I recently started offering my Baby Year Membership to give families a luxury photography experience that celebrates their baby’s first year! The membership includes four separate baby photography sessions in Dallas-Fort Worth to capture all your baby’s amazing growth.

This family chose to have an in-home nine-month milestone photography session. I love how the photos turned out, not only because they capture how baby is sitting on her own and becoming more social, but also because they showcase her adorable nursery! Milestone photos are all about memorializing a particular moment so that you can always look back and remember the good things about that time in your child’s life.

Here are a few ideas for making milestone photos extra special:

Choose a Special Location for Your DFW Milestone Photos

If you’ve booked me for a Baby Year Membership, it can be a great idea to shoot a few of the sessions at different locations, such as my Dallas natural light photography studio or at a beautiful DFW park. This way, you can have a variety of settings from one session to the next. But I always recommend doing one or two sessions at a place that holds sentimental value for your family. For their baby’s nine-month session, this family chose to have the photo session at their DFW home. This was a great idea because it allowed me to capture photos of their baby’s nursery, this adorable space they created just for her and where she will spend so much of her first few years.

If you’re not able to have a session at home for any reason, then you can still choose a location that is special to your family. Maybe a park where your baby loves to play, or another outdoor setting that has emotional significance to you and your spouse and that you now get to share with your little one. 

Add Personal Details to Your Baby’s Photo Session

I was in love with this little girl’s closet and bow collection! This mom and dad had everything perfectly organized for our photo session, which made for some really sweet details, from her color-coordinated bow drawer to her Montessori-style play area. As a photographer, I know I’m a sucker for these kinds of details, but they really do add so much character to a photo session.

Here a few ideas for adding tasteful details to capture aspects of your child’s life, for an in-home photography session or a photography session at another DFW location:

• Bring your child’s favorite toy or a toy that decorates their nursery—wooden, Montessori-style toys tend to photograph beautifully

• Dress your child in simple but meaningful clothing. This little girl’s sweater body-suit is a perfect example. The soft pink and visually textured material make her look so sweet and cuddly. You can see how Mom and Dad wanted to capture her little personality with her outfit choice. At this session, I was also able to photograph a few of her other outfits too, which is a great way to commemorate those sweet baby clothes that you know they’ll grow out of one day. 

• Bring a baby item that’s a family heirloom—a silver rattle passed down from grandparents, a blanket quilted by a grandma, a sweater that used to be Dad’s. If it’s an item you would like to remember, it can be great to have it photographed with your baby, but it doesn’t have to be the focus of the session.

• Bring an ultrasound photo—even if it’s just in the background, an ultrasound photo can make a cute “before and after” setup. 

Mom and Dad can be Part of the Photo Session Too

I love how calm and relaxed everyone is at this session—you can see how much fun these parents are having with their little one! While the focus is always on your baby for milestone sessions, it can be wonderful to capture a few Mommy-and-baby and Daddy-and-baby photos. After all, milestone photos are also about memorializing what it’s like to be a parent, capturing the moments of joy despite all the craziness that parenthood can sometimes bring too. I love how this couple chose simple, pastel and neutral colored outfits to complement their little one’s nursery, and how you can start to see the ways this little girl resembles each of her parents. These are the kinds of photos this family will cherish for years to come. 

Does your child have a milestone coming up? Contact me for details on booking a session or a Baby Year Membership!