Mommy & Me | Chelsey & Barret

Good afternoon everyone!!

I wanted to share this mommy and me session with you all because I think it is so important to have these pictures.
Moms, lets be honest, it is always you who is pulling out your phone and capturing these precious times. It never occurs to the dads to document the moments when you are going on an adventure together or just sitting and playing with them in the living room. Subsequently you are left with no pictures of you and your babies together.
This is where I come in. I will take you and your babies out for a fun session and document you loving on them. You will have beautiful pictures to look back on and remember all those little details and fun times.
Pictures may not be the most important thing but they can be extremely special and timeless. Give yourself and your child those heirloom pictures that will never be forgotten. ❤️

Studio Family Pictures

Good morning! I am delivering Silas’s beautiful gallery this morning!

Many of my clients have asked to see the studio and baby Silas was sleeping like a champ so I asked if we could do a few extra wide shots to show off the studio a little bit.

I love the lifestyle look of family and newborn pictures while having the ease and comfort of the studio. This is just a little taste of what your pictures will look like in the studio :)

To set up your studio session, shoot me an email at info@carapetersonphotography.com. I would love to work with you!!

Cara

Cade | 1 Year Old

It’s Milestone Monday! Everyone meet Cade! I have been lucky enough to photograph Cade as a newborn, 6 month old, and now a 1 year old! He is such a blast to work with! As you guys can see from the pictures he is a HAM 😆

Amaya | Sitter Milestone Milk Bath Session

Milk bath sessions are one of my favorite things to do!

If you have never seen a milk bath session before, here is a little about them.

Milk bath sessions can be used for many different types of sessions; maternity, milestone, newborn, and mommy and me. The outcome is soft, organic, beautiful, timeless photos that will be able to cherish for years to come. The photos can be done in a small portable tub or in the comfort of your own bath tub.
I use warm water mixed with organic milk to create the soft effect. Mixing flowers, bath bombs, feather or anything creative we can think of makes for a very fun session!
In this session Amaya’s mom brought a beautiful set of flowers and flower crown to match. We also did a few milestone photos before hand. The outcome was just gorgeous! Mix that with Amaya’s personality and this stellar session happened!
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do.

If you are interested in booking your own Milk Bath Session? Shoot me an email and let's chat! info@carapetersonphotography.com

Ty 6 Months Old | Milestone Monday

It’s Milestone Monday! I think this little dude will take away those Monday blues!

What is a Lifestyle ( In-Home) Session | Cara Peterson Photography

Hello All! It’s Tiny Human Tuesday and I thought I would take today to tell you all about Lifestyle sessions and the many benefits it offers! I get a lot of questions about lifestyle sessions and if they are the right session for your family as opposed to a studio session.

What is a Lifestyle Session?

A lifestyle session is all about capturing your daily life and the beautiful bond between the family and their new littlest member. The biggest difference about the studio session and lifestyle session is that the session will take place in your home and wont be as “posed”. It’s more relaxed and natural newborn photos but is just as beautiful! Having the session in your home offers more intimacy and personal details that a studio session couldn’t give you.
We will capture photos with each member of the family (including pets) and everyone together but they will be cuddling on the master bed or sitting on the living room couch. We will also get pictures of just the baby but instead of setting up props or backdrops they will be sleeping in their crib or being held by a family member.

How old should baby be for the session?

In a studio session, the babies need to be a little younger because they will be more likely to give me a deep sleep to get those curly poses (usually between 6-10 days old). In a lifestyle session they can be a little older because they are being cuddled most of the time and we aren’t trying to get those “posed” shots. We still want to capture them very fresh and new so anywhere between 6-21days old is perfect. This way they are still very sleepy and you still have all those “newborn” details.

How long are the sessions?

Lifestyle sessions don’t take as long as studio sessions. Since they are doing more of their natural things they wont have to be posed or change outfits as much. Both studio and lifestyle sessions are completely lead by baby. We will take breaks for feeding, changing and cuddling as needed but in lifestyle sessions those moments are part of the session!
Studio sessions are normally 3 - 3.5 hours long and lifestyle sessions are about 2-2.5 hours long.

Where will we be taking pictures?

Newborns are lot of work, so getting the whole family ready and traveling can be hard. Lifestyle sessions help with that because they are done in the comfort of your home. I usually shoot in the baby’s nursery, the master bedroom and the living room.
I have a lot of people get worried that their house will be a mess, because, well, they just had a baby! You do not need to worry about messes! All you have to do to prepare is open the blinds and let in some light. We will move things if needed to make your house look spotless. One of my favorite places to photograph is your master bed, so the bed is all that needs to be cleared off for those photos. A neutral comforter and some pillows will make a perfect spot for some cuddly family photos.
The intimacy, closeness and personal details that a lifestyle session can provide is something that would be missing from a studio session. Pictures will be of baby in his own nursery that YOU decorated. I will capture all those little details, like a grandmother’s old book on the shelf that was passed down or that beautiful sign that your sister painted for the baby and all those little clothes that were too cute not to buy. That perfect crib that you and your husband picked out together or how the family dog always lays by the crib now as the protector. Those are special details a lifestyle session will provide that will be so fun to look back on!

I’m worried my house will be too dark.

I hear this all the time and my response is the same every time. Yes, the studio does offer perfect lighting every time but i am a professional. I know how to place you in areas of your house that will make the lighting look perfect. I will bring directional light, used like a window, if necessary but most of the time working what whatever window light you do have will be enough.

What do we wear?

I always recommend wearing whatever you feel your best in! Something that is simple and comfortable. Neutrals (tans, whites, creams, greys, pastels, ect.) and lights are best so that the focus will be on the natural beauty of the baby. This works best for the whole family including the baby. I will bring a few neutral wraps and onesies but you can definitely use whatever you have as well. Babies look cute in even just a diaper!

I hope this helps you! lifestyle session are something I have truly come to love just as much as studio sessions! Contact me book your newborn session today!!

Cara

Aydah | Studio Newborn Session

It’s Tiny Human Tuesday!!

Hello All! I have been terrible about blogging, between being sick and working on the studio this winter! So I thought I would show you some pictures of little Aydah , because she is so cute and they show what kind of look the studio gives, so win win!

Thank you all for checking out the blog!

Cara

Milestone Mania

I am catching up on editing now that I am getting healthier. I don’t know about all of you but I have been so sick this winter, especially these last few weeks! So thank you to my clients who have given me some grace on my editing time!

I decided it was time to do a super cute milestone blog post as I’ve had so many cute sitter sessions lately! 6-10 months old one of my favorite times to photograph! The babies can interact and are usually very happy and smiley. And also they usually can’t quite walk yet 😆 so it’s a little easier for me to capture a smiling face rather than the side of their face as they are running by me, lol. By 6 months old they have change so much but yet they are still very much a baby. It is such a special time and I feel honored that I get to see these babies grow up and thrive!

So enough rambling about how cute they are. without further a do, here are a few from recent milestone sessions!
Thank you for stopping by!

First up is Harper, 7 months old! What a character! So much personality in these pictures!

Next is little Kellen man! Again with the personality shining through these photos!

And then we have this adorable sweetie, Everly <3 She was a little stingy with smiles But eventually we got them :)

Next is Jack and you can see he was very generous with the smiles :)

Ty is up next! He killed me with those eyes😍

Last but not least, we have Madelyn! Madelyn isn’t quite as old as these other guys BUT these were too cute not to share <3 Love that smile!

That is all for now! To document your little ones next milestone contact me and we will get something set up!

Chris & Elizabeth | Fall Maternity Session

Check out this mama-to-be showing off her adorable baby bump! That stunning dress mixed with the maternity glow and the beautiful fall colors made for some awesome pictures! I mean Chris looks nice in these pictures too (I guess 😜) but Elizabeth steals the show!

Congratulations Chris & Elizabeth!! Cant wait to meet baby Tyson!

Hailey Family Fall Session

Here are a few sneak peaks from the Hailey Family!

Their session was taken out in Davis Junction on our land. Located just south of Rockford IL.

Bohdi | Cake Smash Session

Hello all!

So it’s obvious I went a little over board with the sneak peak. I couldn’t stop editing… Bohdi did SOOOOO good at his cake smash session today! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a good smasher ;). This was probably the fastest session I have ever done but he flew through everything and ate almost all of his cake, FAST(LOL).

Cake smashes have become some of my favorite sessions. They are just a blast. Some babies sit and eat it little by little, some only want the frosting, some only want the actual cake part and some just ATTACK it. And that’s exactly what Bohdi did, it was so much fun to watch!

Bohdi’s session was the first cake smash in the new studio! The Studio is located in Davis Junction IL, just south of Rockford.

Thank you for stopping by!

Cara

Sibling Love | Tiny Human Tuesday

It’s tiny human Tuesday again! For this Tuesday I thought I would give some love to the tiny humans who aren’t the newborns, the older brothers and sisters.
Together they create priceless photos!

I LOVE when the siblings come to the studio, it gives me someone to play with when the babies are eating or getting a diaper change.

Here are a few of my favorite sibling shots from this past year!

Psalm 127:3-5 

3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
    are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
    whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
    when they contend with their opponents in court.

Ashley & Cliff Maternity Session

Hello everyone, it’s Tiny Human Tuesday!

I met the cutest family ever on Saturday! Meet Cliff, Ashley, & Novaleigh! I had the best time during their session, I was so afraid the mosquitoes were going to be terrible but the Lord provided and they weren’t around at all!

Their session was shot on our land (The Peterson Ranch) and they even got to see a peak at the studio, which is very very close to opening!

Thank you for visiting!

Cara

Eloise | Newborn Studio Session

Baby Eloise was in the studio today! Here and her sister were a DREAM to work with! What a fun session! Here are just a few from her session! I can't wait to edit the rest! 

Thank you stopping by! 

Cara 

Copy of Josie is ONE!!!

Oh how time flies! I feel like I just met Josie and her awesome parents yesterday at her newborn session!
I have been lucky enough to take Josie's pictures every 3 months! This is always bitter sweet for me. I love seeing them grow up but it makes me sad knowing I wont being seeing them every three months now :( BUT Josie is the big ONE year old now and man, was her session fun! Her cake and tutu were made by her very talented mother. She absolutely loved her cake and I can't wait for you to see the photos! 

Here are a couple of my favorites from each session right up until the cake smash! 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Cara 

Josie is ONE!!!

Oh how time flies! I feel like I just met Josie and her awesome parents yesterday at her newborn session!
I have been lucky enough to take Josie's pictures every 3 months! This is always bitter sweet for me. I love seeing them grow up but it makes me sad knowing I wont being seeing them every three months now :( BUT Josie is the big ONE year old now and man, was her session fun! Her cake and tutu were made by her very talented mother. She absolutely loved her cake and I can't wait for you to see the photos! 

Here are a couple of my favorites from each session right up until the cake smash! 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Cara 

Harper | Maternity, Hospital, & Lifestyle Home Session

So Many Babies! 

And I Love It!!!! 

On this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful to be able to work with sweet friends. Photography is always sweet but working with friends makes it even more special!

I had the honor of photographing the maternity, hospital and lifestyle newborn session for Brennan and Jade. 
 Their maternity session took place at Jade's parents house in Stillman Valley. Those blue bells are gorgeous, aren't they? They were so pretty I even asked if I could come back and take some pictures of my babies in them :)

For those of you who don't know, Jade and Brennan didn't find out the sex of the baby, so finding out Harper was a GIRL was so much fun! When I got there she was less than 24 hours old. *Fresh* As you can see, Harper was blessed with the most gorgeous squishy cheeks. Here are a few of my favorites of the beauitufl girl! 

Last, was the newborn session. Jade & Brennan chose a lifestyle home session, and, man,  I am so glad they did! I wish I could rent out their house for all newborn sessions! It's cute and cozy yet white and neutral while having the character of an old home! What more could you want?! It photographed beautifully and made the perfect setting for pictures! Ok Ok Ill be quiet about their awesome house now, here are a few (ok a bunch... ok basically the whole gallery) from their home session! 

Thank you all for stopping by! 

Cara 

Ryan William Birth Announcement Video & Studio Session

Hello there everyone! I am always looking to add fun things to my packages that my clients will love and cherish. Last year I had the idea for birth announcement videos to help my clients have an easy way to share their amazing news with all their friends and family on facebook and other social media! Here is one very cute birth announcement video from a recent studio session! Everyone meet Ryan! 

Let me know in the comments below what you think of the birth announcement videos! 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Cara