Newborn Photos - Baby Ella
The Little Things
We've all heard the advice, and we believe it and repeat it ourselves: life's about the little things. Those in-between, in-the-middle-of, messy, sometimes too loud or too quiet, small moments of time when real life is happening. No big family vacation, no special event, nothing "Insta-worthy," but these are the moments and minutes that go by unnoticed if we don't stop to look around. It was this that came to mind during the newborn session for little Ella. Her family lives in my neighborhood, and while we've both been here years, we hadn't met until just a few months ago when my family happened upon mom and kids doing their thing during our evening walk. A casual "hello" turned into a short, but lovely conversation, that opened the door to a new neighbor and opportunities, just like that. Little moments.
Sweet Ella is 6 weeks old! While the plan was to lull her to sleep for some more "artsy" newborn shots, plans with children don't always go the way we expect. I came with backgrounds, studio lighting, and props, and mom was ready with outfits and headbands galore. Ella had other ideas, and was happy to be part of the action for most of the session. I was rewarded with big blue eyes instead of sleepy ones, solemn stares and wide-eyed wonder - but in such a tiny package, it's all so cute! In between backgrounds and wraps and outfit changes, chit chat with mom and family made it all the more pleasant. The beauty of the portable studio is that other kids, dad, and pets can peek in, but there are all the amenities of home for those "boring" in-between times, too. Mom could feed and soothe Ella as needed, and no diaper bags needed to be packed into the car to get to a studio to be unpacked and repeated. We were able to see the session as a moment, a little bit of time to stop and see how small, to treasure a smile, to rock and coo with this new little love.
At the very end, mom finally rocked the babe into a sleepy slumber (of course, as I said to mom then, this is pretty much always how photo sessions go - not as planned!), and we captured a few more photos to round out this relaxed in-home newborn session. Full of little moments, and focusing on the little things - connecting with a client, being relaxed for a session, laughing at the silly expressions, and adding in a few special touches, these are the ordinary details to treasure. I'm grateful to have found a neighborly connection and to be able to photograph a little one and provide memories for this family!
