Welcoming a new baby into the family is a truly momentous occasion, and whether you’re planning newborn portraits to celebrate those very first wondrous weeks or milestone portraits to make sure you never forget a moment, it’s important to plan a session that reflects your family’s style and personality. At the Andrea Sollenberger Studio, I specialize in crafting one-of-a-kind sessions that highlight the uniqueness of each of my client families, and that means once you contact me to get started, I immediately get to work making your little one’s session the photo shoot you’ve been dreaming of!
I love getting creative with my clients, and one of my favorite ways to do that is to help them figure out how to incorporate the entire family, from siblings to grandma and grandpa to sometimes even extended family into their baby’s professional session. Throughout this blog, you’ll see lots of examples and ways you can turn your newborn or milestone portraits into a family affair to create even more memories that everyone can cherish as baby grows!
For little Damian’s one-year milestone photos below, he poses with both his mom and dad—and then again with big sis. These adorable portraits capture many of his milestones as he’s grown over the past twelve months.
CAPTURING MILESTONES & MEMORIES
By planning family portraits alongside sweet Damian’s one-year milestone portraits, this family was able to pack even more memories into their session time. As a professional photographer, I organized my time and made sure to focus on both the family and individually on little Damian to ensure a good balance between milestone and family memories, and the family loved how everything turned out!
In this cute photo, big sister sits behind Damian with her hands gently on his shoulder and back, giving him the support he needs to pose for the camera. Dressed in pastel pink and wearing pretty sandals on her feet, big sis shows off a fun grin. She even posed alongside a precious pink bunny that matched her dress perfectly. These siblings look right at home on this soft, plush surface, and as mom and dad look back on this photo in the years to come, they’ll always be able to recall the sweet sibling bond that formed so early for this brother and sister.
TURNING ONE…IT HAPPENS IN A BLINK
In the early days of parenthood, you’re wrapped up in all things newborn, and every moment is filled with joy, discovery, and change. And since every moment is filled with discovery and change, imagine how much your little one changes in an entire year! That’s right, it’s a LOT. And that’s why it’s so important to make milestone portraits a priority.
By the time your little one turns a year old, they are starting to walk, likely toddling while holding onto furniture or other solid objects. Their motor skills are improving, they’re copying gestures, and they are even imitating words. Wow…that’s some serious progress from those swaddled, sleepy newborn days!
And all that progress and growth means you need milestone portraits so you’ll always remember those days when your little was changing by the minute!
CREATING A LEGACY WITH FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY
Beautiful family portraits offer not only a picture, but a story. They tell the story of how your family has grown and been knit together in so many wonderful ways, and no matter how much time passes, you’ll always be able to look back at the portraits you’ve created and remember precious moments in time.
In the family portrait below, Riley celebrates her 6-month milestone with mom, dad, and big brother. Everyone looks so happy and content, and little Riley looks comfy as can be sitting in the crook of her daddy’s arm. Wearing a pink flower headband to match her floral romper, she coordinates perfectly with mom, who’s also wearing pink. Dad and big brother wear masculine light blue and gray to coordinate with the girls, and it pulls the whole family portrait together. What a wonderful photo to place in the family room or to gift to loving grandparents!
SMART THINKING…TURN YOUR MILESTONE SESSION INTO A HOLIDAY SESH
One of the things some of my clients do is bring holiday outfit changes so that they can use their photo session portraits as part of their Christmas cards. What a great way to stay in touch with family and friends—and to let them know just how much everyone in your family is growing!
Below, sweet Riley’s family wears their festive holiday best for photos they’ll be able to send to share with their loved ones. Not only is it a great gift, but it’s a great way to stay in touch. And, at the Andrea Sollenberger Studio, you never have to worry about extra fees for outfit changes or for adding family members to your photos. I want you to love every portrait and every pose, so let’s get everyone in there.
I love how big brother interacts with his baby sister in the portrait below. Mom and dad look on with doting grins as big brother gives Riley a tickle on her tummy trying to get her to giggle for the camera. It’s easy to see how much he adores his little sister, and I’m so happy the family has this photo to look back on throughout their growing-up years to remember how early their sibling bond started.
THERE SHE GROWS…THE IMPORTANCE OF MILESTONE PHOTOS
Don’t blink…little Riley is on the move and she’s growing fast. It’s so important to plan portraits of your little ones for this very reason. The difference between Riley’s 6-month photos and her 1-year photos are night and day, and that’s because she’s spent every second of those last few months learning and growing and working on moving around so she can reach everything in sight!
It’s a huge change from being held in her daddy’s arms to standing up all by herself and grinning at the camera with a proud big-girl smile in the photo below. In her one-year milestone session, Riley wears an adorable floral dress with a coordinating flower headband. She supports herself beside a small wooden bench as she shows off her standing-up skills on a soft and fuzzy textured throw.
A quick switch of props turned the little wooden bench into a soft seat for Riley in the picture below. Looking proud to show off all her big-girl skills and everything she’s learned in a year, she grins at the camera with bright eyes and rosy cheeks and even shows off a couple of her adorable little teeth, too.
Because babies change and grow so quickly, it’s important to mark their ages and milestones with professional portraits that capture everything they’re learning and all they’re doing as they grow. Years down the road, mom and dad will be grateful they can look at these precious family photos and recall those early moments when their children were young and everything seemed brand new.
YOUR PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION AT THE ANDREA SOLLENBEGER STUDIO
If you or someone you know is in the Gainesville, Florida, area and looking for newborn, milestone, or family photography, contact me. I’ll be happy to chat with you about all the options that are available at my studio. I love working with families that are expecting their very first baby, as well as families that are eager to capture important milestone moments for individual kiddos or siblings. Be sure to check out my Portfolio page for ideas and inspiration for your baby milestone photos and photos with siblings and family!
BIG PERSONALITIES & A STRONG SIBLING BOND
My goal is to capture the essence and uniqueness of growing personalities, and in the photo below, I love the happy, playful nature of adorable Riley as she is securely held by her big brother. With both of them grinning ear-to-ear, it’s plain to see how strong this sibling bond already is…and it will only grow stronger as they have more adventures together! When these two are older, they’ll be able to look back on this portrait and remember where their strong brother-sister bond began.
I can’t tell clients enough…it is so, so, SO beneficial to include siblings and family in milestone portraits! You’ll have a great time when you plan your no-stress photo session at the Andrea Sollenberger Studio, and by including family in your little one’s photos, you’ll be able to see how everyone grows and changes together over time.
It’s easy to see how close Riley and her big brother already are, and that’s a heart-warming bond that mom and dad will want to show off to friends and family—and put on display in their home for everyone to see. This cute photo lets the whole world know they share an unbreakable sibling bond that will grow stronger as they continue to grow up together.
EVERYTHING’S AN ADVENTURE WHEN YOU’RE ONE
Sitting in a rounded wooden basket, Riley looks down and explores her shoes. (Possibly looking for a way to let her toes wiggle around in that soft throw she’s sitting on!) This angle not only gives us a great view of her pretty headband, it allows us a view of her lovely red hair that catches the studio light just perfectly as her little head tilts downward.
In just a few months, Riley has grown so much! She’s on the move, she’s curious, and she’s learning things by the minute, and professional milestone portraits are a great way for mom and dad to capture some of their favorite moments in photos so they can relive them over and over again as their little girl grows up.
AND SHE’S OFF!
Riley is ready to explore, and she’s starting off by digging her tiny fingers into this furry throw as she heads for the camera. What an adorable expression she has when she’s curious! Her little eyes just sparkle, and if you look closely, you’ll see that her little tongue is sticking out ever-so-slightly in concentration as she focuses on all her new skills.
Riley’s family made a smart move by combining milestone portraits with sibling portraits. Not only are they keeping up with their little girl’s key achievements, but they’re also making sure to capture the strong and loving bond that’s growing between Riley and her big brother. Plus, more photos with big brother mean that his growth and achievements are documented in professional photos, too!
LOVE TIMES TWO
Does it get any sweeter that twins? This adorable pair of siblings started off life together, so it only makes sense that their very first professional photo session should be together! It’s so special that as they grow up, they’ll have these photo memories to look back on and know just how close they were when they were at their tiniest.
Samuel and Sophia are simply perfect as they lay snuggled closely together just like they were in mama’s tummy. This pair will always know what it’s like to have a sibling that’s so close, and it’s important to show their loving connection in keepsake photos that the entire family will love.
Below, brother and sister sleep skin-to-skin tucked in to super-soft fleece blankets with braided edge details. This sweet image is one that their family will be proud to share with friends and family—and one they’ll love to display in any room of their home. The neutral styling makes it perfect for gifting to grandparents, too!
SWEETEST DREAMS, LITTLE ONES
Samuel and Sophia were sound asleep throughout their session, and they were so easy to work with. Zooming out slightly, the tiny brass baby bed they were laying on comes into view, and they look like the sweetest little pair as they clasp hands and dream the most precious little dreams.
Photos like this one are one of a kind. Even though they look so very tiny right now, Samuel and Sophia will soon be crawling and toddling around. They’ll be exploring and finding brand-new adventures of their own, and the days of being swaddled and tucked into baskets and tiny beds will be sweet memories.
Families never regret their professional photo sessions. Why? Because they always have a fun experience in studio, and in just a short time, they are able to take home priceless portraits that they’ll be able to look back on for years to come!
SIDE BY SIDE…ALWAYS
The photo below is full of soft edges and creamy neutrals, and it’s so easy to fall in love with this sweet pair of twins sleeping snug-as-the-cutest-little-bugs as they lay propped on a soft, fluffy pillow inside a wooden crate. Swaddled in plush blanket wraps, Samuel and Sophia are cozily tucked in for the comfiest nap as they each let a tiny little hand peek out from the top of their wraps to show off tiny perfect fingers.
Their soft and sweet look is topped off with adorable accessories, too. Samuel wears a comfy knit cap, while Sophia wears a coordinating headband with pretty feminine flowers. Watch out world…together, these two are capable of melting hearts in a blink!
I love working with each and every one of the families that visit the Andrea Sollenberger Studio! It’s so much fun to work with families and sibling groups because I know I’m helping to create lasting memories that will be shared and passed down through the years. As your little ones grow, be sure to take time out for professional photo sessions to mark important milestones…when you look back on the pictures and relive all those wonderful memories, you’ll be glad you did!
Every one of these clients was such a joy to work with, and I hope to see them again and again as their little ones grow through the years!
If you’re ready to plan a photo session with your newborn or toddler, or if you want to plan a session with siblings together, contact me. I also work with expectant families to plan gorgeous maternity sessions that celebrate mom’s strength and changing body. Be sure to keep following the blog for more full session highlights and photos and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for tons of great session ideas, too. Can’t wait to see you in studio!
Your photos always melt my heart, whether it is newborn portraits, first birthday photos, or family pictures. The emotions some flooding back every time, as I remember those times with my babies, who are now 21 and 23. I’ll never regret any of the photos I had taken, and I have photos of every single stage! It’s worth every penny for these memories!
Love these milestone sessions and I couldn’t agree more with adding the whole family in! You are already there and you will never regret hopping in the photos!
Gorgeous session photos! I love that you encourage siblings in your sessions–what a treasure!
Oh my heart. I was literally yesterday looking at photos of my sister and me as children. Treasures beyond measure.