Bobby and I smile at each other as we park, gearing up for today's adventure. A young family with their first baby, a little girl, 7 months old. BABY TIME! I'm excited as we head to the doorstep, eager to meet our new friends for the day. See, we try to do things differently here at Second Glance Photography. The foundation of our photography is the people, and so our primary goal is to spend time with these individuals and find out who they are. Consider the photos a beautiful bonus of this new friendship...

One of the lovely discoveries we make about this family, is that Debbie, the mom of this cutie pie up here, is a pretty darn good set designer! A middle school teacher with a knack for photography, Debbie didn't waste any time constructing this setup for our portrait session with Naomi. Jason and Debbie are two of the many parents we meet who complain about photography flops at Penny's or Sears. What we hear the most often is that families barely have time to settle in before these conveyor belt style sessions are over...and they come away without smiles in their pictures.

We believe that you can get these styled portraits without sad baby tears. When we place Naomi into her mountain of pink tulle and beads, she needs a minute to process. "Who are these people and why have they brought shiny lights into Mom and Dad's bedroom?" 

We like to give little ones some time to absorb the situation. Then bring on the fun! This sort of photo requires giggling, gurgling, raspberries, and silly faces from the whole team. The occasional airplane ride from Mom comes in handy too.

We bring our easy-going attitude and leisurely pace to even the most styled shoot. It should be fun, not stressful.

I'm happy with the results....

After the princess shoot wraps up, Bobby and I give the family a few minutes to switch gears and take a bottle break. Naomi happily dines, tired after exerting all that cuteness. Now she's ready for the park! We pack up and head over to the waterfront, Nationals Stadium right over our shoulder, perfect for Bobby and Jason (whose father was a coach for years) to chat baseball.

Naomi is all smiles as Dad sings her "theme song"....look at that face!

This trio is pretty lovely. Mom and Dad beaming at their new addition, who is having a blast and "talking" up a storm about the day's events. It's contagious...baby fever is in the air. Luckily, I get a chance to snuggle this little bundle while Bobby gets a shot of the happy couple.

As Naomi yawns, we take our cue, time for the morning nap. Heading back to their place, I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend the morning with this new family. It is truly a gift to be let into people's live so intimately. The least we can do is give them beautiful photos to remember the day!

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Story by: Kolleen Kintz

Photos by: Bobby Kintz