Baby's First Photoshoot

A few weeks ago, I saw a post on Facebook from Amy Clark Studios, about their Milestone Sessions, specifically mentioning 3 month old babies. I was curious, so I emailed and found out that this studio offers a package where they capture the milestone moments of your little guy (or gal's) life. The package includes three sessions. The first is when they have mastered tummy time, next is when they can sit-up unassisted and the third is when they are able to stand on their own. I loved this idea because it is both logical and practical as it captures all of the phases that Baby B is going through in his first year.

When I emailed the studio though, I had one mandatory element that I needed to have added to our session and that was a family photo. As cute as B is, I wanted to be sure that I had a family photo so that someday, he could look back and laugh at how young and unhip we were. I think every child is owed that opportunity - to laugh at his parents when they were young - and to see that they weren't always the "parental" type. Actually, someday when he's 21, we'll probably show him some of the photos of us being non-parental, but until then, I'm happy to let him think what he wants.

Anyway, adding a family photo, including Chino, was not a problem at all! They got us scheduled for February 8, which was a couple weeks shy of B's four-month birthday. It also happened to coincide with him pushing up on his tummy without a major hissy fit. 

So, on "Family Picture Day", we piled into the family truckster with the baby, the mutt and all of the gear and headed down to the Short North. I had never had an in-studio session before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Before the appointment, I had fretted about what to wear, what Nick should wear and what B should wear. Somehow, we all ended up coordinating. Luckily, Chino's wardrobe was already decided.

When we walked into the studio, we were greeted warmly by Amy and her assistant Jackie. They told us to make ourselves at home while we woke B up from his nap and while Chino explored the space. They didn't even skip a beat when I looked up and saw our well-trained mutt peeing on the floor. Yes. Peeing on the floor.

Once B woke up and shook off the crankies, it was time to get down to business. Amy, a momma herself, held him for awhile and talked to him, getting him comfortable before his time in the spotlight. I loved how her and Jackie took charge of the session and the poses, making the entire experience stress-free for me. You could tell that these two knew what they were doing, especially with the under 1 crowd. As Amy snapped, Jackie shook toys and clapped, anything to get his attention focused on the camera.

Baby B, modeling his blanket

A few days later, we received our sneak peeks and the only word we could think of was, "wow." Amy's talent for capturing expressions and moments is unmistakable. I'm not sure how we're going to choose our prints. If you want to check them out for yourself, you can visit her Facebook page - www.facebook.com/amyclarkstudios.

I'm so glad that we decided to spend the extra money and hand B over to a professional. The every day photos are so special, but these ones are phenomenal...the perfect memories of this tiny little time in his hopefully long and happy life. And the family photo? Perfect. I'm not trying to wish away any time, but I can't wait to see the next milestone as Amy captures it through her lens.