Aileen contacted the studio to learn more about milestone sessions. She was thrilled to hear that we had lots of experience photographing twins, and that the whole family could be included in the session. It’s true! We don’t limit our milestone sessions to just babies, and strongly encourage parents and siblings to participate too. Aileen was especially excited to learn that she could also have her parents come and participate for some generational photos as well.
The Booking Process
After we gave her a few of our available scheduling options, Aileen chose a date and time for her session. We sent over everything she needed to secure her date. We handle our booking process entirely online and it’s a very simple and streamlined process. Once Aileen remitted her electronic paperwork to secure her session, we sent over our styling guide and resources for her to review. This is a short and sweet e-mail outlining best practices, and helps our clients dress the whole family for their session. Crafting a beautiful and cohesive look is easy when following our guidance. For clients who might want more assistance, we’re available! Clients can either schedule a complimentary short visit to the studio and bring all their options, and I’ll assist them in putting it all together. For clients who aren’t able to make an in person consult work for their schedule, they’ll send over photos of what they’re considering and we’ll go from there! Clients are always amazed at how quickly I pick things and put them all together for them, and it’s all part of the service we offer to those who have chosen to work with us. Our ultimate goal is to make your session experience as stress free and as easy as possible, because we truly believe that your portrait session process should be enjoyable and fun!
Some notes about sessions with Three Month Olds
Sessions with any baby are handled very efficiently, and the reason why is that they don’t give us much time! Babies under the age of one are easily tired out, so moving quickly is essential in order to make the most of our time together. I block off an hour for non-newborn portrait sessions, but that’s to ensure we have enough time if baby needs a diaper change or a feeding break. I work hard to get everything I need in the first 20-30 minutes of a session and then play the rest by ear depending on how your baby is doing. And believe it or not… I’ve successfully managed to shoot sessions in less than 20 minutes with a baby that completely melted down at the 20 minute mark much to the amazement of their parents. Don’t worry though - if your baby melts down at 15 minutes into the session and I don’t feel like I have enough for a great gallery, we’ll take some time to see if we can calm them down and get them happy again. I have lots of techniques and tricks up my sleeve, and with collaboration we’ll figure it out together!
Some babies will give me 45 minutes of total shooting time, but that’s pretty rare and is often the result of an intermission snack break after that first 20-30 minutes! ;) Both babies were dealing with reflux, so Aileen waited to dress them until they arrived, which is our recommendation for all of our clients to begin with to avoid an outfit being unusable for the actual session if an accident with food or spit up happens on the way to the studio. It also prevents wrinkled clothing from seatbelt straps for both kids AND adults, so everyone wins.
I started with photographing just the twins. They were still working hard on developing their neck strength, and bobbled up and down, but with patience and a little help propping their little elbows up underneath the studio bed comforter, we were able to get what we needed! I had a parent on each side of the bed ready to intervene if they rolled over. Safety first!
Three month old babies are often just beginning to show their personalities and expressions. Nadia & Elayna were more serious babies who enjoyed taking in their surroundings with their pretty brown eyes. They responded to their parents and to me with very calm gazes, and occasionally just the hint of a smile. I’ve found that when parents delay photography milestones until 4 months, babies tend to be more smiley and responsive, but it just depends on the individual baby. No matter what, we’ll be photographing your baby (or babies!) just as they are right NOW in their first year.
After I finished photographing the twins together and individually, I moved on to photographing them with their individual parents and immediate family photos of all of them together. Aileen wanted two very different looks, and had planned to include the grandparents with the second outfit look, so we moved on to that. The girls both needed a bottle as they were starting to get fussy, and then they needed to be changed. Having the grandparents on hand was very helpful as it allowed mom and dad to get changed and then take the babies for grandma and grandpa to get changed… and then change the babies! Lots of changing going on during this session!
When I saw the outfits she had chosen for the second look I squealed - the little southern smocked dresses complete with bonnets were SO cute! And I love how this session shows that you can easily wear brighter colors or more muted pastels in the studio. It all comes down to your personal preference, and if you want two looks, you can totally do that. I would caution that if your goal is an album to keep the looks more cohesive in tones since an album with these particular two looks combined together would not flow well together from an aesthetic standpoint.
should we plan one outfit or two?
Because the girls were both getting pretty tired, I moved quickly to photograph them with their grandparents and then the entire family together. I always discuss with parents what their most important images are in order of priority and go from there. The MOST important ones are the ones that I am going photograph first, and then go from there just as an insurance policy.
Babies are unpredictable, and we never know how long they’re going to give us. It’s for this reason that I recommend only one outfit for milestone sessions that are not First Birthday sessions so that we don’t use up any of their “happy time” on an outfit change. Some babies hate being changed in general and it will instantly make them upset for a while. You know your baby best, so you can be the judge of whether trying for a second outfit is worth it or you’d rather play it safe with one outfit! :) If you decide on two outfits, plan to start with the one you REALLY want photos in just in case it doesn’t work out for the second.
We were very lucky that the twins lasted for as long as they did in this session especially given their age. As a note, we did inform Aileen of these recommendations when she first spoke to us before booking so she could make an informed decision. She was happy to take the chance and try for two outfits even while knowing that her girls might melt down and be done with it before we could get to the second outfit change. Taking the chance worked out in this instance, but it’s definitely not the norm.
Enjoy a few of my favorite images of these sweet little girls and their family!
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
