Griffin Photography Chesapeake Virginia Newborn Photographer

There’s so much excitement surrounding the milestone of becoming a big brother or big sister! As a Virginia Beach and Chesapeake Virginia newborn photographer, we’ve photographed hundreds of sibling sets together over the years. (And even some cousins!)

Some of these big brothers and sisters have been adults or teenagers and some of them have been school aged children. Most of the time, these siblings are amazing! They are such good helpers and ecstatic about the arrival of a new baby in the family!  They follow directions perfectly and can hold the baby with such confidence.

The toughest age (and most common for us to capture) is those little toddlers, 14 months to 3 years. They really do run the show! 😆 How do we ensure that we almost always capture at least one adorable sibling portrait? We have been capturing siblings and family portraits for more than 15 years so we have lots of tricks up our sleeves.

First and foremost, we consider the time of day when your oldest is the happiest. If she usually naps at noon, we’re not going to schedule the session for 11. We have found that 9:30am tends to be a great start time for newborns and their big brother/sister.

At this age, we start the session off with family and sibling portraits. This way they are typically happy and curious. We give them just enough time to get comfortable with us, but not so much time that they’re bored and antsy.

As soon as you arrive, we ask big brother/sister who they brought with them and let them introduce us to their new baby. We show them our camera and lights and let them help us pick out a swaddle and/or headband for their baby sibling. If they’re still hesitant, we’ll even ask that they help us take a picture of their new baby. They LOVE to press the button and make the lights flash.

If none of our fun tricks work, we can take a break, focus on baby and then try again. And this would also be the point where we tell you not to hesitate breaking out the bribes! No judgement here, haha! Whatever it takes – fruit snacks, the promise of ice cream, a visit to the park, the ipad or all of the above!

If all goes as planned, the family and sibling portraits are complete in the first 30 minutes and Dad and big brother or sister are free to go on a special one on one outing to the park or out for lunch while we focus on the new baby. Of course, they’re welcome to stay and watch the entire session, if they’d like!

Artsy Newborn portrait of baby being held in his mom and dad's hands on a black backdrop. Baby's eyes are open and looking the camera. Collage of a toddler sister with her newborn baby brother. They are both wearing pale blue pajamas and snuggled together on a cream fur rug. Newborn baby on a tan background with an Indian shawl draped over his back. Newborn baby in a hand knit bear onesie outfit and hat. He's curled up on his back, sleeping in a brown basket with a dark brown fur. One week old baby boy on a blue background with a blue blanket pulled up around him with his fingers holding the fabric. Newborn baby with brown hair, sleeping, posed in a basket on a cream background. Newborn baby boy in a pale blue outfit and hat, curled up and sleeping on a cream colored fur rug. Capture by Griffin Photography, a Virginia Beach and Chesapeake Virginia Newborn Photographer.A collage of a mother, father, two year old sister and newborn baby brother. Mom is holding baby, while Dad is holding brother. They are standing in front of a grey background. Big sister holding her week old baby brother. She is wearing a blue bow in her dark brown hair and a blue dress with brown boots. She is holding her baby brother, swaddled in a blue wrap and hat, in between her legs.

Ready to start planning a session with us?

Newborn Gallery

by adminPosted in Family, Newborn
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