Baby Starr | Classic Black & White Newborn Portraits of Adelaide Olivia

I'm savoring this stage that we're in with our baby girl. I want to remember the newborn squeaks and grunts. How she stretches her little body, arches her back, and curls her hands up by her face. The way that her tiny fingers grasp my pinky and hold on tight. How her legs fit together perfectly like two puzzle pieces when she tucks them up together and fold them across her tummy. I find myself pulling out my phone more and more often to capture videos of this newborn goodness, the precious little mannerisms and reflexes that I know she'll soon outgrow but that I don't want to forget anytime soon. And of course I can't help but document it all on my camera as well, beautiful portraits that I know I'll look back on years from now and feel a yearning to go back to those sleep-deprived newborn weeks when she snuggled up so peacefully on my chest and her breathing synced with mine.

When capturing Adelaide's newborn portraits, I wanted to document a few that were raw and natural. Perfectly unposed. The black & white images and the clean white background keep the focus on the baby, and all of the sweet little details are front and center.

Some photographers like to refer to this as "baby led posing," and that's exactly what happens to capture images like this. You let the baby run the show, and you let them curl up, stretch, sigh, and settle into the comfy positions that they naturally find comforting because it's how they were curled up in the womb. As the photographer, you can guide them a little bit by wrapping a swaddle around them or gently bringing their arm in when it floats out to the side, but you capture all of that newborn goodness and the natural movements and expressions that they make.

These are a few of my favorite sleepy, unposed newborn portraits from Adelaide's first few weeks, and just looking at them now already has me missing those early days when she was so light and tiny in my arms. It really is true that it goes by so quickly, and it's hard to believe it until you're experiencing it that you can miss something already even as it's happening right before your very eyes.

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Black & white personality portraits for adorable siblings

I was so happy when Nora and Benjamin’s mom reached out to me about capturing personality portraits for them here in my Saratoga Springs studio! These sessions are always a lot of fun. They’re simple and to the point, focusing on your little ones so we can truly capture what makes them unique. During personality sessions, all portraits are done in black and white. Your kids have the chance to show off their expressions and milestones, no matter what age they’re at!

For Nora and Benjamin, we photographed each of them individually in the studio before making sure to take some portraits of them together. I hope that they’ll treasure these portraits forever because you can just see how silly and fun both of these kids are! That’s truly my goal when it comes to personality sessions!! And these are great for kids of all ages once they pass their first birthday and you may not be in the studio regularly for portraits.

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Classic Black & White Portraits - Saratoga Springs Child and Baby Photographer

There is just something so classic about a black & white portrait that shows your little one’s full personality, don’t you think?

I offered these Little Loves portrait sessions for the first time this winter and I fell completely in love with capturing the many facets of children’s personalities in the studio during a session that focuses on just them.

No props.

No colors.

No themes.

Just pure & classic portraits during a session that lets them be silly, happy, shy, loud, playful, and a million other things that make them who they are.

Many families chose The Mosaic Frame to showcase their children’s portraits. It’s a gorgeous new wall art piece that I’ve added to our product lineup. The 20” portrait has 9 images matted and custom framed for a statement piece that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face every time you see it. In fact, I have TWO of Grayson’s in our home — one downstairs in the studio, and a different one upstairs in our entryway! I love them so much and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of looking at it!

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Classic B&W {Boston Newborn Portraits}

Beautiful little Sophia's parents asked me to come back and do an ENTIRE portrait session for them in black and white.  ALL B&W???  Seriously???? How could I possibly resist that temptation?  :o) While I adore color portraits and I believe that everyone should live out loud in color, there is just something so crisp and clean about a black and white photo that I love so much.  I have said on this blog more than once that some photos just BEG to be in black and white, they were just meant to be unsaturated with a play on highlights and shadows.  When I look around my own home, most of the photographs that I've chosen to hang on the walls are in some version of B&W.  So an entire photo session in B&W?  Sign me up!

I couldn't be happier with the images.  I'll let the photographs speak for themselves...

Is there something special you want in your session?  A dream you have for your photographs?  Please speak up and let me know!  I'd be happy to bring that dream to life for you.