Meet the newest addition, Tristan Cooper
It's always an absolute honor to be asked back to document a growing family, and after 2 years I was so happy to hear that Ashley and Greg were expecting their second baby! I had captured their first born, from the bump to earth side just two years prior.
Big sister L was a little unaware of her newest baby brother, but that's okay because usually its a toss up as to whether their older siblings will interact pleasantly or not. As a parent it's always a delicate balance of attention and often times the older siblings don't like sharing the spotlight. It's important to remember that it's totally normal. I can't give any advice to help them react one way or another, really every child is different and honestly varies on a day to day basis from what I've seen. They could be the most obsessed and loving older sibling but the day I arrive they decide it's a day they want nothing to do with the little one. I'm here to tell you that it's OKAY!!!
When I come into your home to photograph your newest addition, just know that I usually give ALL my attention to your oldest child(ren) because I know that they usually NEED it. I always want to know what kind of things they like, what makes them happy, and I will usually have a little surprise (stickers!) for them at the end of the session to reward our fun and easy session. Typically my session with the parents and siblings takes no more than 30 minutes, because I know that attention spans are short. Sometimes we need breaks or other types of bribery, and sometimes I've even had to squeeze in a few last shots towards the very end of my visit as I'm packing up to go. Just know that it's important to remain calm and act like it's just another day. Don't stress that we won't get anything at all or make your oldest feel like it's do or die. We usually end up with something no matter what their mood.
My goal is always to capture you family in it's truest form
Once we've made it through our family poses, candids, and any siblings portraits we're able to accomplish it's typical for your newest addition to be pretty wiped out which is exactly what we're going for. Occasionally they'll need a top off before we get started but by now I've got all our swaddles and accessories warming up with my heating pad and ready to go for baby.
When I did "L's" session as a baby I brought along my white fur rug for since stretchy baby shots. They blew these images up in black and white at 11x14 and they now hang in their eat-in kitchen area as a beautiful series. So they asked if I could bring that again and honestly, I think I need to do this for EVERY session because how precious are these?
I always do my posed portraits with accessories swaddled since babies sleep more soundly that way, but I'm also a fan of these sweet details in between because these are the details that change so quickly and are not easily accomplished with just an iphone on your own.