Don’t miss your family’s milestones!
One of the joys of being a photographer is getting to know the people in front of the camera. Talking to families and seeing their sense of fun emerge as they get comfortable has the power to turn a hard day into a great day! It’s such a treat when clients return to our studios and we get to see their family grow up. If it makes our hearts swell to see your children grow, we can only imagine how you feel! It seems like kids are growing up so fast and it’s almost startling to realize that our little ones will not be so little forever. What many parents do to help capture this period of life is to freeze these memories in the form of pictures. Whether you go the route of professional portraiture, or casual pictures on your phone, let’s talk about milestone photoshoots!
What is a milestone photoshoot? Generally, this term is used to describe sessions focused on a specific child and their development within the first 12-18 months of their life. For example, we have clients that choose to come in for newborn photos and then come back every 3 months for milestone pictures. Babies are so different from 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months and they are constantly learning new things or gaining new abilities. Then, when their baby turns one year, they come in for their one-year portraits. These shoots are a blast! Many parents coincide the photoshoot with the theme of their baby’s first birthday party. For example, if it is a woodland theme, parents might bring in florals or a “naked” cake with berries and greenery on top. If the party’s theme is pink, we might have parents theme the baby’s outfits around that color. Something convenient about Camera Shy is our fast turnaround time and our ability to print pictures in our studio that same day. If you come in on Friday and want pictures to hang up for your party that Saturday, we got you covered! We’ve noticed that some moms dress their babies in the colors of their nursery during these photoshoots so that they match the aesthetic of the room when they hang their pictures up. We love this idea! Ultimately, the purpose of these pictures is to see your baby grow, so don’t stress about the details if you don’t want to!
As your child grows, milestone pictures commonly turn into yearly portraits near a child’s birthday and back to school pictures. These photoshoots are such a good time for displaying a child’s personality. We’ll grab some formal photos of them smiling at the camera, of course, but we love it when they bring props of their interests and extracurricular activities. Does your child play baseball? Bring in their uniform and equipment! Is your child obsessed with cars? Bring all the toy cars you have. Does your child love Minecraft? Why not make them a life size pick-ax? Kids tend to have so much fun when they can share a bit of their hobbies with us or show us their favorite toy. They love to talk about it all and we love to hear it all! If you decide to come in for back to school pictures, bring things like their backpack, the books they love right now, or things that pertain to the subjects they’re learning in school.
We feel that annual family pictures could also be considered milestone sessions too. We often have families request a specific pose and show us how they’ve done that same pose every year as the children have grown up. When you take pictures of your family each year in similar poses and groupings, it is really easy to see how each member of your family has changed: growth spurts, braces, different haircuts… these things are so fun to look back on and compare to your present day.
If we have one piece of advice, it’s to take pictures often! We keep our prices low according to the market because we believe that everyone deserves beautiful, affordable pictures. However, we know not everybody can get professional pictures each time another milestone pops up. Try having a phone photoshoot instead! Bring in some creativity with props and cute outfits. When you take pictures often, there’s less pressure for them to be perfect, meaning you’ll be less stressed each time! Camera Shy is honored to be a part of your family’s life and to be able to provide you with photos you can cherish forever. If you’re interested in booking a session with us, our availability can be found under the “book appointment” page. Happy picture taking!