Olivia and Erik live in a brand new development in Venice, Fl, with only a few built homes and an almost-completed country clubhouse. Surrounded by nothing but land and gorgeous landscaping, it was the perfect location for their maternity photo session! With ideal natural lighting, we had an awesome time roaming the vast property creating some beautiful images of the new parents-to-be and their prized baby bump.

Click here to view preparing for your Newborn Session.

Your baby’s first year flies by so fast! We are so excited to offer our inclusive baby packages to capture the major milestones of your baby’s first year! Take a look at some general info for 3 month shoots, 6 month shoots, 9 month shoots and 12 month shoots below. Be sure to email us or drop us a line if you have any questions regarding preparing for your baby’s photo session!

3 Month Photo Session: Baby Starts to Hold Head Up!

The 3 month stage is so adorable! We love the 3 month photo session because this is the time when your baby begins to feel confident holding up his/her head! What a cute milestone to capture :) 3 month sessions can start in our studio then continue outside for a more natural setting. Your baby will be naked for the studio part of the session (as with the newborn session) although, bring a few cute outfits or rompers along for the outdoor portion. We  have our selection of handmade headbands, blankets, buckets and such but please feel free to bring along props that are special to you and your family!

6 Month Photo Session: Baby Starts Sitting Up!

Six months! Wow! How six months comes so fast! By now, you’ll have noticed a variety of amazing facial expressions, smiles and looks! Often six month old babies are  full of newly discovered smiles and all sorts of personality! This is a great stage to start incorporating super cute outfits. Jeans with button up shirts, skirts, tutus, headbands. Keep in mind the color scheme of the room you’d like to display your images and try to coordinate the outfits to that color scheme. This will make for an awesome look to your wall collection! Of course, we will still most likely end up with a naked baby by the end! Feel free to bring a special prop that shows a little but about what your family loves the most (ex. baseball caps and gloves). We will do this session outside at a local park or the beach!

9 Month Photo Session: Baby Starts Standing Up!

Maybe a bit wobbly, maybe not your 9 month old baby will be exploring standing up! Finally, you can have your baby wear those cute shoes! Think about incorporating cute handmade signs (like pictured below) or holiday colors for your holiday cards!

12 Month Photo Session: Baby Begins First Steps!

Some babies will be walking up a storm while others just thinking about those first steps. Either way, it is such an amazing photo session! Consider dressing your babe in something a bit more dressy if you’d like. Go casual if that is what you are most comfortable in! This is a great session to get some family shots. After viewing the 12 month photo session images, we will begin your custom photo book design to showcase your favorite images from each of the first year sessions.

View general tips for all types of photo sessions.

View Preparing for your Portrait or Family Session.

View our Baby Portfolio!

View full photo sessions on the Blog!

We’ve put together some general guidelines for all photo shoots as well as some more specific tips for children and family shoots:

Children

• Please avoid logos and busy graphics!
• Clean, clean, clean – clean nails, clean hair, wipe away eye boogies, clean feet, wipe snotty noses, fresh-scrub those teeth! The cleaner the kid, the better their photos will turn out :)
• Make sure your little one has napped prior to the shoot
• It is definitely okay to bring “bribes” (i.e. candy/treats) to your shoot. If you do, please pick something that won’t stain teeth
• Avoid colorful drinks or lollypops within 24 hours of your shoot. You don’t want stained faces, teeth or mouths!
• Wardrobe – For girls, you can’t go wrong with cute dresses, rompers, and dainty hats or headbands. For boys, jeans and polos or a button-up shirt, or a T-shirt with a button-up over it can be very cute,  For siblings, the children don’t have to match perfectly, just coordinate. It’s always nice to pick a color that compliments your child’s eye color.

Families

• Dad – Have a fresh shave or trim, and use a new razor with shaving cream and a moisturizing after-shave lotion to limit bumps and redness. Make sure nails are clean and trimmed. Wash your hands. Clean up your shoes. Moisturize and scrub away flaky facial skin. When you wash your face, pay attention to eye boogers and sleep crusties. For wardrobe, go for jeans or pants, go casual with just a T-shirt or untucked polo or more dressy with a button-up and pants. In general, whatever your wife tells you to wear ;)  Again you don’t have to perfectly match the rest of the family, just wear something that coordinates.
• Mom – You may want to wear something that covers your upper-arms. Long- or 3/4-sleeve tops are very flattering. Wear accessories that are your style but be careful not to go overboard
• As always, please avoid logos and/or busy graphics
• Everybody doesn’t need to match, simply coordinate with each other’s outfits and try to stick within the same range of dressiness (i.e. if Dad is in a T-shirt, don’t put the kids in dress shirts)
• Wear what makes you feel beautiful and comfortable and stay true to who you are – this will reflect in your photos :)

Being able to work with and capture a fresh, new baby is one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences for us.  Their tiny little features, facial expressions and pure innocence are so unbelievably perfect. It is SO incredible how quickly they change and grow right before your eyes! We wish to provide every new parent with the opportunity to have this fleeting time captured. With our inclusive baby packages, you will have timeless fine art of your precious baby from his/her newest state.

To make the most of your newborn photography, there are a few guidelines to follow:

Scheduling the Newborn Session:

To help make your new baby posable (sleepy, curly, bendable) we must schedule your newborn session to take place within 5-10 days of birth (you will need to book your session in advance, so we will make a tentative date based on your due date- just be sure you keep us updated with the status of your newborn’s arrival).  For parents of baby boys that will be circumcised, we recommend scheduling his circumcision either within 48 hours of his birth or after his newborn session date.

Duration of the Newborn Session:

Newborn photography sessions take at LEAST 2 hours and (depending on the baby’s disposition) may take up to 4  hours. This allows us plenty of time for comforting, feeding and changing as needed. As it is important not to rush the process, please reserve the entire day for your photography session so that you and baby are free to relax and get the most out of your photography session.

Preparing for the Newborn Session:

Our goal is to recreate a womb-like environment for your newborn. Newborn sessions take place in our organic newborn studio. For your (and baby’s) convenience, we have a fully stocked changing station with organic newborn diapers, creams, powder and wipes, so there is no need to lug all of your stuff around!

• The studio will be very warm (about 80-85 degrees) to keep your naked baby comfortable. So be sure to dress in light and comfy clothing and it is a good idea to bring a change of clothes for yourself.
• Dress your newborn in loose-fitting clothing (no elastic bands) that is easy to take off and will not leave indents or marks on your baby’s skin. We will be getting your newborn naked as soon as possible so this is essential.
• Prior to arriving, please make sure your newborn is well fed and changed, thus keeping your baby sleepy. Throughout the session, we will have plenty of time to for feeding and calming as needed.
• We have plenty of blankets, hats, headbands and other props to style up your little babe. You are, however, welcome to bring along anything that you’d like (i.e. a decorative throw from your nursery that matches your exact color scheme, any hats, headbands or rompers you ordered from etsy, a favorite prop such as a baseball or stuffed animal).

The idea is to create a calm and quiet atmosphere to keep your baby sound asleep. As our studio space is limited, we ask to only plan on the parents of the newborn to be in the studio during the session.
Make sure your outfit is washable because we guarantee there will be accidents with a diaper-free baby in your arms! And don’t worry if your baby has an accident on us or our props, trust us, we are used to it ;)

Two weeks after your newborn session, we look forward to seeing you and baby again for your viewing party! It will be amazing how fast baby has already grown by then!!

We can’t wait to work with you and your sweet new addition soon  :)

Visit our Baby Portfolio!

Visit our Newborn section of the Blog!

Check out our Eco-Chic Newborn Studio

Engagement sessions are some of our favorite sessions to do! It really is all about you and your fiancé and showcasing this amazing time of your life. We’ll have a ton of fun and show off who you are as a couple. Our goal is for you to be more in love after the engagement session than you were going into it!

What to wear:

Remember that you want to look natural and relaxed so you must feel natural and relaxed. Stay true to who you are.
Here are some tips for preparing for your engagement session. Also, be sure to read our general tips for all types of photo shoots.

It’s a great idea to think ahead, but definitely don’t let this stress you out! Regardless of what you wear, we’re going to have lots of fun and get images that you love!
In most cases, we will meet at our home studio, so you will have a place to change and use el baño. And remember, we are in Florida, so it is also a great idea to bring a hand towel and makeup to blot on if need be. We usually have time for two outfits, generally speaking, people like to do one casual and one a bit more dressy. Totally up to you!

A few ideas…

• DIY signs (“Save the date” or “Thank you”) signs (we will use your engagements photos to design your custom save the dates and invitations)!
• Jeans are a favorite staple as are cute dresses
• Aim for bright, solid colors rather than black and white or busy graphics/patterns
• Accessorize! Accessories are a great way to add spice to your outfit. But keep it simple, we’ll let you know if you’ve gone overboard :)

Pretty Please…

• Avoid logos/graphics/text on clothing and busy patterns
• Wear clothes that fit you and that you feel great in. Avoid wearing too baggy or too tight of clothing
• Avoid dressing like twins: please try to avoid wearing exact matching outfits. Complimentary outfits and colors are always the way to go! Coordinate the style (i.e. dressy – casual)
• Ask us for help! We are always here to lend a helping hand and personally, we’d rather  you ask us than stress about it! This is going to be FUN!

Visit our Engagement Portfolio to get more ideas and inspiration!
Visit our Engagement section of the Blog to view full engagement sessions!

To get more ideas and inspiration, view our Maternity Portfolio!
Visit our Maternity section of the Blog to view full maternity sessions!

Hayden was so excited to have his photo session to celebrate his new big number! He brought along his mom, dad and baby sister for a fun family photo shoot at Joan Durante Park on Longboat Key in Sarasota. It was such a fun afternoon at a beautiful park by the water. We played, ran, explored and got some great shots of adorable little, err should I say, big boy Hayden! Thanks for the great time:)

I was so honored to capture Ginny and Tezia’s special day! It was an absolute blast working with two brides, two dresses, two gorgeous rings and a whole bunch of bridesmaids!!

They rented an awesome beach house in Jacksonville Beach for the two of them, their parents and their entire wedding party to stay at for the weekend. Their ceremony was held in the backyard with the breathtaking backdrop of a private beach right on the Atlantic. I was overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that all of their guests and family members had towards their commitment to one another and equality for all. Thanks Ginny and Tez, for having me be a part of your beautiful celebration!

Special thanks to these vendors!

Venue: Wren Beach Rentals
Hair Stylist: Nicole Brown
Florist: Kuhn Flowers
Reception Tent: Andy’s Taylor Rental
Caterer: Chef’s Garden