He has the most adorable smile!

We brought out the cake and, at first, he wasn’t too sure:

He soon got into it, literally:

I love close-ups of little feet:

The beautiful afternoon light made for an amazing background:

And here’s the 20×20 cake smash storyboard that his mom ordered in a float wrap:

Happy First Birthday, Noah!

Thanks, ‘C’, for bringing your little guy to me for his 1 year portraits! I had so much fun working with him again!

Her mom brought this dress especially for the session:

I always love how close-ups show the eyes and facial expressions so well:

And this one is so adorable, she was blowing kisses at her mom:

This is one of my favorites from the garden part of her session. I added a light vintage processing to enhance the overall feel of this portrait.

Thank you, ‘T’, for bringing your beautiful daughter to me for her portraits. I had so much fun working with her!

We started inside, in the natural light studio. Ella wasn’t too sure of me at first, but she really liked playing with the beads.
I like how this black and white image is so classic, it will never go out of  style.  And I loved her little earrings, so adorable!

We also stepped outside, it was a beautiful morning in the garden.  Ella definitely liked it better. Doesn’t she have such gorgeous blue eyes?

Thank you, ‘T’, for coming with your adorable daughter. Enjoy the sneak peek!

The beautiful dress came from Nanny Birds.

Thank you, ‘S’, for bringing your beautiful daughter, it was my pleasure meeting you.

I hear this question a lot from clients and I have to confess that is the first thing I think about when I plan a photo session with my kids. For me, as an artist, the vision of the portrait as a whole means more than just the subject-  the location, the light, and the clothes all make or break an image [today I will discuss clothing; I will talk about location and time of day at another time]. Custom photography is an investment on all counts- taking the time to plan the details will be more rewarding and worth the hassle of finding the perfect outfit.

Here are some general considerations:

- Clothing is very important as it sets the mood and style of your photos- do you want classic, or modern? Trendy or timeless? My goal is to turn your photos into timeless pieces of art, and clothing is a medium that will help achieve the desired effect. I may ask to go in your child’s closet to see what outfits will work better for your photo session. Upon request, I will do a  clothing/styling consultation  at no charge or recommend a clothing store for the particular style you wish to achieve. In fact, if you visit this page here on What to Wear, you can see a list of clothing outfitters for children that you can browse and get ideas for your session. I guarantee you that you can’t go wrong with any of these, there is something for every occasion, taste and even wallet!

First, let’s think of the little ones.  Newborns and young babies are best photographed in their birthday suit or with a diaper cover.  I think you will agree with me that the innocence and beauty of a new baby is best portrayed without clothing:

Sometimes, a favorite blanket or special toy will add personal touch and make your photo more unique, like this one where the blanket was made by this baby’s grandmother:

-For older babies and children, I recommend simple clothes with classic style, with solid colors and natural textures. Accessories, like hats and scarves, add dimension and interest to any outfit. I also prefer babies down to a diaper cover and I have an assortment of those to choose from:

- Think of comfort- if your child doesn’t like the outfit and isn’t comfortable in it, it’s better to choose something else. Try to choose something that represents the child, but no ripped and tattered clothing, please, that never works well.

- A good rule is to avoid screaming colors, busy patterns and logos as these detract from the subject.  Character clothing is also not recommended unless it is for a particular theme (your little boy likes to be a superhero? Bring on the SuperMan cape, it will work for a few images after an outfit change).

- I also have available a small collection of tutus and petti skirts for little girls, along with some fun accessories, like hats, flowers and headbands:

- for little boys,  I love the timeless look of denim overalls, as you already saw from another blog post this week :

- A word about hair styles for girls- simple and natural are always more flattering, especially for babies and younger girls. It’s usually better to avoid complicated pony tails and other up-dos. For older girls, hats and headbands are always fun.

And here’s an example from last year, when I took my daughter for a very quick mini session:

This was at the end of the day, and the light was soft and warm. I knew I wanted her to wear something that would convey that same sense, and I didn’t want the pieces of clothing to compete with each other or with her for attention.

After looking through her closet, we found some things that worked- her skirt is actually a dress from Old Navy, we just pulled it down and hid the straps; her pink top is a leotard, leftover from her ballet lessons days; the cropped jacket is a soft knit, a find from Target, almost in the same cream tone as the skirt. All of which  she already owned, we just had to think out of the box for a new look. We finished the outfit with a few beaded necklaces in white and pink tones (always have a few of those around anyways), a soft headband and a pink flower to hold her hair back. All in all, mission accomplished for an impromptu mini session on a saturday evening at the end of Summer.

And don’t forget the chap stick or lip gloss- dry lips are very unattractive and quite impossible to fix in Photoshop!

“Eyes so transparent that through them the soul is seen”

- Theophile Gautier

I had a hard time deciding which ones to post, if color or black and white. In any case, you will agree that baby Jamison’s eyes are gorgeous and soulful.

He was playing with me:

Even when he’s serious, he’s so adorable:

I’m pretty sure his Mom can’t resist the little pout, so cute:

See what I’m talking about- look at those eyes!

Thank you, ‘D’, for bringing your sweet boy, I had so much fun meeting him.

This is a sneak peek of baby Jamison, a 9 month old baby boy. He has the cutest cheeks and beautiful brown eyes.

More to come later.

My digital session packages include the images on a disc presented on a trifold card with instructions and the image release, plus 5×7 reference prints of each digital image purchased. The reference prints are included so that you know how each image is supposed to look when correctly printed.  Some packages also include mounted prints.

All boxed up and ready to go to a very good home:

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others

cannot keep it from themselves.”

- James Matthew Barrie

This is baby Avery, who is turning 1 very soon. I showed her sneak peek before and had to come back and post some more for her mom, who has been very patiently waiting.

Avery was really happy and a joy to work with, I think the following images speak for themselves:

And some in black and white, which I also love:

Thank you, ‘C’, for bringing over your adorable little girl, hope you will enjoy these!