5 Reasons to Document Baby's First Year!

You may be thinking, do I actually need a reason to document their first year? I mean come on! Look at those tiny toes! Well here are a few reasons you may not have thought about and why the documentary approach might be the right fit for you.

  1. They change so fast. No seriously they do. If this is your first baby, ask anyone who has older children. That first year, one day you wake up and realize they’ve grown and changed seemingly overnight. You can’t go back in time. By the end of their first year they will be a drastically different small human.

  2. You won’t be in the photos you take everyday on your phone. Read that again. Yes, I know you’re taking a million photos of your baby on your phone, what parent doesn’t?? But beyond the occasional selfie, are you in those photos? Will your baby be able to see you and how much you loved them, held them, cuddled them, and perhaps even superhuman multitasked with them, when they are grown and looking back at photos? Documentary photography allows you to get in the frame.

  3. You’ll be busy. We all live busy lives, throw in a newborn and it goes up a huge notch. Planned documentary sessions throughout the year allow me to pop in, document, and let you keep on doing your own thing. There’s no outfits to coordinate, location to drive to, or stress of if baby will be in a good mood that day. You get to release all that for the entire year and just be a present parent.

  4. The Baby Book dilemma. How many of us buy/bought a baby book for baby’s first year and never finished it? [Raising my own hand.] Think of this as a made-for-you baby book. Highlights from your sessions will all be printed in a book for you at the end of the year. Meaning no homework for you! If you are a journaler, upon request, I can even leave room for you to write notes in your book for each session, milestones that have happened, or things you’d like to remember about that time.

  5. Your child will thank you later. Yup. Some day when they are older they will look through the photos taken and get to see YOU and THEM during that first year of their life. If you are like me, those photos of our parents and our family only grow more valuable over time. Not only will you be enjoying the photos as your baby grows into a child, a teen, and then an adult, but they will someday be thanking you for the photos that allow them to see a time they do not remember.

Whether you chose to only document those newborn days or opt for a larger First Year Package that includes multiple sessions throughout the year, you won’t regret having the time documented to relive later down the road.

Ready to document your baby’s first year?
I offer not only a First Year Milestones Bundle but can also customize any Year in the Life package to a First Year in the Life package.

Susan and Sean - Kenmore Family Session

When Susan reached out about booking a session for her, her husband, and their dogs I have to admit, she had me at dogs. We did a quick portrait session in one of my favorite locations and their dogs were good as gold. If you ever wonder if pets are allowed during any of my sessions or if I’d be okay coming to your house full of pets for a documentary session… here’s the quick answer, YES, always yes.

Here’s a sneak peek from their adorable session!

Odigé Family - Day in the Life Session

Sara may look familiar if you’ve been following my blog, as I photographed her new motherhood circle for her business a few months ago. She is an incredible postpartum doula that takes great care of new mothers.

I revisited her on a regular Saturday morning and this time got to meet her beautiful family as they went about their regular routine. Her girls are adorable and so full of personality. I’ve posted a few of my favorites here, but scroll all the way down for their full slideshow. I especially loved trying to catch moments with everyone in the frame and give them a real glimpse of their entire family which is something I realize only an outsider can capture for them.

Enjoy!

And if you’re interested in having me document your family please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Odigé Family Slideshow

Thierry and Marisa - Newborn Day in the Life Session

There’s nothing so sweet, tiring, and fleeting as those first newborn days. Marisa and Thierry welcomed beautiful little Ella and about two weeks later I swung by their home to document their life as a family of three.

As I was documenting their sweet family and watching them take in every little moment with Ella I was transported back to the hazy newborn days with my son. I have a million pictures of my son but very few of our family and myself with our new family member in our new daily routine. I so wish I could look back on some photos and see how beautiful those moments were, because as most parents will tell you, those first days and weeks are hard but amazing.

The joy of having a documentary session of those first few days with a new baby really comes later. When the baby has grown and is crawling or walking or talking and you view those photos with a new set of parent eyes and see how glorious those days were when you were just meeting this perfect sweet little family member. The secret all parents know is that those days are numbered and never last long enough.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the few hours I spent with newborn Ella and her parents. Scroll down to see their slideshow.

Full Slideshow