When I was pregnant with my first baby, I remember the overwhelming feeling of trying to find the right photographer.  As I began combing through websites, I remember finding one photographer whose work I loved instantly.  Sweet little baby details.  Beautiful images of parents with baby.  It seemed perfect…until…I read her view on siblings.  Basically, she was uninterested in “dealing” with older siblings during newborn sessions.  Older siblings were just too….unpredictable?  Messy?  Silly?  So many things.  Newborn sessions were meant to be about the newborn, and nothing else.

Although this session would be for our first baby, so this photographer’s policy really did not affect me at that time, I immediately knew we would not be a good fit for each other.  I dreamed of having a large family one day, and while I wanted those beautiful images of each of my babies, I felt like newborn sessions should be about the newborn baby *and* about the growing family.  I imagined that once I had multiple children, the full family images and siblings images from sessions would be among my most treasured possessions.  Those would be the images that I would want to have framed large up on my walls in beautiful museum grade archival fine art paper because those would be images I would cherish forever.  I just could not wrap my mind around how someone could devalue family like that.

Twelve years, four kids of my own, and a thriving Charlottesville newborn photography business of my own later, and I can firmly say that my beliefs around the importance of sibling and family have been confirmed and even strengthened from what I thought as a twenty-four-year-old mom-to-be.  Can siblings make sessions more unpredictable?  Yes, of course!  Are some siblings more or less cooperative depending on their age, personality, and how to transition to having a new baby at home has affected them?  Yes!  Is there a level of chaos with toddlers that you just don’t have in any other specialty of photography?  Yes to that one, too!  BUT I LOVE ALL OF IT.

I love thinking on my toes, being silly with children, and creating magic for parents!  I love that I can have the energy to keep up with a toddler and yet can soothe the fussiest babies.  And I love that parents can come to me for newborn pictures for baby number one and know that I will continue to serve them over the years, regardless of whether they stop at one child or continue onto to three, five, or even eight children (yes, I have photographed immediate families that large!).  I love being able to build relationships and watch the children and families grow over the years.  I love all of it!  And I will create stunning, timeless images that you will cherish forever.  With families traveling to my Charlottesville, Virginia studio from places like Harrisonburg, Roanoke, Fairfax, Alexandria, and even out of state, I know that many choose and invest in me for all these reasons.

Whether you choose a posed studio newborn session or an in-home lifestyle newborn, I can’t wait to serve your family, regardless of how big or small it is!

Featured below is a recent studio newborn session with a family of six!  I have photographed newborn, milestone, family, and heirloom portrait sessions for this sweet family, and it is so much fun every time!