First session of 2010 - newborn D | South Jersey Newborn Photographer

D's mom contacted me about doing newborn pics a couple of months ago. She was due right before Christmas. She said she has been following my blog for over a year and although I usually take December off for the holidays, there was no way I could say no. I was so happy to meet D and his mom and dad this past weekend. D is a little peanut, but I'm sure he's going to grow really fast since both his parents are quite tall! It was great to meet you guys yesterday and I look forward to seeing you again soon!





He's not going to fit in Daddy's hands like this for much longer!





He definitely knew his dad's voice. He looked right up at him while his dad serenaded him.





One of my absolute favorites...

Now on Google

As part of my new business plan for 2010, I'm actively putting Bella Dreams out there and one of the ways to do that is putting my business on Google. Bella Dreams is now listed as a business on Google so you can find me on there. Here's a link to get there. It would be great to have some testimonials on there from my wonderful clients. If you get a chance, please feel free to leave a review! Thanks!

Click here for the Google Map listing

5 months and 3 years | South Jersey Baby Photographer

Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday when my daughter was my son's age and now she's going to be 3. It just went by so fast! I never did take official pics of my son at 4 months, so I took some now at 5 months. I tell clients that if they are going to do pictures every few months, it's better to wait until the baby hits milestones rather than certain months. The first milestone would be to lie on his tummy and be able to push up. Usually they can sit up with assistance and smile a lot too. This usually happens around 3-4 months. As most of you know though, M could push up and hold his head up really well by 1 month! ;-) The next milestone is sitting independently. He is almost there. He can do it for a few seconds, but not long enough for a real session. So I'm sure by 6 months, he'll be able to do it. I still want to take pics of B for her 3 year that are more focused on her, but we had fun taking these anyway!

As you can see, i have a semi-new setup for the studio. I've had seamless paper from the very beginning but I stopped using it for awhile. Now I'm setting it up again, but with a baseboard and "wood floor" to make it more homey. This set up is good for little kids and babies since the wood floor is not a large area yet. I have several colors of seamless, including white, yellow, sky blue, chestnut brown, and gray. I still use the muslin cloth drops as well.

The new site is live!

I'm happy to announce the launch of the new Bella Dreams Photography website! All the galleries have been updated with more recent work that reflect my style and also some oldies but goodies. There has been some changes to the pricing for 2010. I am looking forward to a great year! Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous new year!

Coming soon!

As the busy season starts to wind down, I am working on changes to the business, including a brand new website, blog, and marketing collateral! I realize that I haven't updated my main website with pictures in a year! Considering that my style has grown and changed a lot in the last year, that is unacceptable! The new site will be coming very soon!

Ho ho ho! | Central Jersey Family Photographer

It's the middle of December and I have yet to put up my Christmas tree or decorations. Time goes by so fast these days and I can't seem to catch up! It was so nice to hang out with my sister and her family this weekend with their big beautiful Christmas tree! I took pics of my nieces and the family for their Christmas cards. Who knew that taking pics of them would be so challenging! I think because I know them so well, I knew when the smiles just weren't quite them. We got some great shots, especially when we told my younger niece to strike a pose!

















They weren't dressed for the holidays, but my kids were wearing their Giants jerseys for good luck (too bad it didn't work!)

T Family Mini Holiday | Central Jersey Family Photographer

You may remember the adorable T boys from September when baby brother C was born and I did his newborn session. I met up with them this weekend to do a quick mini session for the holidays. Big brother R just turned 3. It doesn't seem that long ago that R and my daughter Bella were just babies when we first met! His mom is one of my dearest friends. Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks because I'll be back with baby brother C for his next milestone session!

The G family | Central Jersey Family Photographer

The G family was one of my first clients and here they are with their two adorable boys! I did younger brother O's newborn pics a year ago, and here he is Mr. Independent walking around and not wanting to be held back! One year olds can be tough because they are mobile but don't have any regard to listening at all! Older brother N was loving the camera though!









So serious, but catching them sitting and looking was a rare thing!

The H boys | Central Jersey Child Photographer

It's been a year since I took B's last portraits. It is amazing how much he's changed since then! He's still so smiley and happy! His little brother G is just as happy! Most toddlers aren't crazy about doing studio sessions, but B was so interested in helping me set up in their house and was so ready to get started!!

The H Family | Central Jersey Family Photographer

I had the privilege of doing a session for this family today. Dr. H saved my son's life as she was the OB that did the very emergency c-section when I had a prolapsed cord. I had so much fun with them today! Their son M took awhile to warm up as most toddlers do. He really made me work for those smiles, but by the end, he was running up to me and giving me big hugs! He absolutely LOVES trains and would not leave his train James (good thing even James was color coordinated with the family!) Enjoy the sneak peek!!

M Family | Southeastern PA family photographer

What a beautiful November day it was this past Sunday when I got to photograph five-month-old Miss P and her parents! We were able to take advantage of the unusually warm weather and take some great outdoor shots. Mom specifically requested some nursing shots, which I was more than thrilled to take. As a nursing mom myself, I always hope that my clients capture this wonderfully precious bond between them and their sweet babies. It was also Dad's birthday! Hope you enjoyed your birthday!

Christening Portraits | South Jersey Baby Photographer

My son was baptized two weekends ago and I finally had a chance to take his Christening portraits. The gown he is wearing has become a family heirloom. My talented cousin made this gown and matching coat for her son 11 years ago. Since then, 6 cousins have worn this gown on their special day. I embroidered their names and baptism dates inside the gown, although I have 3 names yet to put in. ;-)

Family V enjoys the changing colors | Central Jersey family photographer

This family is from warmer climates so we were thrilled that they were able to visit during the autumnal color change. I thought for sure that by this time of the year, they would be out of luck, but we were lucky that the leaves have stayed around! Their son M was a tough capture for sure! He was on the go, go, go!! He's also quite the serious thinker, but I caught him a few times cracking a big smile!

Fall Family K | Central Jersey Family Photographer

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking fall family portraits for this family. We took their fall portraits last year at this same park that has such beautiful autumnal colors!! Stylish as always, we had a great time and their daughter was so into it! She is definitely a sassy girl and she knows it!

My little man is 3 months old! | South Jersey Baby Photographer

Where did the time go? My little guy is going to be 3 months old already. Last week, he rolled from his tummy to his back. It's just going by so fast! I usually advise clients to go by developmental milestones rather than dates on a calendar. Often times, people want 3 month pics, but it really is better to wait until the baby can pick up his head. Well, Marco has been able to push up since 1 month, so that didn't exactly work for our timeline! For his 3 month, I took him outside and got some cute shots. Hopefully the leaves will start turning and we can do some more pictures with autumnal colors.

One of the hardest parts of being the mom and the photographer is trying to get him to look and smile and still be behind the camera! Well, you can't always get everything, but at least he smiled!















Getting bored...



And totally done!

Halloween is coming!

For the longest time, my daughter said she wanted to be a cat for Halloween. Since toddlers tend to change their minds often, I waited and waited to order her costume. Sure enough, she changed her mind and said she wanted to be a monkey. We thought this was great since her little brother is going to be a lion. Of course, after a week, she went back to wanting to be a cat. Then it was every other day, she was changing between the cat and the monkey. Finally, we decided to make the decision for her and hope that she still loved it. Here's our little monkey!

Sweet M makes 3 | South Jersey Newborn Photographer

Remember this fun, loving family from last month's maternity session? They had their sweet baby girl two weeks ago and I had the pleasure of taking family and newborn pics this past weekend. She didn't want to miss a thing and stayed awake most of the time except in mom's comfy arms. Her two big sisters just adore her!

Autumn outdoor newborn C | NE Philly Newborn Photographer

One of my dearest friends had her baby last week and I got to meet her new little guy C today! C has a big brother R who I've taken pics of in the past. It was so fun to see R interact with his baby brother! R is full of energy and he does his best portraits outside. It was a beautiful, crisp day and we got some beautiful shots of the baby, the siblings, and the family. We took C inside for some solo sleepy shots as well. He was such a wonderful newborn to take pictures of. He slept the whole time! He just loved the electric blanket underneath the decorative one. He let me do anything! Thanks for a wonderful afternoon and I am so happy for you guys!! I look forward to seeing C and R grow up to be best buds!

Maternity family H | Central Jersey Maternity Photographer

This loving family and I met at the park to take some family/maternity portraits. They are having another girl due in September. The two girls had fun at the park, but did not want to look at the camera at the same time! We got some great loving interaction shots though, which is what I love to capture! I can't wait to meet the newest member of their family next month.

Newborn C | South Jersey Newborn Photographer

We had planned to do C's session when he was a week old, but my baby boy decided that it was finally time to come out. So we had to postpone until the following week when C was two weeks old. He didn't like being naked, but thankfully he let us take a few shots. I love all the interaction between mom, dad, and C!

My own newborn M | South Jersey Newborn Photographer

My little man arrived July 16, weighing in at 11 lbs 8 oz and 23 inches long! Needless to say, some of the cuddly, curly pictures I was envisioning in my head didn't quite work out since he was so big! He also didn't like to curl up too much, probably b/c he was so squished in my belly. So here are a few shots of my baby boy!

Two days old at the hospital. Yes, the nurses were surprised that I was doing a portrait session right in my hospital room two days after a c-section!







One week old:



Ten days old:

I had pictured this one for a long time. I just didn't expect him to be so big on my husband's arm! I thought it would be cute to show the tiny nature of a newborn but when he's the size of a 2 month old, it didn't quite look the way I thought. I still love it!











Two and a half weeks old:










As with any newborn session, I don't always get all the poses I hope for, even when the newborn lives in my own house! He is just so big and grew so fast. The time goes by so fast, which is why I always encourage clients to capture the first moments as soon as possible. Once they get past two weeks old, they just look so different and lose a lot of the newborn features. I am still in shock that he will be one month old already!

Long distance best friends | Central Jersey Child Photographer

C and B have been friends since before they were born. You may remember them from an earlier blog entry from last November. C's mom and I were pregnant at the same time (and pregnant together again with #2). They visited us in June and we had a chance to take them to the park for their portraits. We've been taking portraits of them about every 6 months when we have a chance to visit with each other. We always get them matching outfits and take pictures. I can't believe they are 2.5 now.

Sweet 4-day-old Newborn E | Central Jersey Newborn Photographer

Remember the outdoor maternity session from last month with the beautiful spring foliage? Well, mom had their beautiful baby girl last week and I had the pleasure of taking her newborn pics when she was just a mere 4 days old! What a sweet and gorgeous baby!

2 yr old Miss A | Central Jersey Child Photographer

MIss A turned 2 in April and we waited for the warm weather to take her portraits. She looked so adorable in the new hot pink petticoat I got! It's amazing how much kids change from 18 months to 2 years. She was so much more into getting her picture taken and we had such a great time! Leave this cutie some love and post a comment for her!

First time maternity couple | South Jersey Maternity Photographer

Yesterday, I had a fun studio session with this couple expecting their first baby. They were up for anything! She's due just a few weeks after me, and I'm looking forward to finding out what they are having in a few months. I think they have lots of willpower to not have found out what they are having! So exciting! I'm looking forward to your newborn session and meeting the newest member of your family!! Enjoy your sneak peek!

Maternity in bloom

I had the pleasure of doing an outdoor maternity session with this couple expecting their first child. We did a studio session last month, but I just couldn't resist doing another one in the spring blooms.

Beautiful expecting couple | Central Jersey maternity photographer

K and C are a beautiful couple expecting their first child in May. This weekend, I had the opportunity to capture these wonderful moments for them. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Snow fun!!

We finally got a chance to take Bella out to play in the snow, and she just loved it!! We had a really hard time getting her to come back inside! She even brought a snowball inside because she refused to leave it outside. We warned her that it would go bye-bye and melt. Later, she kept asking what happened to her snowball!

2-year-old cousins V and A | South Jersey Child Photographer

This weekend I had so much fun taking 2-year-old shots of cousins V and A. It seems like yesterday when their moms and I were pregnant together, and now the kids look so big! V was all smiles and she loved taking pictures! A took some time to warm up, telling us, "no pictures" and running around in circles. Once he warmed up though, he totally cheesed it up for the pictures!! Such cuties!

Toddler O | South Jersey Child Photographer

O and his mom are from out of state and they came up to visit so I could do his 2-year-old portraits. He sure gave me a run for my money. It's really not easy to do studio shots with a 2-year-old because they just want to be free! After some running around, he finally sat for a few seconds in between to let me capture a few shots!

Miss Bella turns 2 | South Jersey Child Photographer

As I processed the pictures I took today for Bella's 2-year portraits, I became overwhelmed by emotions. I look at these pictures and realize that she is no longer the baby we took home 2 years ago or the toddler that has been running our house since she could walk. She's now a little girl who likes to dress up and wear her pearl necklace and bracelet. I was afraid that she was not going to cooperate for pictures like so many kids her age. However, I was pleasantly surprised that she was excited to get dressed up, put on her jewelry, and take pictures. When taking pics at this age, it's important to remember that bribery is a powerful tool! She loves wearing her necklace so much that simply threatening to take it off if she didn't sit worked like a charm. Getting her to actually look at the camera was a whole other issue!

Valentine's Day Girls | Central Jersey Child Photographer

My two nieces are school aged (pre-school and grade school) and I took the opportunity to take some Valentine's Day pictures of them to create little personalized vday cards for them. We also took this time to take pics of them with Bella, which was a bit of a daunting task! Bella just wanted to play and tackle them. I finally got a great shot of the three of them (the first decent picture of the 3 ever) because the older girls had to block her from knocking them over. People often think that taking portraits is easy. You take a good camera, and you just press a button. It's not even the technical aspects that make it so much harder than that. It's the psychology of figuring out how to get an active toddler to listen and actually sit or stand still for even a split second!

New maternity & newborn special

Happy New Year! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I took some time off for the holidays and a very special 2 yr old's birthday! I hope to do her birthday portraits soon.

In light of my pregnancy (I am now 16 weeks!), I am running a new maternity and newborn special for sessions completed by April 30. I am also booking regular sessions as well through April 30. I have limited sessions available so please book early. Maternity sessions are generally best between 30-34 weeks and newborn sessions are for babies up to two weeks old. Please book your newborn session before the baby is born. I will pencil you in and we will firm up the date when the baby is born.

Welcome to the family Baby K

The last few weeks, I have been busy getting holiday orders ready that I haven't had a chance to post any sneak peeks. However, this past week, I got to meet the newest member of our family, Baby K, who was 7 days old. If you remember, I did a maternity session for my cousin and his wife two months ago. Baby K is such a sweet little baby that just wanted to curl up in her parents' arms! It was wonderful to finally meet you and I can't wait to see you grow and interact with the rest of the family!

Colorado Chinooks | Pet Photographer

My last session in Colorado was these two beautiful Chinooks. It's amazing that they are the same breed, but look quite different. T and F are wonderful, very well mannered dogs. F (the softer coat one) is such a love, giving me kisses every chance he could get. Thank you for the wonderful afternoon!

The L family in Colorado | Family Photographer

The L family was one of the last sessions I did before I left Colorado. With little kids, timing is everything. Although I usually do outdoor sessions in the last few hours of daylight, I headed over to their house in the late morning. We found some shade outside their house and also headed to the park to try to find some shade. We got some great shots of the kids, even though they didn't want to sit together for pics. I usually don't shoot in full sun but these pics of the kids on the swings are just priceless! Thanks for a wonderful session! Enjoy the sneak peek!

Precious baby E

Baby E is just a week old today, and I had the privilege of taking her newborn pictures here in Colorado. Although she has been sleeping a lot during this week, she just kept fighting to stay awake during her session! Daddy swaddled her tight and rocked her, and she just caved right in. Here is your sneak peek! Enjoy!