Newborn baby photography in Vancouver is one of my favourite types of sessions to capture. I love freezing this fleeting season for new parents so that they have memories to hold onto and to hand down when their kids are bigger. While this session was no different, and I adored every second of it, it also gave me a unique challenge!

I’m good with kids. It’s pretty much my main selling point. Toddlers and preschoolers generally love me. It helps when I show up to our sessions with a healthy snack (with the parents permission of course!) Within seconds of arriving at Cara and Jake’s home, I was fairly certain of success. Their 2-year-old, Brooke, and I share a special connection the moment she saw the gift and the Made Good Strawberry Rice Krispie. This was going to be a cinch. Newborn baby photography in Vancouver would never be easier.

Boy was I wrong.

Check out this post on 5 surprising items you need for a happier newborn.

Brooke was enjoying her treat and baby was wide awake, so we started with snuggles with mama. Once the little one has settled and we had a fair amount of mommy and babe images, we called dad and Brooke into the room to get some family photos while Brooke was happy.

She played and giggled, and broke my heart when she reached for me to pick her up and I couldn’t because of this darn pandemic. But the moment I had a camera pointing in her direction, Brooke melted. Her entire body went limp as she tried to slide out of Jake’s arms and escape.

Generally, I like to work around kids. If I can’t entice them to participate when I had originally planned, I continue working with mom and dad and baby until big brother or sister seems interested enough to join. Every once in a while, we’ll be getting close to the end of our time and, because I pretty much refuse to leave without at least one gorgeous family photo, mom and dad brig out the bribes. I’m fairly certain this little girl ate a whole rice krispie treat, part of a dilly bar, and a few M&Ms before we decided we needed a new tactic!

Take a look at another recent newborn session.

Still we tried. We captured moments with dad and baby, made sure we immortalized those tiny fingers and toes, and continued to invite Brooke to participate. After about the tenth game of peek-a-boo, another small bribe and mom’s tender encouragement, she decided the idea of jumping on mom and dad’s bed was enticing enough to join us. From there, she was really tempted by the chance to kiss her new baby sister.

Once we had her, we were somehow able to miraculously keep her for quite a while. She willingly played with her sister’s toes, kissed her nose and hugged mom and dad. At one point, we let her go because she had done such an amazing job, and then she came back again when called. And I can’t tell you how relieved I was!

While we did take up almost every minute of the two-hours we had, I was thrilled to be able to leave knowing I was able to give this sweet family what every family hopes for – beautiful images of all of them together as they transition into this new season of life.

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