Hey everyone! This week’s blog covers different portraits moms need of their babies and kids. I’m sure you’ve heard that it goes by in a blink of an eye. It really does! So here are some ideas of photos that are important to have to keep as momentos for the years to come.

Maternity portraits.

The first important milestone to capture is your pregnancy. Taking pics every month of your growing belly will be the firsts photographs of this new adventure. You will need the help of your partner to take these. You could even print out the month numbers on a paper and hold it beside your belly to help remember which trimester is pictured. This is also a great time to get maternity portraits to decorate the baby’s new room. You can choose to have a session for your pregnancy announcement, your gender reveal and your third trimester. When you get your regular doctors appointments you will get u/s photos and the first peak of the baby. You can bring those to your maternity session to get creative shots.

Newborn portraits.

The next important milestone will be the birth of your child. You will probably take 100s of photos the first week and think that you have the cutest baby ever. After you have rested from your delivery, you can book a newborn session between week 1-3 to capture all the little features of your little one. These sessions are generally done in-home where everyone is comfortable. Some photographers do newborn studio sessions as well, if you prefer the look of posed babies in little buckets and don’t mind going on a little car trip. Do your research beforehand, because you might not want to worry about this after you’ve given birth. Clients are more likely to book the same photographer that they used for their maternity portraits. Booking ahead of time with your photographer to make sure you get a spot for a newborn session will be one less thing to worry about. You don’t have to be in the portraits if you don’t want to, but as a mom myself, you won’t care about the way you look when you look at these portraits in a couple of years. You just gave birth woman! Cradle that sweet baby of yours and show them how loved they were from the beginning. You can’t go back in time to redo these (If you can, though, let me know.)!

You and you alone with each child.

After the first milestones you will have 1000s more. You can capture these with a personal camera or phone. There is no limit on how many photos you are allowed to take. At this point, photo sessions might be on a yearly basis. Having a family photo session will help decorate your home and be a great gift for your friends and family. When you do these, don’t forget to ask for individual portraits of you with every child (Same for Dad!). These tender moments will be immortalized forever. My kids have these pictures hung in their bedrooms. It makes them feel special and loved as an individual. They always have to share between siblings, so this little moment with all my attention means a lot to them.

Siblings together.

When your family is complete, now is a great time to have a photoshoot of your kids growing up together. Having a session isn’t always about the whole family photos. Having portraits of just the kids will showcase another dynamic of your family. Look for a photographer that will offer you a variety of poses. For example, family, siblings, couple and individual shots. These will make it easier to print and make a beautiful frame collage in any living space. It’s okay if you don’t want to be photographed at this point, but I would reconsider it. These portraits might mean a lot to your children when they grow up. I don’t always like it either. I don’t think I’m photogenic and if I’ve gained some weight, I prefer not to document it. But I’ve learned with time, that my kids love me regardless. Be in the portrait, mamas, and smile with your babies!

CL