A is for Avery! ~ Tacoma Newborn Photographer

My second photo shoot after returning from my own maternity leave was with this adorable little girl, by the name of Avery.  She's just a little bit younger than my own daughter, so I knew that I could expect her to be more wakeful than a newborn, but not quite able to stay happily awake for our entire shoot like an older infant might.  Therein lay my challenge: to photograph this little sweetheart without making her so overtired and crabby that her mommy would have a little terror for the rest of the day.  ;)

Thankfully, Avery gave me three great chunks of prime portrait time, and I took advantage of every moment I could!  She also got a brief visit from her older brother toward the end of our session, so I was glad to capture that as well.

But before I let you look at the highlights from my time with this adorable little girlie, I want to impart something I think all first-time newborn/ infant portrait session parents ought to know: Over half of each session is spent just setting up the shots, getting the baby settled, feeding and/or changing the baby, or just waiting for that sweet little cherub to fall asleep.  And you know what?  I totally expect this.  It is normal, and that's why I set aside 2 hours (and sometimes more) for sessions with little ones.  I think people see these session wrap posts with all the clear-eyed, smiley, sleeping, angelic babies and they imagine that the entire shoot was a blissful series of perfectly-posed shot after shot.  Well, not so, folks.  And now you know.

So, with that in mind... take a look!  :)

Little known fact: This was my first time using a letter in a shot.  I liked it!

Babies have the corner on the market when it comes to wide-eyed wonder.  It never gets old.

I love this photo.  I think it's one of my favorites ever.  I think if this were my own child I would print it on canvas and hang it in my living room.  As I've often told my little ones, they are wonderfully made- down to every last part and participle.  ;)

Looks like she's fallen asleep on her way to a concert.  I love the pouty little lip, too.

This one has a particularly lovely vintage quality.  Like the timeless 1950's baby portrait.

Babies at this age are just discovering all the ways they can move their faces, and I am happy to capture as much of that as I can!

Full of energy, big brother came in for a brief cameo at the end of our shoot, and Avery was quite fixed on him.  There's something very special about sibling shots in which the children are truly interacting with each other (and paying no attention to the camera).

Well, thanks for looking once again, my friends!  I hope this session reminded you of the precious beauty of childhood, and - of course- I hope it made you smile a little, too!

~ Kathryn