One of the biggest honors I receive as a newborn photographer is when a past client invites me back to photograph a new member of their family! I first met Emmanuel and Leah when their third baby Landon was born, and I did a mixed lifestyle and newborn photography session for their family. What this means is that we actually do two sessions, spending one day in the studio together with just the baby and a second day in my client’s home with the family.
Lily is the newest member of this beautiful family, and I spent two incredible days with her. She was named after her late grandmother, which is such a wonderful way to honor her. Lily’s older siblings, Luna, Luca and Landon all kept fighting over who got to hold her while we were hanging out together at their house.
One in particular (who shall remain nameless 😜) cried every time it wasn’t his turn. There was definitely no shortage of love for baby Lily; everyone is just absolutely obsessed with her! Even Monty, the family’s Frenchie – he faithfully watched from the door while we were taking photos.
This is definitely not my first time photographing a large family with many young children, but it is my first time sharing one on the blog. About halfway through the session, Emmanuel mentioned how stressful photography sessions are sometimes but how he is always thankful for the photos when it’s all over. The truth is – sessions don’t have to be stressful! As a mom, and a seasoned pro at working with large families, I don’t walk in and expect calm and peaceful sessions. I absolutely expect running, laughing, playing and yes – even some tears; it almost always happens!! And guess what? It’s okay!! These kiddos didn’t disappoint and gave me all of the above.
When I look at galleries like this one, I don’t see, think or remember stress. You know what I see? A young family having fun and falling in love with their newest addition. At the end of the day, isn’t that why we do these sessions? We want to remember the love, the newness, the beauty and yes, maybe even a little bit of the chaos. A huge part of my job is taking your chaos and turning it into beauty! I don’t want you to feel stressed during the session. Instead, I want you to accept who your family is there in the moment and trust that I’m going to capture the beauty.
I hope you love this mixed lifestyle and newborn photography session as much as I do!
Mary of 8.08 Photography is a Duval County Newborn Photographer in Jacksonville, Florida. Mary loves creating modern and classic images of families, preserving memories for a lifetime with an artistic touch. Also serving the families of Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, Amelia Island, Palm Coast, Fleming Island, Nocatee, Gainesville and surrounding NE Florida communities. Questions on details or prices for mixed lifestyle and newborn photography sessions in Jacksonville? Take a look here.