As a mom of 3 I know, all too well, how quickly time with your baby(s) pass. One day they’re sleeping, peacefully in your arms. The next day, they’re toddling around. Then you turn around and you’re sending them off to Kindergarten and college. The one regret I have always had is not capturing more images….professional and in the moment with my phone. Don’t get me wrong, I have lots of memoires, but I missed many moments, as well. Moments I will never get back.
I met this sweet family during their maternity photo session while waiting for these two, precious bundles of joy to arrive. It was so fun seeing them grow over the year and watching their, oh so different personalities, develop.
Why document your journey to motherhood with a maternity photo session?
Motherhood is amazing, tiring, and beautiful all at the same time. Maternity photos represent your journey to motherhood and will remind you of the life (or lives in some cases) you grew and loved before you could see them. It’s a celebration of your changing body and a new outlook on what makes you beautiful. Maternity photos are also a way to show your children who you were and how much you loved them before they were in your arms.
Why document your newborn with a professional newborn session?
As a mom who had 2 babies without documenting their newborn stage with professional photos I can tell you I missed out on moments professional photographers know to look for. Their tiny belly buttons, delicate whips of hair, and the cutest of hands and feet are all things I don’t have to look back on. Why? Because I didn’t realize what they would mean to me years later.
Why Document your babies mid-way through their first year
Before we started this sitter session mom told me how happy and smiley one was, all the time, and how serious the other could be. You’ll see glimpses of the seriousness (and a few tears….left in the gallery at mom’s request) throughout these images but “serious” miss gave us plenty of smiles, too.
A sitter session, as we photographers like to call them, is great for capturing the stages between sleeping all the time and walking/toddling around. This stage is great for capturing them pushing up, holding their feet and, of course, sitting unassisted. I find this stage to be the most fun as babies, this age, are likely to smile at everything and show you all of their new talents.
This is, often, the most overlooked stage in terms of capturing professionally. I don’t recommend skipping it. I mean, just look at these cuties. As their mom can you imagine not having these memories?
Don’t forget 1st Birthday Portraits
I rank 1st birthdays as one of the biggest milestones a baby will experience. They’ve just spent a year growing and learning at a tremendous rate and watching everything around them. Now they’re ready to take off and explore all of the things they couldn’t get their hands on before.
We chose the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for this twin, 1st birthday photo session so we didn’t have cake, but a cake smash is always an option. Mom and dad chose not to participate in this session, however, I always suggest capturing the bond you have with your children at every photo session. Those are the memories your children will hold on to the hardest.
Laura Cardan offers maternity, newborn and milestone sessions in studio and on-location in and around Birmingham Alabama.