If you’re pregnant and beginning to think about photographs, you’re probably wondering the same thing many moms do:
When should I actually book these sessions?
The first year with your baby changes so quickly. Maternity turns into newborn days, those newborn days somehow turn into six months, and before you know it, you’re planning a first birthday.
Each season looks and feels completely different, and each one is worth remembering while you’re still living it.
As a photographer serving expecting and new mothers throughout Winter Park and the Greater Orlando area, I encourage my clients to think beyond one session at a time. Instead of planning maternity, newborn, six month and first birthday photographs separately, we can thoughtfully plan your baby’s first year from the beginning.
That way, you get to spend the year enjoying your baby while I help make sure these seasons are preserved along the way.
Why Timing Matters More Than You Think
When you’re expecting, it’s easy to think about photography one session at a time.
First you find a maternity photographer. Then the baby arrives and you need a newborn photographer. A few months later you realize six months is approaching. And somehow that first birthday sneaks up faster than you thought possible.
It works, but it’s also a lot of decisions during a season when you’re already making plenty of them.
You’re growing a family. You don’t need another project to manage.
Planning the year with one photographer means you don’t have to start over every few months. I already know your family, your style and what we’re creating together. Each session builds on the one before it, and the photographs begin to tell a story rather than feeling like separate events.
It’s why I encourage mothers to start thinking about their first year photography early, ideally while you’re still pregnant.
Maternity: Second Trimester Booking, Third Trimester Session
Most expecting mothers reserve their maternity session during the second trimester, with the session itself typically taking place after 28 weeks.
This gives us time to thoughtfully plan your session while your belly is beautifully round and before those final weeks of pregnancy when you may be feeling less comfortable.
Booking early also means nothing has to feel rushed.
We’ll talk about how you want your photographs to feel, I’ll help style your family and select pieces from my curated client wardrobe, and professional hair and makeup can be coordinated for you.
My hope is that this is one of those rare moments during pregnancy when you get to be the one being taken care of.
And maternity photographs mean so much more than documenting your belly.
These may be the last photographs of your family exactly as it is today. Your toddler before becoming a big sibling. You carrying the baby everyone is waiting to meet. Your husband with his hand on your belly.
Years from now, your child gets to see the story that existed before they can remember it themselves.
Newborn: The First Two to Three Weeks
The ideal window for a newborn session is during those first few weeks after birth, when your baby is still impossibly tiny and everything about newborn life seems to change from one day to the next.
Because that window is short, I recommend reserving your newborn session while you’re still pregnant, often at the same time as your maternity session.
I photograph newborns in the comfort of your home because, especially during those early days, home is exactly where your family belongs.
There is no diaper bag to pack, no car to load and no newborn to get out the door on time.
Everything your baby needs is already there. Your nursery becomes part of their story. Professional hair and makeup comes to you, so you can feel cared for and confident without adding another appointment to your day.
And if your baby needs to eat? We pause.
If they need to be soothed? We pause.
If your toddler needs a snack or a little break? That’s okay, too.
Your children don’t need to perform for me. Some of the photographs families treasure most come from those ordinary, in between moments when everyone is simply allowed to be together.
Six Months: A Milestone Worth Remembering
Six-months has a way of surprising parents.
It doesn’t always get the same attention as maternity, newborn or the first birthday, but it is one of my favorite seasons to photograph.
By now, your baby has opinions. There are big smiles, belly laughs, eye contact, tiny hands reaching for you and often the beginning of sitting independently.
Suddenly, you can see so much of the little person they’re becoming.
And when you place those photographs beside their newborn portraits, the change is incredible.
That’s why I love including this seemingly ordinary in between stage in the larger story of baby’s first year. You’re not only documenting how much your baby has grown. You’re documenting how your entire family has changed alongside them.
First Birthday: Closing the Chapter
And then, somehow, they’re one.
Your first birthday session brings the story full circle.
The baby you were once waiting to meet is now moving, laughing, exploring and showing you exactly who they are.
For families who have photographed the entire first year, this session feels like more than a birthday portrait. It’s the final chapter in a story that began before your baby was even in your arms.
The anticipation.
Those first sleepy days at home.
The six month smiles.
And now, one whole year of loving this little person.
These photographs let you see just how much changed in such a short amount of time.
Why Planning the Whole Year Changes Everything
When each session is planned separately, you’re making many of the same decisions over and over again.
Finding a photographer. Building trust. Planning everyone’s clothing. Coordinating schedules. Deciding what to do with the photographs afterward.
When we plan the entire year together, that changes.
One photographer who already knows your family.
One consistent style.
Milestones planned before life gets busy and they sneak up on you.
And artwork that can grow intentionally alongside your family.
This is the heart of the Rooted Love experience.
I help you document your baby’s first year from the season of waiting through that first birthday, while making the process as simple as possible for you.
From planning and styling to photographing your family, selecting your favorite images, designing albums and gallery walls, framing and installation, I’m here to help you see the project all the way through.
You get to be present in this season. I’ll help you preserve it.
What This Actually Looks Like in Your Home
Taking the photographs is only part of what we’re doing together.
I want you and your children to actually live with them.
Approximately three to four weeks after each session, we’ll have your personalized gallery reveal in the comfort of your home. You’ll see your photographs for the first time in a curated slideshow, and then I’ll help you choose the images you love most.
We’ll decide which photographs belong on your walls and which tell the fuller story in an heirloom album.
Gallery wall and album design are complimentary, so you don’t have to stand in front of an empty wall wondering what size frame to order or spend six months with “make baby album” sitting on your to do list.
The walls hold the highlights. The albums hold the story.
Maybe we create a gallery wall that grows alongside your family, adding photographs after each milestone.
Maybe we create an album from each session, building a collection your children will eventually pull from the shelf themselves.
I want them to recognize themselves as babies. To point at Mom and Dad and laugh about how different you looked. To ask questions about moments they were too little to remember. To hear the stories behind the photographs.
Because the photographs our children grow up seeing become part of the way they remember their childhood.
When your framed artwork is complete, it’s delivered to your home and, for families in the Orlando area, installed for you. Your album is designed and finished.
Nothing is left sitting in a digital gallery waiting for you to someday get around to it.
Where to Start
If you’re currently pregnant, this is a wonderful time to begin planning.
Not because you need to rush into anything, but because making these decisions now means there is one less thing you’ll have to think about once your baby is here.
I’d love to learn a little about your family and show you what documenting your baby’s first year could look like, from maternity through their first birthday.
Let’s plan your baby’s first year together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know all the dates for my baby’s first year when I book?
Not at all. You don’t need to have the year figured out before we begin. I’ll help you plan the timing of each milestone so you know what’s coming next without having to keep track of it yourself.
What if my baby arrives earlier or later than expected?
Your newborn session is planned around your baby’s arrival, not an exact calendar date we expect your baby to follow. We’ll stay in touch around your due date and adjust your session timing once your baby is here.
Can my older children be included in my newborn session?
Absolutely. I want this chapter to include the people and relationships that are part of your baby’s story. Siblings are not only welcome, they’re an important part of documenting how your family is changing.
Do I need to plan what everyone will wear for the session?
No. Styling your family is part of the experience. I’ll help coordinate everyone’s clothing and you’ll have access to pieces from my curated client wardrobe for mothers and babies.
You don’t need to turn dressing your entire family into another project.
What if I am not sure which photographs I want to frame or preserve in an album?
That’s exactly what I’m there to help with.
During your gallery reveal, I’ll guide you through your photographs and help you decide what you want to see on your walls and what you’d like to preserve in an album.
Gallery wall and album design are complimentary, so we can see how everything will work together before anything is ordered.
Why create an album if I’m already framing photographs for my walls?
Because they do two different jobs.
The walls hold the highlights. The albums hold the story.
Your framed photographs become part of your family’s everyday surroundings. Your album gives you space to preserve all the little moments that tell the fuller story of this season.
Together, you get photographs your children grow up seeing and a story they can someday hold in their hands.
What if I want to continue documenting my family after the first birthday?
I hope you do.
Your family’s story certainly doesn’t stop when your baby turns one. We can continue documenting annual family portraits, future babies and all the new seasons that come next, allowing your photographs, albums and artwork to grow alongside your family.
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