Newborn photography holds such a special place in my heart. Since we moved to upstate New York, I’ve had the pleasure of telling the stories of so many beautiful families with new babies, and this is one of my favorites.
The love between this family was just so evident. From their chilly snowy day maternity session to their lifestyle newborn session in sweet Jackson’s beautiful nursery, they just exude love for one another — including their bashful pup Peanut, who joined in for a few shots, but only on her own terms!
It was such an honor to take some of their first family pictures together and to be welcomed into their beautiful home. Each and every detail of the nursery was thought out with so much care. It was the perfect place to capture mom, dad, baby, and Peanut all together as a brand new family. I enjoyed that afternoon so much, and just getting to know such kind and lovely people.
And now, without further ado, please enjoy some of my favorites from baby J’s lifestyle newborn session!
Film scans by Photovision
The sunset, the quiet beach all to ourselves, and the warm, calm water; everything about this session was a dream. Mama planned to hop in the lake for a few photos as summer came to an end in Rochester. Neither of us could believe it when Lake Ontario felt like a nice warm bath.
It was an unexpected surprise when big brother asked to swim with mama, and just a photographer’s dream moment, so beautiful and authentic.
When I look at this family’s pictures, I can feel the joy of the evening. The images of mama’s perfect belly in the lake especially take me right back to the calm and peace and overwhelming love.
Going into my eighth year of business, there are a lot of things I want to accomplish. Here are just a few:
1. Serve more beautiful families
I want to preserve moments for you in a way that when you look back at them one day, the images will feel like a daydream tugging on your heartstrings.
Your baby’s tiny fingers wrapped around yours. The way your partner looks at your darling children with love. The quiet last days of cradling your belly as you wait for your new little one to arrive. These moments are fleeting and yet so, so important. These are the pages of the story of you.
2. Focus even more on creating lasting family heirlooms
The best way I can serve a family is to capture the details of their love story and then create family heirlooms that will live to tell the tale. Forget about digital files that will become lost on a hard drive 10 years down the road.
Let’s create a gallery wall of your favorite images, so you can enjoy them as you pass by them in your home every day. Let’s begin a collection of archival albums for you to thumb through with your children, and one day your grandchildren.
3. Offer limited edition spring and autumn mini sessions in Rochester, NY
I love to offer the families I work with a quick and easy option for updating their family portraits. Set among the beautiful blossoming trees of Highland Park or the golden, glowing autumn leaves, I’m so excited to host shorter sessions that are less stressful for parents and children alike.
4. Begin curating the perfect client closet
Perhaps the goal I’m most excited for, I’d love to put together options for every member of the family, so that even more of that stress is taken off of your shoulders. Adorable knit newborn sets, flowing pregnancy dresses that catch the sun ever so perfectly, kids cardigan sweaters, and hopefully so much more! I can’t wait to add to the portrait experience and make it that much more easy for every family to have beautiful family pictures.
Jessica Slaunwhite is a newborn and family photographer serving Rochester, NY and Syracuse, NY. She specializes in film photography and finely crafted family heirlooms.
