Baby Portraits - Baby's First Year Portrait Plan

In the first year your baby will grow from a tiny, helpless infant to a chubby toddler exploring everything in your house. Their looks, smiles and personality are different at each stage of growth. These changes are amazing to watch, but they happen so fast that it's easy to miss scheduling professional portraits. Our baby plan helps you remember all those precious moments with a wonderful collection of portraits capturing the prime stages in your baby's first year.

Our baby plan includes:

Customized Studio Sessions - 4 sessions at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. All sessions are private and stress free. No waiting in lines or dealing with crowds. A solid white background is used during each session for clean look and continuity in presentation.

Props - We have a variety of props to use or you may bring your own for more personalization. We have diaper covers in a variety of colors, hats, booties, tutus, stuffed animals, blocks and other toys, blankets, furs, containers such as baskets, hatboxes, suitcases, wagons and more.

10x20 Framed Wall Collection - Your favorite portrait from each session, presented in a horizontal 10x20 wall panel, custom framed in your choice of beautiful coordinating moulding style.

Time - Unlike chain studios, we offer plenty of time for your session. We're aware that a baby doesn't always cooperate with our schedule and we allow plenty of time for changing diapers, and feeding. Our goal is to create the baby panel image first, then additional images depending on the mood and comfort level of your baby. The window of opportunity for some babies can be very little, often only 20 minutes before they are done. Sometimes a little break for a snack and diaper change helps and we can try again. We try to avoid pushing them beyond their limits which only results in frustration and stress for both of you.

Experience - As a mom of two, Colleen has been there, done that, and has no problem dealing with messy diapers, spit up, or crying babies. She can soothe a baby, make silly faces and noises and has the patience to do what it takes to achieve the best results from your session.

Personal ordering appointments - One week after your session, we present your session images in a fun slideshow at the studio, projected large, which allows you to see all the details, and makes selection and sizing easier. We'll help you choose the best portraits and print package to fit your needs. There is no minimum order required for baby plan members. Previous sessions must be viewed and ordered before next session will be photographed.

Retouching - Our expert retouching eliminates baby acne, scratches, red blotches, minor bumps and bruises for that perfect baby skin we all love.

Professional Products - All of your products will be professionally retouched, printed, and assembled. Prints are protected with a lacquer finish and frames are assembled, finished with a paper backing, wired and ready to display on your walls.

Family members - The Baby Plan is designed for one subject so that we can focus on achieving the best results with your baby. We welcome inclusion of family members in one of the 4 sessions and usually the 6 or 9 month session works best.

Maternity/Newborn bonus - receive $50 off this plan with your Maternity/Newborn plan purchase.

Fantastic value - priced at $375, regularly $625 when purchased individually.

Deluxe Baby Plan $600

The Baby Plan plus:

16x20 Wall Portrait - Your choice of portrait from any session, custom framing included.

Special pricing - Receive discounted pricing on all prints purchased throughout the year.

Call soon because when your baby is older it's too late! To do the full plan you must call before your baby is 3 months old! Don't miss the opportunity to capture all their wonderful stages!

Clothing Information

Our goal is to create timeless portraits with focus on expression. The clothing you choose is critical for a pleasing portrait with a strong visual statement. Clothing should not be too loose or it will bunch up, overwhelming the baby. Simple garments in solid colors always look best. Avoid patterns, stripes and logos as they are distracting. Denim and pastels work well. Avoid bright red and yellow as they affect skin color in the portrait. Avoid colored shirts with a white collar as the white next to the face pulls attention away from the face. You don't want the clothing to distract from your beautiful baby. I photograph in a clean, simple style, keeping props to a minimum to emphasize the subject. Feel free to bring a few meaningful props you might like to include, as this adds to the sentimental value and personalizes your portrait. A silver rattle, small toy, blanket, hats or headbands are some ideas. Since the baby plan is a promotional offer, we reserve the right to limit the clothing changes per session so as not to overtire the baby. We have a short window of opportunity when photographing babies and they control the session!

About your Session

Please schedule your session as early as possible to ensure availability for the date you prefer. If your child is sick or cranky, please call to reschedule to avoid an unproductive session. Schedule your session for when your baby is relaxed and well rested. Morning sessions seem to be best for babies and children. Sessions are by appointment only and we allow one hour per baby. Your appointment is exclusively for you, no long lines to wait in, no stress, no screaming babies who are tired and hungry. Please allow yourself plenty of time to get here and try to be on time. We don't want you to be rushed. If you are early, you may have to wait and if you are late, you will have less time for your session.

You are welcome to bring someone to help you, however sessions are usually more productive with smaller numbers of people present. Babies and children can get overwhelmed and overstimulated when several people try to get them to smile. Please don't coach your older children to smile as this often results in a grimace of gritted teeth! We prefer to capture natural expressions by talking and playing with them. In addition, focusing on one child per session is usually most productive when possible.

Session 1

At 3 months your baby is reclining most of the time and smiles when you gaze into their eyes. We photograph them in a bassinet or in a "poser" that allows baby to lay back. A Christening gown is often a favorite for this session or at the 6 month session. The photographs taken are simple and we try to capture their beautiful expressions at this time. We even capture sweet images when they fall asleep during the session. We go with the flow of their schedule. Please dress the baby in something that can easily be removed because we start the session bare-chested. A three month old has a low tolerance level and we like to get these done first in case they get fussy. We will then photograph the baby in one outfit, but please bring several so I can advise you on what would look the best. Solid, pastel colors are best, hats are fine. Forget the shoes; a barefoot baby is a happy baby.

Session 2

At 6-7 months your baby is sitting up and can hold onto small objects so we can get a lot more creative with posing. Your baby must be sitting, without assistance and without toppling over. We still like to keep the portraits simple, with props such as a stuffed bear, blocks, flowers, etc. It is during this session we do our famous naked baby portraits, and capture all those wonderful little rolls of baby fat. The classic naked baby on the fur is a favorite! Or bring that special blanket made by grandma if you prefer. This is also a nice time to consider a family portrait, mommy and baby, or formal Christening portrait.

Session 3

This stage starts to get really exciting! At 9 months most babies will pull up and stand while holding on to something, so this is a great time to bring a family chair or other special prop. If your baby is not quite standing yet, please call to reschedule. Denim overalls for boys and seasonal clothes for girls are cute. Bonnets and hats look great for this session. At this stage your baby may be teething and/or going through separation anxiety so smiles do not always occur. But I have lots of patience and we always capture something wonderful.

Session 4

Your baby has reached an important milestone, their first birthday! Curious exploring is at its height, and most babies are now standing unaided and about to take their first steps. The perfect time for this portrait is when your child can stand but before he/she can walk. This session can be challenging if your baby is walking easily because they just want to explore their world. We encourage bringing a formal and casual outfit for this session. Bare feet are still best, but If you do want shoes on your baby, make sure they are clean and polished. If you haven't done a family portrait, do it now! It gets harder to photograph a baby after this, and you will regret it if you wait and it's too late! There is a big difference in the way your baby acts between 12 and 13 months. We can not extend the baby plan beyond the 12 month stage.