Although this might be my first session share of the year, this cutie pie was actually the last baby I photographed in 2023. Born on December 21st, she came into the studio on December 31st! Welcome to the world, Siena! You are surrounded by so much love from your family and you and big sis are going to be the best of friends!
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Choosing a newborn photographer can be a long process. Here are some pointers to make sure you're choosing the right one for you! 1) First, you need to decide what type of photographer you are looking for: Do you want someone to be there to photograph the actual birth? This is called a birth photographer. Do you want someone to come to the hospital to photograph your newborn, but not the birth? This is a Fresh 48 session. Do you want someone to travel to your home and photograph your family in a relaxed setting/poses? This is called a lifestyle session. Do you want someone to travel to you and bring props and lighting for posed images? Do you want to go to a studio for someone to pose your baby in various props and poses? 2) Once you've decided what type of photographer, then you can start searching for someone in your area. Referrals from friends/family, Google, mom groups, etc are all great resources to look for names. If you are looking for a studio session, consider how far you are willing to travel for the photographer you want. Some people don't want to drive more than a few miles and some are willing to drive a few hours for the right person. 3) When looking for a photographer, you want to check out their images on their website and social media and make sure you LOVE their style. I also highly recommend asking photographers to share FULL client galleries. Many photographers only show their best images, and that may be the only few "good ones" they get some a session. You want to make sure their galleries of images are consistently high-quality work. 4) Read REVIEWS!!! And figure out if they have any credentials. Also, if safety of your newborn is a concern for you, don't be afraid to ask about their vaccination status, the cleanliness of their studio, and any safety precautions they have. 5) Look into how long the photographer has been in business and has been specializing in the type of session you want. You want someone with experience if they are going to be handling your brand new baby! 6) Ask yourself how much you value these pictures. You are going to find a photographer for every budget. Some will have more experience, some with less. Some will have higher-quality images, some will have basic images. How much are well done, lifelong memories worth to you? How much do you value someone's experience and creativity? Photographers are like shopping for handbags. Some people just want a basic bag to carry all their stuff. Some people really value luxury brands. Everyone values different things and often, you get what you pay for. Some other things to consider: I highly recommend choosing a photographer who will meet with you before hand. You should get the know the photographer, check out the studio to make sure you are comfortable and that's it's clean, and most-importantly meet the person who is going to be handling your brand new baby! I also recommend choosing a photographer who has everything they need for your session. You should NOT have to stress over what items you need to provide for the session. You should choose a photographer that doesn't leave the job half done. Sending you a gallery of images forces you to try and find time in your busy life to decided on which ones to choose, then which ones to print, which sizes to get, where to print to get a good quality, how to crop your image to fit the size, and ultimately you have to deal with any issues that arise in any of those steps. Also, that is an extra cost on top of what paid for the session. Choose a photographer who will walk you through that and provide you with beautiful printed products that you will have for years to come and can be passed down through generations, not stuck on a cloud somewhere for when you get the time. Think about a time line you are hoping to have your images back by. Some photographers will have your images ready in a week and some can take up to 4-6 weeks for you to even see your digital images. And, in case you didn't guess, Little Blooms Photographer offers all of the above considerations - meeting beforehand, having everything you need (plus snacks, water, bottle warmer, changing table, etc) for the session, providing heirloom quality products, and being able to have your images ready to see in about a week. Little Blooms Photography also has a 5-star rating on Google and Facebook, has been in business for 9 years and has always specialized in baby's first year. I have taken several in-person trainings throughout that time and am up to date on all vaccinations including Covid-19. LBP is also accredited with APNPI, published in magazines, and has won several awards. Once again, I am so honored that this family drove all the way from Hoboken for another newborn session with me. I photographed big sister, Clara, 2 years ago when she was a newborn and last month I had the pleasure of photographing their newest addition, baby Scarlett! I love that mom wanted to do some similar props and poses as big sister's session, but also some set-ups that were unique to baby sister. Looking at the big smile on Scarlett's face, I'd say she agrees! Yelloooow, can you hear me? I'm in Pennsylvania dreaming about who you'll grow up to be... Sorry, I had to 😂 Do you have that Adele song stuck in your head now? Anyway, it's no secret that I absolutely love the color yellow and totally wish more parents would request it, both for boys and girls. I also love this little dude, Hayden, who was beyond amazing at his newborn session back at the end of January! He was one of those babies who let me move him in any position without a peep or twitch. As a newborn photographer, I recognize that it's not the norm, but it makes my job a lot easier! And, can we also discuss how absolutely adorable he looks in that panda hat?!? Such a cute theme for a nursery and I hope mom and dad hang a big picture of him in his room! It would make up for the fact that dad is a big NY Jets fan instead of an Eagles fan (go birds!) Just kidding! New Years Resolution: Now that I have a new computer, be better at sharing sessions so I don't have a giant backlog of folders... So, let's start with the last baby I photographed who was born in 2022: Beau Phoenix! He is a sunrise twin, which is a term I hadn't heard of before. Many people have heard of rainbow babies -the child that is born after a loss. My own son, now almost 11, is one. But sunrise sunset twins are when one baby survives and the other unfortunately does not. The surviving twin is the sunrise baby because the sunrise brings a new day and a sense of hope. The twin that passes in the womb is the sunset baby because it symbolizes the end of the day and the slow fade of light. It is incredibly sad, but also a beautiful recognition. Mom and Dad obviously wanted to incorporate this into their session in remembrance, so you'll see the onesie and sun images in his gallery represent this. I was a bit emotional photographing him with the onesie and definitely shed a tear or two while editing his gallery. On another note, I have been photographing this family since big sister, Genevieve, was an infant. They came in for my Christmas session back in 2018 and then we did her cake smash a couple months later in January 2019. Now at 5 years old, she is the sweetest big sister and Jameson is the best big brother to keep them both in line! I really do love seeing my clients grow year after year and watching their families add new additions and grow older. Although I specialize in baby's first year, I do offer limited edition sessions where older children and families can come for updated pictures. If you want to be on the list for those releases, make sure you sign up for my newsletter here. Welcome to the world, Beau! You are surrounded by so much love and I know your twin is watching over you from heaven! Baby Ashtyn was the first baby back in the studio for a posed newborn session. Born during the pandemic, she wasn't able to come in during the typical first 2 weeks of life, but at 6 weeks old, she proved that age is just a number! She was an AMAZING sleeper with a full belly, and that squish is perfection!!! There are so many extra precautions being taken these days to ensure the safety of my little clients and their families, as well as my own. I'm so thankful parents put their trust in me to capture these extra special memories. Another 2020 session in the books, another amazing little newborn! Baby Maclin was in the studio with his super sweet parents for his big modeling debut. He slept right through it all and when he was done, he was one of the most calm, alert babies ever. I know Mom and Dad are over the moon that he is finally here and are truly so blessed! Welcome to the world, baby Mac! Sweet, sweet Eloise was my first session of 2020 and I hope she is an indicator of how the rest of the year will go! At almost 4 weeks old, she was a dream! Welcome to the world, Eloise. You are SO loved! Adorable little Charlotte was in the studio last month for her newborn session, and she was simply as perfect as could be. She was so calm, and peacefully sleeping that she barely moved as I was posing her. Sweet Charlottle was also surrounded by SO much love as her parents, big sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother joined her. It was such a pleasure to meet them all and they love they have for her already was just radiating throughout the room. Below are some of my favorites from her session and I cannot wait to see how they look on their new gallery wall and in Charlotte's nursery! I know they say twins are double the trouble and double the fun. They are also double the sweetness, double the cuteness, and seriously give me all the heart eyes!!! 😍😍😍😍 Teeny tiny Sloane and Scarlett were such a dream to cuddle and photograph. They loved being snuggled up to one another and in their mom and dad's arms! There were so many favorites from their session, and I'll try not to share any from their birth announcements, but I need to share all this adorableness with the world!! Enjoy and you're welcome! 😉 When this family announced they were expecting twin girls, I was so over the moon for them! I have been photographing big brother, Adam, since he was a newborn, and was hoping I would get the chance to do so for these girls. Jacqueline Stella and Katherine Emma were born into the sweetest family and are truly a wonderful addition! They are such cuddle bugs and LOVE being next to each other. Also, LOOK AT THEIR LONG LASHES! I have total lash envy ;) I know mom and dad are soaking up all these newborn snuggles and Adam is handling all the changes like a champ while being a sweet big brother! This family is so blessed! Penelope is one beautiful baby who definitely takes after her gorgeous mama! She is going to grow up to be such a strong, worldly woman, but for now I'm sure her mommy and daddy are simply enjoying all these newborn cuddles and tiny details. Penelope's session was made even more special by the appearance of her aunt, who was up to visit her from Brazil. I know these images will be treasured for years to come! I.can't.even! The rolls, the cheeks, the big smile!!! There simply aren't enough words to describe how adorable and yummy sweet Emersyn is. Such a good baby and I love the colors mom picked out for the session - blush pink, whites/creams, and mint. Here are their favorites from her session. LOVE! Another perk of my job (besides snuggling babies!) is that it has allowed me to connect with people from my past. I've gotten to photograph old friends' babies and in this case, the teacher who took over for my second grade class when I went out on maternity leave with my son. I am so happy for Colleen and her husband, Dan, on their newest addition. Dylan is just the sweetest little thing and I hope these pictures go wonderfully in his navy, gray, and elephant themed nursery and play room. He is one lucky little guy to have such amazing parents, and they are lucky to have him too! It's really amazing to watch a tiny baby I've photographed grow up, but it's even more incredible to watch them become a big sibling. Cruz is officially my first newborn turned big brother. There are so many more of "my" newborns who I will get to photograph as big siblings with their littles scheduled on my calendar this year, but Cruz will forever be a first! And, Cruz's little sister, Capri, was just as amazing as he was for his session. She slept like a dream and was simply adorable in pink, white, silver, and gold. Capri, you are such a wonderful addition to your sweet family and I look forward to watching you grow as well! The beautiful collection of newborn products I posted on my Facebook page the other day belonged to this family. Sweet Gavin surprised everyone, making it PAST his due date, and I had the pleasure of photographing him the morning before we left for vacation. He made my job SO easy that day, curling up into all the poses, showing off his adorable rolls, sleeping straight through the 3 hour session, and even giving me a few smiles! Admittedly I'm very bad at making time to write blog posts, but then I always feel guilty about not sharing more from each session once the gallery viewing is over. So, here is blog post #1 from a long line of newborns I'm dying to share! Meet adorable Penelope Jay! It's been so long since I've shared some of my latest sessions. But, that means things are busy around the LBP studio, which is always a good thing! However, I need to make sure I share more images from this beautiful girl's newborn session. She's also one of my Watch Me Grow babies, so you'll be seeing more of her throughout this year, yay! Mom and Dad wanted baby's gender to be a surprise (which seems to be the trend with many of my clients lately, it's about 50-50 of finding out these days) so we couldn't do a whole lot of planning for her session beforehand. The one thing that was a guarantee was hot air balloons since that was the nursery theme! Then, once miss Emilie arrived, we decided on yellow and peach and the result is a beautiful gallery of images that everyone will treasure for years to come. Although Mom and Dad will get to enjoy the images now, Emilie and future generations will also enjoy them. Never forget that photographs aren't just meant for the current generation, but for the generations to come. Photographs are truly priceless treasures! I really LOVE when my friends have babies because I can get a few extra newborn snuggles in. And, it's a total bonus when they sleep this well and are this adorable! Baby Joey was born at almost 10 lbs (Stacy, you are a ROCKSTAR!), 23" long, and with a head full of hair, naturally highlighted! Seriously, he is just too adorable for words. And big brother Tommy is the most cooperative 3 year old ever! Such a proud big brother, best buddies for life! I just knew this baby was going to end up being a boy, and I couldn't be more thrilled for my friends, Jessica and Adam. Jess and I have been close since 6th grade, which was 22 years ago (wow, I feel OLD!). She announced her pregnancy to me by filling out my contact form for a newborn session, and when I got the email, I literally SQUEALED with excitement and immediately called her! Baby Luke was the BEST sleeper and I loved each and every snuggle with him. I cannot wait to see him again, but no more posing, I just want to hold him! Disclaimer Jess & Adam, I may not give him back... ;) |
AuthorI am Kristen Yeager, a portrait photographer specializing in maternity, newborns, babies, and children. I am based in Chadds Ford, PA (Chester County, right on the Delco border) but also serve West Chester, Unionville, Kennett Square, Glen Mills, Malvern, Downingtown, Exton, West Grove, Oxford, Media, King of Prussia, the Mainline, parts of Lancaster County, Wilmington and Newark, Delaware, northeast Maryland, and surrounding areas. Archives
March 2024
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