." As a disclaimer: MOST newborns are not smiling until 6-8 weeks of age. I don't want clients to think that if they wait until their baby is one month old, they'll smile for their newborn images! After she fell back to sleep, I finished up her solo portraits and moved on to sibling images.
Sibling images with toddlers are truly a tossup. Sometimes a toddler doesn't like the way a rug feels, which was the case with Grace. I placed them on the bed instead with mom and dad close by, and we made it work. Parents are always concerned about whether their toddler will cooperate. While I cannot make any guarantees, I can assure you that I am a mom of three children myself and understand how toddlers work and think. I have a whole bag of tricks and will do my very best to capture an image of your children together. If that just doesn't happen, we'll default to family images instead and I'll sneak up for a close shot of your older child interacting with their new baby brother or sister. The most important component is to remain relaxed and not to stress. Everything else will work itself out, promise.
Isn't Camile the sweetest little baby girl?!
If you're pregnant and looking for a newborn or maternity photographer here in Atlanta, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Be sure to view this short 1.5 minute film to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and birth photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
