3 rooms in your home to take newborn photos

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So you’re thinking about scheduling your newborn session. Have you thought about the best location for your newborn session? Your home is the perfect place to take newborn photos!

I’m a newborn and family photographer in the DC area and it brings me joy to photograph family connection and all of the small moments that you want to look back on for years to come!

There are a few rooms I typically recommend using for your in home newborn session. Check them out!

The living room

This family had windows in the front of the house that let in beautiful light the morning of the newborn session. We started with portraits of big sister while baby brother was upstairs getting fed and changed. There’s a lot we can do in a short amount of time - I knew I wanted to photograph her in the chair and to twirl around and be silly. The timing worked out great and we were able to get photos of her with dad. Once the baby and mom came down, we added them to the mix, varying up the family combinations and adding in variety with the window - both standing and sitting poses.

The master bedroom

The master bedroom was actually where we also took photos of big sister’s 1 year milestone photos! You can check out that link here - One Year Milestone Session at Home.

We were able to photograph portraits of baby brother, grabbed a couple of quick family shots on the bed, and then we spent some time chatting while mom and baby brother got some special photos with each other. It’s so important to me that all family members get photographed because all of the connections are special and each family member has a unique bond with others.

The nursery/bedroom

We ended the session in the baby’s room. It was another way to photograph unique family decor and items. Families spend so much time decorating the nursery, for example getting the crib ready and painting the wall, hanging art, etc so I wanted to grab a few photos of this stage of life. We got a variety of family combinations and even got more of the siblings together.

It was such a fun session and I am so lucky to be invited into families homes to do this!

Check out some related blog posts below:

Thinking about scheduling your newborn session?

Fall Family Session at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Maryland

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One of the best compliments of being a Washington DC family photographer is having families come back to me each year! I met this mama in a local mom’s group and we’ve stayed in contact through the infant, baby and toddler years! I was lucky to photograph baby girl for her newborn session, 1 year photos, and these beautiful fall photos.

Related Blog Posts:
Maternity Session at Brookside Gardens
Frequently Asked Questions about Newborn Sessions

The fall in Washington DC is so beautiful. I’m from Atlanta and moved here in 2019 and I learned quickly how beautiful it is here! I don’t know if it’s just where I lived in Atlanta, but I don’t think we get the range of these fall colors as we do here.

This relaxed and playful family photo session was at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Maryland.

I’ve had a few sessions at Brookside and it’s an amazing place. They have the fall foliage as you can see here, a rose garden, and they even have cherry blossoms in the spring! Brookside also has a really great trail that is part of Wheaton Regional Park and it’s great for walking.

All this talk about Brookside makes me want to put on my walking (or running if I’m feeling up for it) shoes and enjoy nature!

Are you in the process of looking for a family photographer to capture natural images of your family?

Outdoor Fall Newborn Family Session | Rock Creek Park

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I’m so happy to share photos from this fall family session in Rock Creek Park DC! I have photographed this family a few times and I was so excited when they reached out for this session! Many of my newborn sessions tend to take the place indoors and it was fun to do something new and play outside while celebrating the new baby! Newborn sessions typically last around 1.5-2 hours depending on the flow & family, and of course the weather.

The fall is so beautiful in Washington DC and it was the perfect time of year to take photos with the different color foliage!

The outfits worked perfectly with the setting and it was such a fun way to document the growing family.

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Since the older ones were already camera ready I took advantage and started with portraits of them playing and being interested in my camera!

Do you notice that the little guy is *just comfortable enough with me but still holding onto mom’s dress? I love that detail!

We moved onto the whole family (including the pup!), portraits of each of the children and then started working on family combinations. We ended the session with playing in the leaves!!

Can you tell we have fun? Lifestyle family photography is all about capturing emotion and connection, and most importantly letting the kids be kids.

Are you interested in scheduling newborn photos?

Check out more from the newborn portfolio and let me know if you want to photograph this important time!

Day in the life detail moments with a toddler

If you have a toddler you know it’s definitely not easy but it is rewarding. They transition from babies into this little young child with their own personality and desire to do what they want when they want. Is this sounding right?

I wanted to do something a little different on today’s blog post. I typically share images from family sessions but this time around I wanted to share something a little more personal to me. Time is precious. Yes, cliche, but precious nonetheless. I make a goal of taking out my camera once a month to photograph our daughter with whatever milestone/day/event/holiday that comes to mind for that month. These photos are from a trip we took in the fall and looking back on them brought me all the feels.

I’m a lifestyle family and newborn photographer and I love moments like this.

Here are some images of detail moments of daily life with my toddler that I don’t want to forget:

snacktime & independence

man oh man are we in the “I do it!!!” phase. I love her little hands with some of her favorite go to snacks- pouches and fruit cups!

showing emotions

she’s been furrowing her brows since she was a baby and I hope she never stops. Not only this emotion, but a toddler shows a wiiiiide range of emotions, sometimes several within a few minutes.

onesies, stained pajamas

We are finally at a point where we aren’t having to buy clothing so often and she can wear the same pajama set for several months. Along with that comes dirt and stains. But I’m such a sucker for my toddler in footed pajamas. It makes me feel like she’s still a little baby!!

playing & hide and seek

She’s not *really allowed to play in this tv stand but I felt like it would be appropriate to entertain the hide and seek for a quick little game. She’s so into it right now and we have fun!

loveys

Loveys! She likes to take a different one to school each day. At night she sleeps with at least 5-7 of them. I absolutely love this. My mom told me that when my brother and I were little we weren’t attached to any lovey’s or blankets and for a while our daughter wasn’t either. Now, she will tell us which one she wants and she has an attachment to the idea of the lovey and taking it with her to school and sleep.

following their lead

Toddlers truly have a mind of their own. I like to follow her lead for what she wants to do (within reason). After all, she’s 2 years old! It’s so much fun seeing her brain, language, and social skills develop and I think it’s important that I’m not always the one with the agenda. Sometimes she just needs to be able to run around outside looking at flowers or playing chase, other times I guess she needs to play in the blinds with her friend?

Thanks so much for being here and I hope this blog post makes you feel more comfortable and relatable to me! I love getting to know the families I photograph. I love when they trust me to capture their family and more importantly when they come back year after year and tell their friends about me. Happy February!

Fresh 48 Newborn Photography at Home | Arlington Virginia Newborn Photographer

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With the COVID pandemic affecting so many parts of life over the last 2.5 years, it’s no surprise that the way people work and do business has changed. When this family reached out to me, the hospital was still limiting visitors which meant I wouldn’t be able to do their Fresh 48 at the hospital as planned.

The family wanted to make sure their sweet baby girl’s photos were still taken within a few days of birth so do you know what? We had to pivot to doing the Fresh 48 session at home! And the session was so beautiful!

Related Blog Posts:

10 Must Have photos to take at your Fresh 48 Session

Fresh 48 Session | Atlanta Hospital

Maternity Session at Brookside Gardens

So what does a Fresh 48 session at home look like?

It looks like parents soaking in every moment they can with their baby within a few days of being born.

She was a sleepy baby and we got the family all together, had her held delicately by mom and dad, and we had to make sure to get her in the hospital blanket & hat. This was actually the first time I did an in-home Fresh 48 and I’m so lucky I got to do this!

I loved how natural this session was and because baby girl was so laid back, we were able to get a variety of photos of her. I knew that I was going to see the family for a lifestyle newborn session in a few weeks so I wanted to keep this session focused more in the living room and nursery area.

Fresh 48 sessions are the perfect way to remember the first couple of days of being born and all that comes with it.

They can be very simple and one of my favorite ways is to include diaper shots and hospital items.

I seriously loved this session and it was such a pleasure to work with this family. I hope you enjoy these!

Do you have any questions about booking a Fresh 48 newborn session? Please reach out to me and I’m happy to share more information with you!

Family Photos in Old Town Alexandria

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Do you want to know one of the most fun parts of my job as a Washington DC Newborn & Family Photographer? Getting to see how big the family has grown since the last session! I photographed this family for the first time for an in home newborn session and they came back to celebrate 6 months with this little one!

We changed up the location and had the family session in Old Town Alexandria.

Old Town Alexandria is filled with several amazing locations, cobblestone, texture, trees, beautiful homes, and water. We found some fun areas that made the perfect backdrop for these family photos.

Related Blog Posts:

Family Session of 3 - Old Town Alexandria

In Home DC Newborn Photography

Scroll to the bottom to get a peek at some photos from the family’s newborn session!

Are you expecting or have you just had a baby? Send me a message to learn more about scheduling a lifestyle newborn session.

What I want you to know about a newborn session with a toddler

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So you have a toddler, and you just had a new baby. And you want to book a newborn session. Now what?

So glad you found me, I’m a lifestyle family and newborn photographer in Washington, DC and lifestyle newborn sessions are my jam!

When a family contacts me to book a newborn sessions, sometimes I get questions like - will you take portraits of the baby? Will you photograph my other child? What if my baby is awake? When should we schedule? I wrote a little blog post here for you called Frequently Asked Questions Newborn Session questions and it’s linked there!

Related Blog Posts:

In this blog post, there are a few things I want you to know about your newborn session with a toddler.

Newborn sessions are flexible

I don’t have super high expectations for toddlers, especially when they are competing for their parent’s attention. If the toddler needs time to warm up, we will start with photos of your newborn and then give the toddler time to get interested.

And vice versa if the newborn is needing comfort I will start with portraits of the toddler. There’s always something special to photograph during your lifestyle session!

If the baby is comfortable and happy, we will take portraits of the baby. Does your baby prefer to be held? That’s okay too - I’ll have you hold baby while I get family photos and portraits of the baby in your arms.

I will engage with your toddler to get their trust!

I don’t ever want your toddler to think that the session is about the baby. As a lifestyle photographer, I focus on the whole family. I will introduce myself to your toddler and usually ask them to show me their room or some of their favorite toys. And I’m not above singing children’s songs to get them excited.

Sometimes it’s helpful to give the toddler a job such as getting a blanket, or showing their toy to their sibling.

Photos from your newborn session should be natural

Some families are quiet and cuddly, some families are busy and playful. Sometimes the baby wants to eat a lot and sometimes the baby wants to sleep a lot. Sometimes the older one is having a bit of hard time. These sessions are so important as well as powerful.

Your photos will be a natural representation of what happened during your session. If your toddler wants absolutely nothing to do with the camera, we certainly won’t be making your child sit and smile. BUT if they want to be held, I will photograph them with family members. We can’t photograph what didn’t happen!

Newborn sessions are a bit longer than a family session

A lot of the time the newborn will need to feed or be comforted during the session so we allocate around 1.5-2 hours for these shoots. I find it gives us more time to go with the flow and not rush things. It also gives more time to give attention to play with the toddler!

We can’t guarantee any of those “pinterest inspiration” photos (but we can try)

Once your session is confirmed, you will complete a brief questionnaire for me to learn more about your family, names of family members, etc. If there are any photo ideas you have in mind, we will definitely try to get them, however these can’t be guaranteed. Sometimes the newborn and toddler will absoloutely not allow it. BUT good news is we will get very special photos of your family that might not be able to be replicated by another family. Cool right?

If you’re doing this session at home, there are several amazing areas to use!

This can be your toddler’s room, the baby’s room, the kitchen, living room, and/or playroom! For these, we spent a lot of time in the master room, nursery, family room, and we finished the session outside.

Your home is so special and it might not look the same way in 5 years.

Let’s start telling your story!

Are you ready to schedule a family session?

Colorful Family Photos in Blagden Alley DC

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I was contacted by this family because they were traveling into DC from out of state and they wanted to book a family session.

I’m so happy they reached out to me and had a vision for this family session at Blagden Alley in DC!

There are so many spots for family photos at Blagden Alley. I love the brick walls, the murals and the urban feel to the photos. The kids didn’t take long at all to warm up. It’s so fun getting to know families and engaging with them to make families more comfortable in front of the camera. I will admit I too need a little bit of prompting and guidance to be comfortable in front of the camera.

When you book a lifestyle family session, the goal is to capture your family in a natural way. The session will NOT be spent getting everyone to look at the camera for all of the photos because that can get a little boring and it’s not unique to your family.

As your DC family photographer, I will help pose and guide your family to play and have fun. If you’re comfortable and happy with your family, you will love the photos in your gallery because you will look relaxed and happy in the photos. That’s the great thing about lifestyle family photography!

Do you have any questions about booking your lifestyle family session?

Send me a message to learn more!

Playful Family Session in Washington DC

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Here I am sharing another blog post from a session I absolutely LOVED!

This playful family’s session was at the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

We started off with family portraits (9 times out of 10 I will ask you to pick up your children for these), moved around to get moments of connection, portraits of the children, mom and dad, and parents with the kids.

I’m a lifestyle family photographer and what I know time and time again, children want to play!

I want you to absolutely love your photos from your session and I know you will when we let high expectations go and let children play.

What I love about lifestyle family sessions is that they are relaxed and I tend to follow your child’s lead as much as possible.

At the beginning of the family session I focus on getting the “safe” shots of everyone looking at the camera and portraits of the children. Those two poses to be the hardest to get towards the end of the session if the kids lose interest so I try to get those within the first few minutes. These two girls were so much fun and they had a lot of energy and seemed to want to just play with each other and with mom and dad. The best part is that they didn’t seem to get bored of getting their photos taken!

Related Blog Posts:

Have you already scheduled family photos this year? If not, send me an email or fill out my contact form and let’s chat if we will be a good fit to work together!

In Home Newborn Session | Bethesda Newborn Photographers

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This family contacted me to photograph their now family of four. Mom shared that she hadn’t gotten newborn photos taken of this little guy and I was so excited to spotlight both him and big sister! Just because you book a newborn session doesn’t mean the photos will only be taken of your newborn - newborn sessions include all family members.

I’m a lifestyle photographer and I strive at capturing moments of connection instead of perfection.

When you think of your newborn session what comes to mind?

I want you to feel an emotion when you see photos of your family. I want you to see a picture of you holding your newborn and know what it feels like to have their weight on you.

I want you to see a photo holding your child into the air playing airplane and feel the emotion of that face to face interaction with your child. I want you to see a photo of your family and feel an emotion of happiness and closeness.

Your family might be playful or maybe your family is instead calm and intimate. Your photos might be super colorful or they might be neutral tones.

Whatever you choose, I want that to be captured in your family photos.

Have you thought about scheduling a newborn session? Please send me a message!

Old Town Alexandria Family Session | Colorful Family Portraits

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On the blog today I am talking all about this family of three photo session I had in Old Town Alexandria!

We played, snuggled, walked around, and explored a few different areas in Old Town Alexandria. Old Town is full of beautiful row houses, cobblestone roads, alleyways, spring flowers, and beautiful murals! This was a beautiful morning and I’m so happy to have met this family. They picked the perfect spot!

What do you think about Old Town? It’s super cute right???

Send me a message if you’d like to schedule your own family photos! I offer on location sessions in Bethesda, Silver Spring, DC, Arlington, and Alexandria to name a few.

Family of Four Spring Photos in Bethesda Maryland

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Do you want to know one thing that will excite a small business owner? Referrals!!! This was my first time photographing this family and they were sent to me from another small business owner and I am so so appreciative of both.

I was kept busy by the boys at this family session and I think because of their energy we got some really amazing images that really show the family’s connection and dynamics and that’s always what I want to capture when I am photographing a family. I know when families come to me, they want genuine connection and laid back sessions. And look what kinds of images we create together!

When was the last time your family was photographed? I think at the very least your family deserves family photos once a year. Send me a message if you have any questions about booking your next family session!

One Year In Home Milestone Session | DC Family Photography

Babies and toddlers grow so so fast! One day your baby is a newborn and then you blink and they are 6 months old already. And then you blink again and it’s their first birthday!

I photographed this family for the first time when their little guy was 6 months old. The family came back for a session when he was 1 year. 1 year is such a special milestone!

It’s so fun to slow down time and to be able to look back and compare the little differences and growth between then and now. Babies start sitting up around 6 months and they start walking around 1 year and I love photographing both of those milestones!

Keep scrolling to see a few photos of this little guy when he was 6 months old.

He made the best expressions and he was in his most dapper little outfit! We got several adorable shots!

Have you had a milestone session? Send me a message and we can document this special time!

Outdoor Newborn Session | Glenview Mansion Rockville

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Most of the time when families schedule their newborn session with me, they decide to have the newborn session in their home.

This lifestyle newborn session was in the DC area at a location that I love- Glenview Mansion!

It was so great to spend time with this large family. All of the siblings enjoyed helping and we even got the grandparents in there too!

Newborn sessions will always have my heart because there are so many moments of connection, love, intimacy, strength and every other emotion there is to be felt when you have a new baby at home.

When you look at the images below you’ll get an idea of all of the variety you’ll get in your gallery- parents with the children, siblings, feeding, and most of all- connection.

As cliché as it sounds, the newborn phase is so so fast so please reach out and help document this precious time!

In Home Newborn Family Session | DC Newborn Photography

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I feel so so lucky to have this job! I photographed Mom and Dad for their maternity session at Brookside Gardens in the DC area and just a few weeks later I got to photograph them again at home with the new baby.

Related Blog Posts:

Maternity Session at Brookside Gardens

Frequently asked Newborn Session Questions

One thing I love about in home newborn sessions is that I get to talk with the family about this exciting time of their life, the change, the adjustment, and I get to photograph all. of. the. love.

Each newborn and family session is so unique and each family has different family dynamics, different homes and locations, and the interactions between family members can vary. And I’m here for all of it!

I hope you enjoy some the images below of this beautiful family.

Would you like to learn more about booking a lifestyle newborn session in the DC area?

Family Maternity Session at the National Cathedral

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I am a little behind on the blog but I wanted to take some time today to share with you some images from this sweet family maternity session at the National Cathedral in DC. I love shooting at the National Cathedral because it’s beautiful and there’s several areas that are perfect for your family photo session.

We started off in the backyard and then moved our way to the Bishop’s Garden. The Bishop’s Garden includes beautiful blooms, architecture, and a Koi pond.

You couldn’t really tell it was a little bit of chilly day in the DC area. I think this family’s gallery is beautiful!

Check out other blog posts from the National Cathedral:

Choosing a Family Photographer

One Year Milestone Session at the National Cathedral

It was so nice to document this family before baby brother arrives. Did you know that all of your family members can be included at your maternity session? Of course they can!

Send me a message to schedule your maternity and newborn sessions!

Maternity Session at Brookside Gardens

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One thing that a small business owner will tell you is how grateful we are for referrals! One of my mom friends has a daughter the same age as my daughter and I’ve been lucky to photograph them twice already. She referred me to one of her friends that she knew was expecting a little one and was looking for a maternity and newborn photographer. I was so excited to be contacted by this family to document this special time as they welcome their first child. I absolutely am in love with the way this maternity gallery turned out!

This maternity session was at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Maryland and wow, it’s such a magical place!

Mama was glowing and we even got Dad to participate in a few of the photos as well. Let’s talk about this mama’s beautiful dress! Brookside Gardens made for the perfect backdrop for this expecting family.

Related Maternity Blog Posts:

5 Tips for a Successful Family Session

In Home Maternity Session

10 Must Have Photos for your In Home Maternity Session

are you thinking about scheduling your maternity and newborn sessions? say hello!

Relaxed Family Photos at McCrillis Gardens | Bethesda Family Photography

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I have had several family sessions at McCrillis Gardens and I definitely wanted to share this beautiful family’s session on the blog!

If you’re new here, welcome!

I’m a lifestyle family and newborn photographer in the DC area. I offer relaxed family sessions for laid back families looking for photos to show connection and emotion. I offer sessions in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia and all in between!

If you’ve been here already and you’re familiar with my work - welcome back! So happy you’re here.

I love having family sessions at this beautiful hidden garden in Bethesda. McCrillis gardens has several beautiful plants, flowers, and scenery right in a little tucked away garden in Bethesda. There are several areas I like to use at McCrillis and they include the foliage, the bridge (of course because I love TEAL), the trees, the greens, and the house to name a few. There are some areas I like to use at each session but I’m very flexible and family sessions can actually vary per family. There are several unique areas and I love incorporating new spots to photograph!

Other sessions on the blog taken at McCrillis Gardens:

5 tips for Successful Family Sessions

What I look for in a Session Location

The twins were new walkers and I wanted to make sure I spent some time documenting this amazing milestone while they were holding onto Mommy and Daddy. We moved around and a few times to have variety at this family session and we ended snuggling on the blanket.

During your family session I will pose and guide you in great lighting and scenery and I will photograph sweet moments of your family interacting with each other. I do tend to take a few “everyone look at me for a second” photos at the beginning, but once we’ve got those we shift over to more relaxed, organic photos that actually show emotion and connection.

Have you recently had your family photos taken? Send me a message and we can schedule your family session!

One Year Family Photos at the National Cathedral

I was lucky enough to have another session with a one year old! I photographed this family when the little one was a few weeks new. Check out some of the images from her newborn gallery in a Newborn FAQ here. This age is so much fun because the toddlers are getting to be independent but often they can be redirected easily. You can see in this family’s gallery we had a range of images from their session.

We picked to have this family session at the National Cathedral in DC and you can see why! The Bishop’s Garden is beautiful and makes for a perfect backdrop to add color to the images.

One year family photos tend to follow the lead of the baby. Just like newborn sessions, the baby/toddler tends to dictate parts of the session. Sure, meltdowns might happen but I like to keep things relaxed and not have too many expectations for the little ones.

Another thing that’s great about a big milestone such as a one year birthday is documenting moments of the family’s “right now”. You can see we incorporated her lovey, reading books with Mommy, and documenting her being a new-ish walker. And if you look closely you’ll see Miss Independent wanting to explore and not wanting to hold Mommy’s hand ;-)

When is the last time you took family photos? Do you tend to do it around your child’s milestones or do you wait until the holidays? Send me a message to schedule this fun lifestyle session for your family!

One Year Milestone Session at Home | DC Family Photography

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Babies grow so fast and it’s really important to have a way to slow down time!

This family reached out to me because they had family in town to celebrate their daughter’s first birthday and wanted to get updated family photos.

This one year milestone session combined my love for in home family photos and including all family members, even grandparents!

The little girl had just woken up from nap and I captured some really sweet moments with her mama, then with dada, and then moved onto the family’s bedroom to get a variety of images and locations. We ended in the living room when we had the entire family together and both sets of grandparents.

Lifestyle family sessions will always be laid back, capturing connection, snuggles, and emotion.

Not only do I focus on family members I like to take individual portraits of each child.

In home sessions are really special because the session takes place in the family’s natural environment and children in particular seem to be really comfortable at home. I love to include items that are special to a family as well.

Have you considered taking family photos at home? Send me a message! I’d love to photograph special moments of your family.