Why I love three month sessions

There was a point in time when I secretly dreaded three month old sessions. I found the babies difficult to position, and more times than not it seemed like they were crying or cranky-- or turned there soon after arriving at the studio.

There were those "miracle" sessions when everything went smoothly, but it was such a gamble it physically caused me anxiety. Yuck!

We, fortunately, came to the realization that the babies who were able to support their heads (this milestone is usually reached sometime in the 3rd to 4th month of life) where our "miracle" sessions. After that, we started recommending that our clients wait until little one is comfy on their belly and able to support their head-- even if it means pushing their session back a couple weeks. I mean, really, what's more important-- the specific date or the super cute, smiley portrait of your baby??

I find three to four month old babies to be one of my favorite sessions now -- they are always SO happy (and who can not smile back at those big toothless grins??) Their personalities are beginning to show through and their clothes now fit! (It's nearly impossible to get a newborn outfit to fit right!)

One thing has not changed however -- the attention span and tolerance level a three month old baby has for portraits is SHORT! For this reason, Jason and I both fly by the seats of our pants to get through these sessions as fast as we can. Not to "get it over with" -- but rather, because we know we're on borrowed time.

The portraits below of little Reese were taken when she was 4 months old-- and they are a great example of why I love three (or four!) month sessions.

Oh, and I love hats! :)

~Heather

Zoe the Bunny

Last Sunday, we opened the doors to the studio and welcomed over 50 children to have their portrait taken with Zoe the Bunny. Thank you SO MUCH to V.I. Pets here in Holland for allowing us to borrow the bunnies!

In exchange for a donation (100% of which went to the Holland Community Action House) we did a portrait of each child with Zoe. AND everyone also received a free 5x7!

Please, take a moment to visit the Community Action House's website and learn a little bit about what an amazing organization this is for our community!

While the majority of the day was filled with smiles, there were a couple of kids who didn't quite know what to make of Zoe. I love this one of the poor little guy definitely NOT liking the bunny while big sister is perfectly content!

And my favorite, this progression as she realizes that this isn't a stuffed bunny. Her reaction was PRICELESS!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out and helped this great cause! It was so awesome to have the studio packed with people!

Also, a special THANK YOU to Jason and Kate who volunteered their afternoon to helping us collect information and donations! Your help was invaluable in making the day go as smoothly as it did!

A Week in Portraits

Here is a week in portraits (almost anyway, we had a couple of "secret" gift sessions this past week that we don't want to spill the beans on!) and also not included in this is our charity Easter shoot with Zoe the bunny! That event will warrant a blog post of it's own -- there were so many good ones to choose from!

Here you go, a glimpse of our sessions from last week! Enjoy!

~Heather

Holland, MI Family and Child Portrait Photographer

Charlie -- [3 Years Old]

When Charlie's mom contacted me, she said, and I quote, "he is a pretty active guy" to which I replied something about the studio containing him better than outside....yeah, I ate those words.

Betcha never would guess from the portraits below that this little guy REFUSED to enter the camera room in the studio to get his picture taken.

Enjoy your sneak peek (there are a TON more cute ones waiting for you to view soon!)

Sticks and stones may break my camera, but.....wait, what?? No photographers were harmed in the making of this session. :)

~Heather

West Michigan, Holland, MI Child Photographer

Da & Tony -- [Engaged!]

The week before our session, I was watching the weather forecast for Saturday -- and every time I checked it, it read something different. Rain, clear skies, rain, mostly cloudy but dry, rain...round and round we go! Where it lands, nobody knows!

I'm SO happy that the weather decided to cooperate for us, because Da & Tony were driving in from out of state for their engagement session! Sure, we could have shot the whole session in the studio, but where's the fun in that?

Downtown Holland was hopping with photographers (nice to see everyone enjoying the spring just like we are!) but thankfully we didn't have to wait for any of my typical haunts.

Enjoy your sneak peek guys -- I had a blast!

~Heather

Holland, MI Engagement and Wedding Photographer

Ella -- [Playdate Session on the beach]

Guess what....it's that time of year again! The snow has (for the most part) melted and the beach is looking gorgeous! Also, there's hardly anyone out there right now too -- perfect for portraits!

So, whatcha waiting for? :)

Playdate sessions are $50 per child and are a very unique opportunity to capture your child's personality! Give us a shout to schedule yours today!

~Heather

Holland, Michigan Child Photographer