nj newborn Archives - Joan Marie Photography

NJ Newborn Photographer | Cranford, NJ | Cole

June 8, 2023

Cole’s Newborn Shoot

Cole’s mom got in touch with me after Cole had been born to see if I had availability for a Newborn Session. That’s one of the reasons I only take a limited number of Newborn Sessions each month; so that I can accommodate parents like Cole’s. I’ve had families contact me after adoption, a difficult birth, a long stay in the hospital, health complications. I don’t ever want to have to say no to a new mom or dad who wants to get newborn pictures of their baby. So I told her yes! Of course!

Mom knew that there was a good chance that it would be difficult to get her 3 year old daughter to cooperate for pictures. That’s always a good thing when they know that it could go either way. And when she wasn’t quite feeling it, she didn’t push her. I really admired that. I know that lots of times we as parents want to get that really great amazing shot of the new siblings together. I know, I know, I know. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret…the little kids usually want nothing to do with it! So most of those adorable amazing pics of the sibling(s) with the new baby? Composites. HAHA! Seriously, they are mostly photoshopped to LOOK like they are posing there together all happy and angelic and whatnot. Yeah, sure, some are real. They’re few and far between. And the ones that are real are usually 1 good shot out of a series of 20. And probably were shot in a millisecond before one of the kids started screaming, crying or jumped up to get out of the photo!

Honoring our Children

Cole’s mom wanted the image to be authentic and real. And when big sis just wasn’t feeling it, she respected that. This was a beautiful example of boundaries at an early age. I loved watching that. She honored that little girl and didn’t forced her to do it or to take a fake shot to photoshop something together. It was beautiful.

It’s me…Hi…

Oh, another funny story, Cole’s dad basically had to break open my front door with a razor blade because it had sealed shut from some insulation foam I used in the door cracks. HAHA! They got to The Studio and I literally couldn’t open the door. It was a little embarrassing, but hey, we are being real and they witnessed first hand a little bit about how I do things. LOL! Thanks, Steve!

And so let’s get to the photos… <3

NJ Newborn Photographer | Scotch Plains | Theo

June 2, 2023

What a blessed baby <3

Seriously, how did I get so lucky?? I don’t know what it is, but I just seem to get the absolute best Clients. When I met Kevin and Tommy they were just the sweetest and knew that they wanted to document this very momentous time with Baby Theo. I always say that I love the connections I get to experience with my Clients. But what I am realizing is I really love to hear the stories of the people that I meet. The love stories, the things that people overcome, the histories and the futures.

Theo’s story is one of adoption. And the adoption stories are always so moving. Sometimes people wait and wait and wait. Well, probably most times! And I can’t imagine how difficult that can be! Sometimes they wait and they get a call that they MAY have a baby, but then something doesn’t work out. I mean, how hard it must be to not get your hopes up or to just constantly be waiting and thinking about that phone call?

I don’t know, I don’t have experience with that myself, but I can only imagine. And then…you get the call that your baby has been born and you’ll be picking him up?! Ugh, my heart explodes. My heart explodes for the couple and for that baby. Just knowing how much they will love and be loved.

Kevin and Tommy are the cutest and I just recently saw a photo of Theo and I can’t believe how much he has grown and how HANDSOME he is!

Something else that I love about this session is the ARTWORK that they picked out for their home. They chose to get a large family portrait on canvas and it came out gorgeous! But that wasn’t without help! The Artist Framer in Cranford designed the most beautiful frame for their piece. I am so impressed by the work that they do and the thought that goes into their frame design. It is an ART in itself! Tommy and Kevin told them about their fireplace with the gunmetal facade and their natural wood coffee table and The Artist Framer designed the most perfect frame, marrying the 2 materials together. Pics below!

HAPPY PRIDE!

It’s PRIDE month and I am SO proud to be able to share this beautiful session. And no, I haven’t been saving this blog post for PRIDE, I’m just REALLY behind on blogging and now it seems like a good time to share this session <3

Thanks Kevin, Tommy and Theo! And thank you to The Artist Framer for displaying my artwork so beautifully! XOXO!

Natalie Maya | Westfield, NJ Newborn Photography

March 11, 2023

I do not have any idea how I somehow missed blogging about these sessions! They produced some of my favorite images! And they are from Summer of 2022!

Momma contacted me a few months before her due date which is what we always encourage. This gives us time to plan and prepare for baby’s arrival. At the time that I am writing this, I offer Maternity Sessions as an add-on to my Newborn Session. And that is what we did for this one. We had a beautiful sunset session for the Maternity and the sun showed up with her golden dripped sunlight. It was a little bit HOT, but Mom and Dad took it like champs and we created beautiful Maternity images that I am so proud of. We even pulled out the Drone for some amazing aerial images!

Then their beautiful princess arrived and it was Newborn shoot time! What I love most about my Clients is that they TRUST me. This is an investment! And it is super important that you TRUST your photographer. That you see their work and love it and TRUST us to create unique images of you and your baby while also appreciating the creative process and artistic styling. I always have my Clients fill out a questionnaire which leads me in selecting what colors, fabrics and props to use. But at the end of the day, as George Michael said, “Ya gotta have faith”!

Kathryn gave me that. And we created some of my favorite Maternity and Newborn images. This little girl is going to be one in a couple of months and I can’t wait to see her again! Hopefully at her cakesmash!

Scotch Plains, NJ | Cake Smash | First Birthday

September 20, 2022

One thing I love about my job is the people I meet and the connections I make! I met Leanne last summer when she was expecting her first baby. She scheduled me to do both Maternity and Newborn shoots. She and her husband are the sweetest couple and are so adorably in love. And I feel blessed that they chose me to capture that for them!

So fast forward to a year later and little baby Violet is ONE! So of course we had to do a Cake Smash session to document this milestone! We chose hues of Purple for her special session and I love the way the setup came out!

What about the cake?

Leanne has a baker that she uses for her special events, Allie’s Kitchen, and she made this beautiful cake for Violet! Isn’t it gorgeous?!? I do prefer to have parents bring the cake because they know their child best and with allergies I just think it’s the best bet. I like to use “naked” cakes because the star of the show is your little one, not the cake!

Just like her momma!

Momma owns her own Pilates Studio locally called M pilates + Yoga. What I found to be the most adorable thing is that Violet is always pointing her toes and showing off her form! She definitely takes after her momma in that respect!

Leanne and Rich, thank you for trusting me to document your journey with Violet! I always love seeing you and making the magic happen! And I will be in touch soon because your Album and prints are IN!!! And they are GORGEOUS!!!

Scotch Plains | Portrait Studio | My Journey

September 13, 2022

I was contacted by Evelyn Wiseman with Subkit at the end of June asking if she could interview me about my Go Solo Story. I was recommended by another photographer that I had begun a friendship with via Facebook, Kristen Matta with Blush Baby Photography. What a complete honor!

Photography is one of those industries where you can either choose to be a competitor or a colleague/collaborator. I’ve learned this over the years. There is so much you can gain by forging friendships with others in your industry. So much more than choosing to see everyone as your competitor <3

Thank you Kristen for recommending me, for our virtual brainstorming sessions, for your help and most of all for treating me as a friend and colleague <3. It means so much! And thank you, Evelyn, for sharing our Go Solo Stories with others who are business men and women or thinking about embarking on this journey <3!

You can read my interview here. If you are local to Boston, I highly recommend reaching out to Blush Baby Photography for your photography needs. You can read Kristen’s article here.

Are you someone who has a go solo story to tell? Do you know someone who is killing it and you admire for going solo? You can fill out your own interview story here or send the link to someone who has a story to share with others.