Tag Archives: scotch plains newborn photographer

November 23, 2023

So many options!

One of my most favorite prop companies, Hello Little Props (HLP), is always coming up with amazing and unique ideas and designs to provide the Newborn Photography Community. A while back they came up with something called “bucket huggers” which are basically beautifully designed magnets with a variety of designs to put on their “everlasting bucket”. This is a game changer for us Newborn Photographers because it really is the answer to a lot of our “problems”. Especially the space saving problem.

Their newest design is an everlasting CRATE which also has this magnetic ability giving us even more variety when it comes to our prop options! Incase you don’t know, Newborn Photographers in general, are a very special breed. I keep saying that we need our own episode of “my strange addiction” 😂 . We are obsessed with fabrics, headbands, furry and textured layers, and probably the strangest thing we are obsessed with is looking at things and wondering if we can put a baby in it. LOL! I mean, if you were an outsider to this underground world of newborn photography, you would likely think we are absolutely nuts the way we carry on about these things! But, and this is a BIG BUT, our addiction is YOUR benefit! Because when you find one of us crazy prop addicted photographers, chances are we are going to go above and beyond to capture the most beautiful Newborn Photos of your little ones. Again, it’s all part of our addiction!

But what about that CRATE??

So back to the crate! I recently received mine and to say I’m obsessed is an understatement! It will take me some time to build up my collection of “huggers” for it, but it doesn’t matter. The crate itself is absolutely gorgeous and looks like an antique crate. Do I already own 2 or 3 crates? Maybe…but they aren’t magnetic and fit these freakin’ gorgeous magnet designs! So far I’ve gotten these huggers for it:

What about the BUCKET?

Well, I have A LOT of these already. But I recently got some more 😜. I’m not even sure if I have pictures of them. 2 new ones I got that I’m really excited about are a Football one and a Basketball one! OMG they are so cute. I don’t have a photo of the basketball one yet, but hopefully that will be coming soon! But here’s the football hugger:

Buckets in Use

I thought it might be cool for people to see a little bit of the huggers in use by me, so here are some samples:

Want to see more?

Check out my full collection of huggers here!

November 21, 2023

It was a model call

A little while ago I held a Newborn Model call to work on a new newborn photos posing flow option that I want to offer my Newborn Clients. This beautiful baby’s momma reached out to me and the rest is history. The history being that we had a difficult time getting through the workflow LOL! But I also had some new backdrops and props that I wanted to test out and photograph, and this little peanut was so cute that we kept going.

Eventually we were able to get some really great newborn photos and I’m so happy we did! I also really enjoyed hanging out with momma. It’s honestly one of the things I love most about this job. It’s more than a job. Sometimes I feel like it’s my lifeline to the outside world. I get to sit with women and hear their stories and share in experiences. It’s sacred. And I love it <3

Here are the shots momma chose from this beautiful Newborn Baby’s photoshoot <3

Show me some more baby photos!

If you’d like to see more of my Newborn Photo posts, you can check them out here!

November 15, 2023

The Early Bear gets the Worm?

Momma was still scheduling her baby photos when Little Baby Noah came earthside earlier than expected. And momma had an HOUR drive to the hospital! What a warrior! She made it just in time for this beautiful little guy to show up.

Mom liked the idea of using sage green for Noah’s session and what a great choice that was! The color was perfect for him! Oh, and did I mention his beautiful HAIR??? OMG, I die!!!!

It’s a Family Affair!

We started the session with family portraits and big brother Matteo was so sweet with his little brother. He wanted to make sure that he was safe and wanted to help in all the ways including holding the pacifier for lil’ bro. We ended up getting some really beautiful family portraits. But this photo….this one right here…it takes the cake! It has my whole heart! I love a good family portrait. But do you know what I love even more?? The IN BETWEEN photos. The ones where not everyone is looking at the camera. The ones where you see GENUINE connection between people. The ones where you capture LOVE!

Do you see Abuela looking down at Noah? And Noah looking back at her?? And then Mom and Dad looking at big bro and big bro looking at me??? THIS!!! It’s EVERYTHING!

A girl, her camera and baby photos

I’ve been doing photography literally my whole life. I’ve always had a camera. But most people don’t the time, the studying, the work that goes into what we do. From setup to breakdown, the photoshoot, the editing. It’s alot of work. But when you LOVE what you do, it really pays off. I want to share a quick little example of what I’m talking about.

Noah was having a difficult time “settling” during our session. But towards the end, he finally did. And he was in a green romper. And when a baby finally settles after a long time working with them, the less you mess with them, the better. I was NOT about to take that little outfit off of him. We did a setup in a really cute marshmallow bucket. Mom loved it and chose it as one of her final images. But for me, I wanted it to match the bucket better. And with all my knowledge and experience with editing, that’s exactly what I did. Take a look at the before and after…

Before and After photos

The rest of the baby photos!

Without further ado, here are the final images that momma selected for her Collection. There were so many good ones, but these were the overall winners! Plus another one that I worked on as well because, well, it’s gorgeous 🙂

October 14, 2023

A Newborn Session with Sweet Mateyko

One month of sweetness <3

Sometimes mommas contact me after baby has been born to schedule their Newborn shoot. And while we (speaking for Newborn Photographers across the world) always recommend booking in advance, we understand that is not always what happens. Why? Well, because, LIFE! Life in general can be crazy and busy and overwhelming. Now throw in growing a baby in your belly and all the planning that takes place just to be prepared for the baby!

What’s the best age for a newborn shoot?

All Newborn Photographers have different thoughts on the “ideal” time to photograph a newborn. And the windows can vary greatly. Some don’t take on Newborns after they reach a certain age, like oh, I don’t know, over 2 weeks. And while that may sound crazy calling a 2 week old baby “too old”, the reality is that the photographer doesn’t believe they will be able to deliver the images that they would be happy with. So thank them for being honest with you and themself about it! It CAN get more difficult to do a newborn shoot as the baby gets older because they are awake more often and can be more difficult to pose.

Then there are also some photographers who legit don’t have any availability for a newborn session because they have a full calendar of shoots that were booked 6 months before baby was born.

But the good news is…there are a lot of us! Especially here in NJ! With various price ranges and packages and experience and props and equipment and training. There is no shortage of Newborn Photographers in NJ to choose from. 🙂

And I am so happy that I had availability on my calendar when this momma called me. I actually only take a number of Newborn Sessions a month so that I am able to accommodate parents who didn’t have a chance to book months in advance. He was just super adorable and so were his big sis and bro!

So Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present to you, this adorably handsome little boy Mateyko…

July 10, 2023

Studio Newborn Photography Session in Scotch Plains

We had a great Newborn Photography Session in my Scotch Plains Studio! Not only do I have the honor of photographing these precious little babies, but sometimes I get to photograph my own cousins! This is Finbar Toughey. My littlest cousin. He may be a 2nd cousin or 1st cousin twice removed, or some sort of version of a cousin that I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around, but HE’S MY COUSIN! 🙂

Hannah and Stephen came with their little Vivian from NYC for their Maternity session and came back once Finbar was born for their Newborn session. I do Maternity as an add-on for my booked Newborn clients (incase you were wondering). And Hannah had some ideas and inspiration for her Maternity session which I love. Because it is a collaboration after all.

They are the sweetest little family and I will cherish the time we spent together capturing the new life they have built with one another!

June 8, 2023

A Studio Newborn Session with Cranford Baby, Cole

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. 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. Some 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

March 11, 2023

A Studio Newborn Photoshoot with Westfield Family

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!

February 9, 2023

newborn girl on a pink backdrop at photoshoot with joan marie photography in scotch plains nj

Juliana’s Newborn Session!

I have been busy with newborn photos in Scotch Plains, NJ lately and just sent out this little girl’s newborn gallery. What a beautiful little girl she was!

Her grandmother actually contacted me wanting to GIFT a newborn session to her daughter. I can’t think of a more amazing gift! Can you? Man, I wish someone gifted that to me when I had my babies…I definitely was not the photographer that I am now LOL.

These newborn sessions are not lost on me. I love sitting and talking with the parents about their birth, their adoption, their story. I feel like I always get something out of these talks. Sometimes I even find out a connection we have with one another such as mutual friends, life experiences, etc. It’s another part of the “job” that I really love. Human connection. And the magical first weeks with the new life that has entered this world. What a blessing!

So grateful for this!

If you are looking for Newborn photos in Scotch Plains NJ or the surrounding towns like Westfield, Warren, Summit, contact me!

July 28, 2022

A Madison NJ Newborn Photography Session with Mars Bars and Scotch Plains NJ Newborn Photographer Joan Marie

I am so excited to introduce you to my newest baby cousin, Martin! And how ridiculously adorable is it that he is going to go by the name “Mars”??? My cousin was calling him Mars Bars!!! <3.

Maternity add-on, yes please!

Allie added a maternity session onto her Madison NJ Newborn Photography Session and the results are nothing short of incredible! God do I wish I had images documenting the beauty of pregnancy. She killed her session and we had so much fun creating these super special SURPRISE images for her her husband. But you know what always happens? When we think we are getting portraits done as a gift for someone else, they ALWAYS end up being a gift to ourself. I know that Allie will be able to look back on these images years down the line and think to herself, “Damn! I am a magnificent Goddess!”…because, well, just LOOK! She is a GD Goddess!

It’s a Family Affair

Mars joins his 2 other brothers, Caden and Owen, who are just the cutest and sweetest little boys. Caden is totally head over heels in love with his momma and will randomly just call out,”Mom, I love you”. And Owen is a fantastic big brother and I know that he will be such a great helper with Mars. I was lucky enough to also photography brother Caden’s newborn photos! We were able to do his Fresh 48 at Morristown Memorial Hospital (the same place I delivered my own 2 sons) a couple of weeks before his Studio Newborn Session.

Oh boy, oh boy!

My cousin Rob is no stranger to boy families. In fact, my mom and his dad come from a family of 7 kids. Five of which were boys (my poor grandma LOL)! And Rob has 2 brother and a sister of his own. I also have 2 brothers. Boys just run STRONG in our family! And I know that Robert is an amazing dad and these boys are so lucky to call him theirs.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Robert John and Allie I feel so blessed to have been able to document this time in your life. I am so excited I got to meet Baby Mars and see my little cousins Caden and Owen and take their newborn photos! And most importantly I am so happy I got to see you both and the wonderful way you work together as a team and make this all look so easy and natural <3

June 1, 2022

Studio Newborn Photography Session with Baby Veda

I ran a model call for a studio newborn photography session. I was only going to book 1 model, but oops! I wound up booking 2! LOL, no seriously though. I love newborn photography so much that I decided what the heck!? Let’s do 2! Vada was a tiny little adorable peanut. And as luck would have it, she wasn’t thrilled about modeling either. LOL. But that doesn’t bother me. I know that I will always win HAHA!

As a newborn photographer and an ARTIST, I want to capture and create beautiful art with your babies just as much as you want that! This is part of why newborn sessions are scheduled with a 3 hour timeframe. Babies are gonna “baby”! They get hungry, they need diaper changes. And sometimes they just need a little TLC. I plan for these things!

I’ve been doing newborn photography for 10+ years and I still am head over heels for it! And you know what else I’m head over heels for? Little girls in BLUE! I mean, just look at this little SQUISH! Thank you so much Jen and Vada for volunteering your time to help me perfect my craft even further. You ROCK!