6 month milestone portraits with Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

I absolutely adore working with Jen and her boys. I’ve photographed all three boys since they were born. Each has had a newborn, milestone and first birthday session in my studio… well, Baby Rhys is only on his milestone session. He’s got another 6 months before he turns one! Either way, I love seeing them in my studio every few months. It’s a great time to catch up on what’s been going on - and I adore watching their boys grow up. They’re all so sweet!

During the milestone sessions, we always update a portrait of the brothers together. This time, since we were close to Halloween, it seemed fitting to do their photo in their costumes. The middle boy’s middle name is Draco, and we’ve always leaned into the dragon theme for his portraits. Naturally, the three boys are dragons for Halloween this year!! They were SO cute and excited to be in their costumes. I loved capturing that fun portrait of them.

It was good to see Rhys, too. I saw him for his newborn portraits 6 months ago. Now, he’s just the most mellow baby and so happy. He made my job easy with lots of easy smiles and sweet big eyes. Mom picked out the cutest little overalls for him. He looked like such a little man! I can’t believe he’ll be back for his one year session before long!

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Beautiful Milestone Portraits in our Saratoga Springs Portrait Studio

Baby milestone sessions are always such a treat, and I love when families bring their little babies to the studio for portraits to capture their smiles, their personalities, and all of their milestones. There is so much that happens between the newborn stage and the first birthday, and I love capturing that for families to slow down time and remember forever!

Rolling over, sitting up, grabbing their toes, and shyly showing off their gummy smiles and their brand new baby teeth. All of these are such fleeting moments during your baby’s first year, and they all deserve to be beautifully documented.

Giuliana joined me at our Saratoga Springs studio for her 6 month portrait session, and this itty-bitty girl fit into some of our tiniest outfits in the studio’s Baby Wardrobe. We chose adorable headbands for her to coordinate with the colors in her nursery and with her newborn portraits, and started off with a few portraits on the studio’s boho egg chair. (See more portraits on this springtime prop here!)

I love all of these milestone portraits, and I’m excited to share them on the blog today! I hope you enjoy this sweet baby girl’s milestone session as much as I did!

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Glitter & Gloves: Pretty but fierce hockey portraits to celebrate a 7th birthday

I was so excited when Samantha’s mom reached out to plan her annual birthday portraits. She told me how Sammy had fallen in love with playing hockey this year, and she really wanted to plan an extra special birthday session for her daughter in her hockey gear with a Tutu du Monde dress.

Ummmm, YESSSSSSS!!!

Of course, I couldn’t resist adding a little extra sparkle and glitter.

We had so much fun incorporating her helmet, hockey sticks, guards, and pucks into the session. Sammy loved putting on her tough face and her fierce face, and kept bursting into giggles, too. It was truly the perfect session and such a blast to photograph!

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Inspired by this fierce and pretty hockey session? Pin this image or any from the post above!

A 6 month milestone session for baby Ella

Ella is one of our Baby Planners, and I loved seeing how much she has grown when she came to the studio for her 6 month milestone session! It’s always amazing to watch these little babies during the first year as they begin to master new skills and really come into their personalities, and Little Miss Ella was no exception. This girl is so happy & smiley, and she truly rocked her portrait session!

Ella LOVED hanging out on this tiny bed that we just added to the prop closet. Her favorite part was using it as a teething toy, hahaha! Once she realized she could fit the wooden rails in her mouth she didn’t want to let go, and it had us all cracking up watching how excited she was!

Then we did a few portraits on our big girl bed (a.k.a. the white fluffy adult sized bed!). Ella’s mama packed the cutest white onesie with lace eyelet sleeves, and I love how simple and classic it looked in this all white set up. The lace ruffles really made it special!

Have a favorite toy or doll? Be sure to bring it to your baby’s milestone session! These cuddle + kind dolls have been making an appearance in many of our sessions for the past year or two, and I love it when they’re the same size as the babies!

Ella’s mama and daddy’s favorite portraits were in this chair with the mauve romper from our studio closet. We probably only spent about 2 minutes in this set up, but Ella brought out all of the smiles and belly laughs for so many adorable portraits! Here are just a few favorites!

Baby Outfit Ideas | Wardrobe Inspiration for Your Baby's Milestone Portrait Session

You’re so excited!!! You just booked your baby’s milestone session and you can’t wait to capture their little smile, that tiny curl of hair, and those adorable chubby legs that you love to cover in kisses. These portraits are always some of my favorites

But wait a second… what does a baby wear to a milestone session?!?!

This is probably your first time dressing your baby for portraits (after all, they just wore a swaddle in their newborn photos!), but I’ve dressed hundreds of babies for their portrait sessions and I have plenty of ideas to make it easier for you.

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OUTFIT INSPIRATION FOR YOUR MILESTONE SESSION

Flaunt those itty bitty baby features that you love so much.

Babies are only this little for a little while, and their elbow dimples, chunky thigh rolls, and puffy little tummies are the cutest things ever about this stage. Show it off! I recommend avoiding dresses that cover the legs — instead, choose rompers for baby girls to give them room to move their legs and find their toes. For boys, wearing just a pair of pants to show that cute baby belly is so classic. Plus, you’ll see those photos and just want to smooch that perfect little belly!

There’s nothing more classic than a simple white onesie.

I did my son’s monthly photos in a white onesie, and I always suggest clients go for this look when they want a few simple and extremely classic portraits. They make some cute ones with ruffles and eyelet lace details on the sleeves for baby girls if you’re looking for something a little special, too!

Go for a pop of color against our all white studio!

Pale blue, lavender, aqua, and pink all look amazing against our white walls, couch, and bed!

Make sure baby can move freely.

Opt for fabrics with a little stretch so baby can reach, crawl, and wiggle. After all, they’ve been practicing all of these new skills so let them use their whole body and show us what they can do!

Go barefoot.

Yes, baby shoes are cute, but they don’t look cute in photographs because you can only see the soles of the feet. Let’s show off their toes instead!

Show some skin.

When they’re this little, baby boys & baby girls are oh so sweet with their cute little baby bellies and soft arm rolls. Don’t be afraid to have one of their “outfits” be just a diaper, diaper cover, or a pair of knit pants! We can always use a soft blanket to cover up, too — and to play peek-a-boo!

Ruffles & lace.

Both beautiful options in photographs. You can’t go wrong with these sweet feminine details.

Consider fabric textures and your baby’s sensitive skin.

Remember when you were a kid and your mom dressed you in a scratchy tulle dress or itchy wool tights? You were miserable. Let’s give your baby the best shot at a happy session by making sure they are cool, comfortable, and content. Use soft fabrics that won’t irritate their skin. Opt for knitted fabrics (think sweater knit, not jersey knit) for a truly beautiful texture in photographs.

Avoid anything crocheted for the best portraits — even though sweet Aunt Sally was so excited to give you that crocheted turtle outfit, I’ve found that these are usually made with cheap yarn that cause the babies to sweat and immediately get a red heat rash on their skin. Then they’re crying and inconsolable the rest of the session. Nobody wants that! Plus, crocheted items don’t usually fall right on their little bodies the way clothing that is knitted can hug them beautifully. Thank your dear Aunt Sally, snap a cell phone pic, and share that with her. ;o)

Neutrals never go out of style.

Avoid anything too busy, bold, or neon. Neutrals look amazing with details like stripes, lace, eyelet lace, smocking, buttons, and knitted textures.

Still not sure what to wear? Check out our studio closet filled with beautiful options for your little one! If you’re thinking of wearing a studio outfit, let me know ahead of time what size your baby is and which outfits you have in mind and I will let you know if they’ll fit and get them ready for you ahead of time. Plus, be sure to ask me what’s new in the closet because we’re always adding new pieces for families to enjoy!

A Rustic & Magical Session | Boston Child Photographer

We did a family session for this sweet girl's family last spring -- mom and dad, her older brothers, grandma and grandpa, her aunt and uncle, and her little cousin.  It was such a fun session, and we captured so many gorgeous photos for a stunning wall gallery in their home.

But sometimes, you just want to focus on one child at a time.

When Maddie's mom learned about my Simply Baby sessions, and she was so excited to get together with her little girl for a short & sweet session focusing just on her little one.  We planned the perfect rustic session, and I was thrilled to be able to use the beautiful twine lanterns that Jeff and I decorated with above our wedding ceremony last June.

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Maddie is a funny little girl.  She loves laughing, pretty dresses, twirling, and of course, the Frozen song.  (I'm pretty sure "Let it go" played on repeat in my back pocket for most of her session.)  This little sweetheart was a little shy at first, but the moment her mom stepped away she opened right up and showed me the most playful and spirited personality.  I absolutely adored our session together, and I love the whimsical photos that we captured!

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I love the energy in this photo!  What a fun capture!

We walked to the "enchanted forest" and played hide & seek among the tall oak trees.

My favorite photo is this one here, hand on the hip, a breeze in her hair, and a little sass in her expression.  I love it!

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To complete the magical set up, I set up a pretty little lace teepee for part of Maddie's shoot.  These backlit photos of her inside are so beautiful, and they show her expressive and playful spirit!  I love her little profile shot in the last one.

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Check out another magical toddler session here -- with glitter, crowns, and sparkly dresses!