baby photographer

Christmas themed newborn sessions | Indianapolis Newborn Photographer

December 27, 2023 in Indianapolis photographer, indianapolis, Newborn photo session, Newborn Photographer

The Christmas holiday season is a magical time, filled with warmth, joy,

and the promise of new beginnings.

What better way to celebrate the arrival of your greatest gift than with a posed newborn session with some fun Christmas themes?

I specialize in creating heirloom photographs that beautifully capture these precious early moments, ensuring they become timeless treasures for generations to come.

Here are some fun Christmas themes that have been done in my Indianapolis studio.

We can pose your sweet baby in a gift box with milk and cookies for Santa!

In years to come, you can reference this photo and remind your child that he was the BEST gift this particular Christmas season!

It is fun to incorporate a stocking into your newborn session! Often, stockings are stretchy and large enough that your newborn baby can be posed inside the stocking. This is once again, a great photo to show your child when he is older and tell him that he was the greatest stocking stuffer there ever was!

This newborn session was extra special!

These sweet girls were born prematurely, and after several weeks of gaining strength and many ups and downs, they were finally strong enough for me to make a visit to meet them in the NICU at Community Hospital North on the northeast corner of Indianapolis. We did a mini newborn session using their cribs in their NICU room just a few days before Christmas.

Momma brought this adorable stocking to this little man’s newborn session

He fit in it perfectly and even flashed a big smile for us while we had him posed!

Incorporating a little Christmas bear can add a fun touch!

We can pose your baby in a “Santa” basket with snowflakes adorning the wall behind him.

A little sleigh with a cute little nutcracker, a small Christmas tree and a festive backdrop is a fun way to photograph your little one!

One of my all time favorite poses is creating the look of your baby sitting on a shelf! It is such fun and creative way to “display” how cute and sweet your baby is!

We can make it full of Christmas decor, or we can keep it more simple so that it represents the Christmas season, but allows you to have a photo that is more neutral that can be enjoyed all year round.

If you prefer to keep things more simple, we can choose to pose your sweet baby in the simple Christmas colors of green, red, and cream.

This adds a timeless elegance to your photographs. These soft tones complement the holiday themes seamlessly, creating a visually stunning and cohesive look. The result is a series of images that not only capture the holiday spirit but also highlight the purity and innocence of your newborn.

Choosing a Christmas theme not only adds a touch of festive magic but also creates a unique and heartwarming backdrop for your baby's first professional portraits.

These carefully curated setups ensure a beautiful and cohesive collection of images that tell the story of your baby's first Christmas.

My goal is to provide you with a stress-free and enjoyable experience, allowing you to focus on cherishing these fleeting moments with your new arrival.

We will be creating memories that will last a lifetime. Don't miss the opportunity to celebrate this joyous season with a unique and heartwarming session that will become a cherished part of your family's history!

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Woodstock | Newborn Session | Indianapolis Newborn photographer

August 16, 2023 in Indianapolis photographer, indianapolis, Newborn, Newborn photo session, pregnancy announcement

From styling their first baby boy’s newborn session to have a Charlie Brown theme, to adding Snoopy when their second little boy arrived, to yet another baby boy posed as Woodstock, check out this fun blog post! You will find highlights of the journey of this family starting with their very first announcement telling the world of their first baby on the way to their third little boy! There are announcement, maternity and newborn photos with each new baby!

From Newborn to First Birthday | Bunny Themed Sessions | Indianapolis Newborn and Milestone Photographer

August 09, 2023 in Birthday session, Cake smash, First birthday, indianapolis, Indianapolis photographer, Kids, Newborn, Newborn photo session

Tying a theme from your baby’s newborn photo session to his first birthday and cake smash photo session is such a fun way to celebrate! Check out this story of a little boy who has the nickname of “Bunny” and see how we connected some elements from his newborn session at my Indianapolis studio to his first birthday cake smash session!

The miracle of Charlie Joe, Part 1 | Rainbow Baby Maternity session | Indianapolis Newborn Photographer

May 10, 2023 in Maternity, Newborn, pregnancy announcement, indianapolis

Early in her pregnancy, Susanne contacted me to discuss booking maternity photos for a very special child she was carrying.

She and her husband Jamie had experienced the heart wrenching loss of a child in July five years previously. After this very difficult journey, she was now expecting and anticipating the arrival of a sweet baby boy.

She was really hoping to have some special snow maternity photos, but the weather in Indianapolis is not very predictable in the winter time, and you never know if you are going to be able to enjoy a beautiful snowfall or just have to deal with ugly dismal gray days all winter.

We planned for a maternity session as the holidays were approaching, but because of some family emergencies, we had to postpone. This was all in God’s design, because when we were able to reschedule, God gave us a beautiful snowfall and also allowed the temps to be agreeable for the duration of our session!

We started the maternity session showing how beautiful Susanne is in this colorful rainbow gown.

When she saw this gown in my client closet, she was sure she wanted some photos in this maternity gown to celebrate this beautiful rainbow after a difficult storm of loss.

Normally, you don’t think of rainbows and snow going together, but Jamie and Susanne made the rainbow look absolutely stunning in the snow!

Indianapolis maternity and newborn photographer

We found some of the most unique spots as we walked around at the park on the east side of Indianapolis. Natural elements look quite different in the snow than they do in warmer seasons. And this provided us with some beautiful, unique photos for this sweet couple to cherish for always!

We switched to this beautiful red gown after getting several sweet shots in the rainbow maternity gown.

Susanne looked absolutely stunning in this gown. The contrast of the red maternity gown against the snow really highlighted how beautiful this momma is.

This unique tree not only gave us some gorgeous shots of Susanne, but it gave us the ability to get some sweet shots of Jamie with her.

We walked on a bit further to the creek

and captured some beautiful shots with this unique background. The reflection of the snow and trees in the water created a beautiful backdrop.

It was a blessing to provide these heirlooms for Jamie and Susanne. They will always have these photos to treasure the time they anticipated the arrival of their sweet Charlie Joe.

Check out the next blog post for highlights from his newborn session!

Celebrating little Miss Violet | From newborn to first birthday | Indianapolis Newborn Photographer

May 03, 2023 in Newborn, Newborn photo session, First birthday, Children, Cake smash, Birthday session

When Jessica first contacted me and told me her dad gifted her with a newborn session to ensure she had a beautiful capture of her precious baby girl, my heart melted.

He UNDERSTOOD. He knew how fleeting that stage is and how important it is to make such an important investment.

Jessica and I started communicating and plans were formed for Violet’s session based on Jessica’s color and theme preferences.

We talked a little about what Jessica should plan to wear, and she chose a beautiful but simple dress for her photos with Violet.

We started the session with shots of Momma and Violet.

Parent shots are always first. We want mommy to be fresh for these special shots with her baby.

After we captured some beautiful shots of Momma and baby, Momma got to relax and settle in. We transitioned to a bucket shot with florals and lace and added a beautiful wreath for Violet to wear. Keep an eye on that wreath - it shows up again later!

Violet settled right in and we were able to get the most beautiful captures of how beautiful she was at this precious newborn stage!

Time went by and Violet was growing! Jessica had such a special relationship with her dad, and they discussed making plans to invest in Violet’s first birthday session. He was planning to help with the investment. They were both excited as they looked ahead to that exciting milestone.

But then tragedy struck, and Jessica lost her dad when Violet was just 9 months old.

Jessica knew that investing in a beautiful capture of Violet’s big first birthday milestone was not only important to her, but that it was important to her dad.

She made this a priority, and contacted me to chat about scheduling the session.

She told me that Violet loved cows and that she thought it would be fun to do something with cows and sunflowers. I got to work with plans for a set up and choosing a cake design that would be a perfect fit for this request.

Every milestone session allows for up to three different outfits!

Jessica chose this gorgeous green jewel toned dress that complimented Violet beautifully! We started her session with this outfit.

Recognize that wreath? That is the same wreath she wore for her newborn photos!

We got several beautiful shots of Miss Violet in her pretty green dress and also in a second outfit with a sunflower top and distressed jeans. I almost couldn’t contain myself at how adorable she was in these outfits! But even more fun was capturing her fun personality and having a variety of sweetness, silliness and just plain cuteness!

Violet was very shy when she first came for her first birthday session

Her momma gave me the heads up that it can take a bit for her to warm up

Because I knew Violet needed some time to warm up to me, I had momma set her down and play a bit with momma right there. I sat down near her so she could see me, but she saw there was comfortable distance. I talked to her and gave her some time. We didn’t rush anything. After about fifteen minutes of letting her play and be close to momma and watch and study me, she began to smile little bits at me and her body language began to show that she was becoming more comfortable. We moved into the studio and I gave instructions for momma to set her down for her first set of photos. This allowed her to become more familiar with being in my studio and seeing me with the camera but still being very close to momma.

Before long, she was warming up enough that I could come closer and touch her just a bit or move her a bit to make sure the light was hitting her in just the right way to ensure we were capturing the most beautiful photos of her.

By the time we got to her second outfit with the sunflower blouse

she was completely warmed up and all of her personality started to shine through!

And then it was finally time for the finale of the session - the cake smash!

Violet is known to not be a fan of getting messy

Jessica wasn’t sure if there would be any smashing of the cake.

Violet was very interested in the ears on her cow cake and eventually figured out how to pull one of them out and use it to play with the top of the cake. It was so entertaining to watch her play in her own way and for her unique personality to be on display.

And by the end, she definitely got messy!

She let her personality shine and she and Jessica will always have this beautiful celebration to remember her first big milestone. Jessica’s dad would be so proud and happy to know that she has these photos - these heirlooms to treasure for always.

A NICU miracle baby | Indianapolis newborn photographer

April 27, 2023 in Newborn, Newborn photo session

Brock and Miriam are a sweet couple that I’ve been privileged to know from the very beginning of their family. Their oldest daughter Anneliese was one of the first newborn babies I ever captured. Anneliese was followed by two little brothers, Charlie and Jacob, and finally with a little sister, Lilly.

It’s amazing how much growth I have seen since 2010 in crafting my art! I am so excited that as I grow and improve my skills, I can better serve you with the most amazing heirlooms of this precious, fleeting newborn stage!

With Lilly’s arrival, Brock and Miriam were sure their family was complete.

Little did they know the adventure still ahead of them! When Lilly was five years old, they were surprised to discover another little Barlow would be joining the family!

We did a special maternity session as we were sure this child would make the family complete.

Little Miss Nora arrived and the whole family was in love with this precious new little family member.

So the Barlow family was complete.

At least, so they thought . . .

God had one more surprise for them, and this time, their little one would take them on a very unexpected and difficult journey that would stretch and challenge them beyond anything they thought possible.

Miriam discovered she was expecting again, and among other complications, was diagnosed with placenta accreta. This condition is incredibly dangerous and life-threatening for the mother.

Baby Theo arrived on October 7, 2021 weighing only 5 lbs., 3 oz.

Immediately after his emergency cesarean section delivery, Miriam immediately underwent a complete hysterectomy.

Many long and difficult days were spent in the hospital as Miriam recovered. She was not able to be with her little baby boy in those first hours and days like she was with her other babies.

Eventually, Miriam was released to go home, but little Theo was still fighting and had a long road ahead of him. Brock and Miriam experienced trauma in many forms during those long, difficult days that Theo spent in the NICU.

But finally, after 64 days, Theo was strong and healthy enough to go home.

Brock and Miriam were able to surprise all of the big brothers and sisters as they brought him home for the very first time.

Shortly after his arrival home from the NICU, I had the wonderful privilege of capturing newborn photos of this precious little life in my studio on the east side of Indianapolis.

This sweet family that was now, without a doubt, COMPLETE.

One year later, Theo came back to my Indianapolis studio for a first birthday cake smash session to celebrate his first year of life!

He is now a healthy, thriving little boy with so much potential!

Wanna know what the theme was for his cake smash? Check out the previous blog post here to find out and learn the story behind the choice of the theme!

Celebrating being a boy momma | Indianapolis photographer

December 20, 2022 in Newborn photo session, Newborn

Watching your family grow and being blessed with all boys is a unique blessing! Check out this story of a family's journey from their first baby boy and beyond and enjoy seeing the beautiful heirloom photos from each of their newborn sessions at my studio in Indianapolis.

Baby names from A to Z

November 16, 2022 in Newborn, Newborn photo session

After being a newborn photographer for over twelve years, I have been amazed at how much variety there has been in the names of each little one that comes to visit me at my Indianapolis studio! Some of the names were chosen simply because the parents loved the name, and some because of a family or cultural background.

Here is a highlight of babies I have captured from A to Z!

I am only missing two letters of the alphabet - take a look and find out which letters are missing!

A is for Asher

Asher can be a beautiful name for a boy or a girl!

Here are two little Ashers I’ve had in my studio!

Baby Asher | Newborn pilot theme

November 09, 2022 in Newborn, Newborn photo session

It’s pretty common for mommas to reach out to me to book and plan for her newborn session.

But in little Asher’s case, his daddy was the one that reached out to discuss details as we prepared for his newborn session at my studio on the east side of Indianapolis.

Asher’s Daddy is a pilot based out of Indianapolis.

It was so special to honor his parents’ request for him to be photographed with Daddy’s uniform and hat.
Photos like this will always have special meaning because they are a symbol of a unique piece of your lives as a family.

In addition to the newborn photos with daddy’s pilot uniform, Asher’s daddy had a small handful of specific requests, and it was so fun to provide each request!