When I first starting working as a newborn photographer….many, many years ago (eight, to be specific), I used to get a little nervous shooting a newborn photo session with a young sibling. Now…they are some of my very favorite sessions to do!

Often newly promoted big siblings want to be my helper. They want to come up with ideas for shots, show me where their room is, where the baby sleeps, show me how they hold the baby…or NOT. Any kind of involvement is on their terms. We know there is not much reasoning you can do with a two year old, am I right? I never force any kind of affection or smiles…forced smiles are NOT my favorite. You know what I LOVE? When they reach for that tiny finger on their own, when they can’t get enough of the baby that they smother them with kisses….when they curl up into mom or dad’s lap because THEY want to be the baby again. Those all make for the best shots.

Even when they decide they’ve had enough and give me a pouty face…..or decide to literally climb the furniture, or grab a Costco size bag of popcorn and plop themselves in the middle of the shot, or decide playing with Buzz Lightyear is WAY more fun that this photo session….those all make great shots too. I’ve had all of those types of shots in recent sessions too, by the way! You’re going to have to scroll through to see which one we got in this session!

This is lifestyle. This is your life. It’s going to make you cry, make you laugh, and you’re going to want to document it all.