Baby Elena’s photoshoot was super fun and unique. If the size of a family shows how much love there is in that family, it’s clear that there was a lot of love to go around! Elena was child #6! The next oldest is 13 months old. But despite this being a newborn session, Everyone got to shine in the studio that day. As a mom of a young boy and someone who does newborn photography in Austin, however, it was interesting having older kiddos in on a newborn photoshoot. But I’m always up for a challenge!
Meet Miss Elena
Elena came to the studio with 4 of her older siblings and her mom, Amanda. Because of the crowd, we had to work strategically to get perfect shots with everyone. Being someone who does newborn photography, I opted to work with the two youngest first!
This worked out really well. I do both maternity photography and newborn photos in my studio, so I have props for each. However, almost all my newborn picture props are located in my studio, so I was able to easily set them up between takes and get some of these adorable shots.
Personally, I love how sweet Elena’s “older” sib was with her (who was only a little over a year old). And these two were so easy to work with! They let me pose them in a variety of different ways without fussing.
Newborn Photography In Austin: A Family Affair!
Once we finished up with the toddler and Elena, we invited her older siblings in on the fun. They came later so they didn’t have to wait around in the studio. Honestly, working with two babies wasn’t so hard on the photography end! Not only are they typically pretty receptive to the poses I do (or, in the case of newborns, quiet and sleepy), but they are naturally expressive. Working with the older sibs was honestly a challenge, but a fun one.
Which is not to say they were bad kids! They were great. But it can be hard for older kids and adults to take posing directions, and for teenagers — who sometimes feel awkward taking photos — it can be especially hard. Still, we managed to get many, many good shots of them all. I especially love the sequences where the older girls are holding Elena. I know as she grows up, she’ll come to appreciate how loving her siblings look in these pictures.
I also managed to take a few shots of just Amanda and Elena. Amanda is such a loving mom, and I wanted to make sure that as much as this photoshoot was about Elena it also highlighted her motherhood. Blended families sometimes require a lot of patience, wisdom, and love so that everyone feels welcome and part of the family. Amanda has enough love for six kiddos with wildly different personalities, and that is one of the many things I loved about her and her family.
Elena and I also paid homage to Amanda by including some of her mom’s favorite colors in her solo newborn pics.
Non-Traditional Newborn Colors
In one of my most recent posts, I wrote about how much I love a non-traditional color schemes for babies. It’s nice to not have to do pink and blue every time.
Amanda loves the color teal (who doesn’t?), so we found some beautiful ways to include teal in Elena’s shots. I think these are perfect for spring!
Teal also works well with gold, so we were sure to include my little gold newborn crown in a few of these baby pics. The crown is usually a hit among moms, and I’m sure that when the babies I photograph get older they’ll love it, too.
We didn’t just photograph Miss Elena in teal, though. We included some red and white, since we did this newborn session around valentine’s day. While the red really complemented Elena’s skin, I thought the white photoshoots brought out her beautiful black hair.
Plus, the simplicity of the white background really helps the viewer focus on Elena. And who wouldn’t want that? She’s too cute.
Pretty In Pink Newborn Photography In Austin
We did do some pretty cute pink photos, though, I must admit. Elena’s skin was a rosy hue, so it felt wrong not to do at least a few photos with this rose-colored photo background.
Personally, I love these photos just as much as any of the others from this session. Elena was such an expressive, beautiful newborn, and it was really nice to work with her mom and all her siblings. Thanks to Amanda and the crew for allowing me to take some gorgeous shots of Miss Elena!
Want a studio newborn session that includes all your little (and not-so-little) ones? Let’s make a plan!
