Makaelyn York & Addison Clark are two little twinsies who were born at 35 weeks!! They were all naturally created and they are identical twins!  The chances of this are approximately 1/250! And these two cuties were that 1!

Mama contacted me through my Facebook Page when they were still cooking asking if I had ever done a twin newborn session, and my answer was no.  She graciously offered her little babes to be my twin trial run! haha i LOVED it.  They were SOO good and so cute, and soooo sleepy!  They are definitely staying up on my Portfolio on the website forever so you may have seen them a time or two! lol

Though they were identical, we were still able to tell them apart.  Their hair was always a bit different and one always had a bit of a longer face.  Separately was a challenge sometimes but put them together and you could kind of see the difference!! lol

Their mama is a pro at posting on their Instagram Account (give them a follow!).  I was also able to see them for a couple sessions after their newborn session at their sitter session AND a fall family session!  

But this particular time this past weekend, we decided to do their cake smash! Cake smashes are one of those sessions that are really a "hit or miss". You sometimes get little wee ones who don't understand why they're FINALLY allowed to dive head first into cake and they freak out, or you get the ones that are super happy about it and do the diving!! lol As you can see, they decided that it was "go time!". 

Mama had a little surprise for me once they were done with the cake - she definitely wanted in on the fun!! lol soooo she plopped her booty down.. and with two (almost) 1 year olds, her hands were a bit full.. soo Daddy decided to have a little fun with mama.. lol!

To check out their entire gallery CLICK HERE!

Yep! He got her with quite a bit of icing! The studio was a TEENY bit cake and icing filled afterwards, but this was probably the craziest, funnest, cake smash I've had lol I mean, how can it not be with TWO toddlers?!?

I can't wait to watch these little rascals grow and honestly can't even believe it's been a year already!  Honestly, doing what I do is so rewarding.  That moms and dads trust me to capture these memories for them.  I don't ever take it for granted and I love every second of it! 

I am now booking into June 2019! So if you're expecting, want a milestone session (whether it's a sitter session or cake smash), family session, or anything else - send me a message through my Contact Page!

<3 Krystal

So the moment comes, you find out you all of a sudden are in planning mode.  Will it be a boy or a girl? Will you go with pink or purple? Blue or yellow? Maybe neutrals, whites and greys or even cream.  You go on Pinterest and start the hunt for everything baby!  This is probably one of the most exciting times ever for you.  This could have been a quick "first try" and you got pregnant or you could have been waiting for this special little newborn baby for years.   

It’s such an amazing feeling!  However, of all things to plan for, a newborn photographer may have been one of the things that you didn't realize was something that you wanted.  And now, you go BACK onto Pinterest, and see the hundreds of photos, styles, genres, poses, etc.  Google a mississauga newborn photographer in your area, and find there are SOO many.  You quickly realize that finding someone to do this for you, is probably going to be overwhelming and stressful.  This is not an easy task!  How do you choose someone in two seconds if it's someone you (probably) have never met, and are going to soon be caring for and holding your brand new bundle of happiness and love.  Your whole heart bunched up into just a ball of chunkiness.  Wouldn't it just be SO much easier for someone to point you in the right direction?? Well, lets do just that!

Choosing your newborn photographer is something you should not take lightly.  I've been doing this for over two years and every single time someone comes to me, they always say "You're going to be great when you have kids".  Or "you know all the tricks of the trade".  Or "how did you become so patient with them?!".  The truth is, being a newborn photographer is hard.  Like in my previous blog of Why I Don't Give Unedited Images, there is SO much work that goes into creating gorgeous photos for you guys. 

It's definitely not as simple as a click of a button and away we go.  Many, MANY, many, people will say "wow that camera is amazing!".  The truth is, yeah of course it's the camera that TAKES the photo physically, but it's me putting the baby into the shot compositionally correct, it's me that's knowing what angle to shoot from and where to put my light, and what system works best for me, and knowing the flow of transition poses.

That's all fun and all about how I take the photo but what about you? That's the most important factor.  How do you know you want ME? Well, time for a little self-reflection.  But nothing too crazy like the first day of class and you have to introduce yourself and your hobbies type thing.  Believe it or not, I HATED being forced to do that.  I'm such an introvert that speaking in front of 30 people was NOT something I looked forward to at all.. but anyways! :) 

Everyone is different.  Some people like bright vibrant colours, others like muted earthy tones.  Some people like "posed", other people like "natural".  This is a perfect example of why you should shop around what what style suits YOU! 

The importance of valuing the product you'll receive.  You see soooo many posts or "ISO" posts on mom groups or other Facebook social media groups with people looking for newborn photographers that "won't charge an arm and a leg".  When really, this is the last thing that you should be considering when choosing your photographer.  Price is obviously important, but if newborn photos is something you'll value and treasure forever, then you want something that 10-15 years from now when your little baby is graduating from one school to another, you're still looking at that image and you're proud.  It's one of those things that "dont happen twice".  Your new baby will NEVER be 10 days old again.  Value that moment, and treasure what that means.  I don't want to tell you "don't look at price".  But really, don't look at price!  Maybe because I am such a spur of the moment person, to me, if I see what I love, I want it.  And money will come back.  But your little babe being the little babe he/she is, won't. 

So, where do you start??  In Home or In Studio?

I think it's important to recognize what YOUR style is.  This is where you decide if you want your session in your home or in my studio?  Do you prefer more relaxed sessions, or posed session?  The photo on the left here is an example of a studio session.   In this session, mom and dad came to the studio to have their new little babe Hailey (who was my first wrapped mini newborn session).   In studio sessions are sessions that involved these "wrapped poses", the naked poses, the use of props, furs, buckets, baskets, etc.  I have a few different options for in studio newborn sessions.  In studio sessions usually last quite a few hours (generally between 2-4), as having baby super sleepy, is quite important.  But, that's also another factor that you don't need to worry about!  Prior to your studio session, I'll send you an entire prep guide in order to help with the flow of your newborn session.  But, babies aren't always so sleepy! They just look like it in the images ;) To view samples of styled in studio sessions, please click here.

Or, you can opt for the in-home lifestyle session.  The phone on the right here was an in-home newborn session.  This type of session includes literally just you (mom and/or dad, and baby).  Heck you can even have your fur babies in these sessions! These sessions are quick and simple.  They're generally about an hour.  You can have a variety of photos in your home which usually includes in the master bedroom, nursery, living area, etc.  Any room that has natural light though.  As I am not a "travelling studio photographer", meaning I do not bring my lights and props and bean bag with me, these sessions are simplistic and natural.  To view an example of a lifestyle session, click here.

Next up in choosing your photographer would likely be to look at their style in their portfolio.  This part of your selection process is just as important as deciding what type of session you want.  Why? Because, as a photographer, our goal is not just to give you photos to post for "likes", the goal is mainly for YOU to like them.  No.. correction.  The goal is for you LOVE them.  Love them enough that you'll want them displayed in your home, or at work on your desk, or give them to family members.  Planning to print your photos is something SO many people forget when choosing their photographer.  Whether you want an album or a table frame or a big wall collage in the nursery, printing your photos should definitely be something you take into consideration.  If you look at a lot of my work, I'm pretty "moody".  I like deep shadows and neutral colours.  I don't have a lot of bright pink, or bright blue.  I'm not an "airy" photographer.  I have a moodier style.  I'm pretty "rustic" you could say.   Something that you should definitely do, is contact the photographer(s) that you're thinking about selecting and actually talking to them about what your vision is to make sure that you're on the same page.  You can get a lot out of visiting websites and Instagram pages and Facebook, but you'll have more of a feel if you "click" with your photographer by having a conversation with them. It's important to reach out! :) 

SAFETY ALERT! This is a BIG factor when choosing your photographer.  Just like I mentioned above, I get that price is a HUGE factor, and I know that everyone has a different budget on what they want to spend.  But, I can tell you, the photographers that aren't charging an "arm and a leg" (.. which actually if you google the cost of an arm and a leg is actually A LOT and no where near what photographers are charging ;) ) are charging you what they're charging because they know the safety of your baby.  I cannot tell you how many online workshops I've completed, how many "pro" photographers I've studied and learned from, to learn the safety of your baby.  I know what signs to look for with the colour of your baby's skin, I know what positions to keep them in to make sure that their little lungs are getting enough oxygen, I know what pressure to use and where so that they feel safe and secure when they're with me. 

Take this photo of these two little identical twin boys (who are coming in for their 1 year cake smash this weekend!), I had a spotter holding their head; however, for the gorgeousness of the image, I edited her hand out.  Why? Because it was safe.  I knew that them being teeny tiny like they were, would not be able to hold their head up like this by themselves, so we composite the shot to create this.  

Before thinking price is the only factor, please remember that the safety of your little one should ALWAYS come first.   PRICE SHOULD NEVER TRUMP SAFETY.  I would rather know someone chose me because they trust me, rather than chose me because they like what I charge over someone else.  This is such an important factor, that I could (and maybe will) write an entire blog on this factor alone. 

Hopefully if you're expecting, after reading this post you'll either know 100% that you want me as your photographer, or that I don't fit stylistically into what you're looking for.  And that's okay!  Please be sure to email me via my contact page if you would like to get some more info and talk a bit more! <3 
 

As you may recall, I recently offered a "Wrapped Mini-Newborn Session".  Well, I am happy to say the first babe to do this session, was a complete doll and success!  She was a bit fussy but nothing a pacifier couldn't help ;).  When she came in, she was a sleepy babe.  But as soon as that nice warm cozy onesie came off she awoke. 

This usually the process anyways, so I don't mind.  I put my wraps on her and away she went into dreamland.  Her mama chose to have whites, creams, and anything really light and neutral which with her dark hair and perfect skin, looked SO good on her!  I wrapped her in the "potato sack wrap" and away we went!  

These sessions are only 1 hour in length so really, having a good wrapping technique (and of course a sleeping baby), is pretty crucial.  The key is wrapping them nice and tight so that they feel secure.  Most times mom (or dads) say to me "when I wrap him/her they just wiggle out!".  Now, it's suggested not to wrap them as tight as I do for long periods of times, like for them to go to sleep for the night or what not, but for their session, it's perfectly fine :).  The way their arms are folded to their sides and their legs are "pretzeled" on their bellies is a similar pose to how they were in the belly so most times this is why they fall asleep - it's their position that they're used to!

Baby H was born on December 15, 2018.  So as soon as she was born, mama emailed and asked if she was still okay to do her session on January 5, 2019.  The good thing about the wrapped mini session is it's pretty good for babies even up to about 4 weeks old!  When you're looking for your newborn photographer, you'll see a lot of us have a "preferred time frame" of photographing your new baby.  The reason for this is because after a certain period, they're used to the outside world and they are more alert, they're growing, learning and developing SO quickly.  In order to get the cute poses that are posted and you see online, generally they're between 7-14 days old.  That is usually what is needed (or preferred) for nude shots because for those, baby must be veryyyyy sleepy.  But for wrapped shots, it's okay if baby is awake.  Because of my wrapping methods, they can't wiggle out, so if they're bright eyed and bushy tailed, I will just photograph that for you and you still get a full gallery of gorgeous baby!

Mom selected her images quite quickly after I sent the gallery over.  I love when mamas are excited and eager to view their galleries that they respond right away.  Mind you, she had a gallery of 20 Images to choose from!  Baby H did such an amazing job, it took no time to fill her gallery in the hour :) Below are some of my favourites from her session :)

If you're interested in booking a newborn session, whether it be a wrapped mini or a full session, please be sure to do so in your second trimester :))  Head on over to the "Contact" page at the top ^ and shoot me a message! :)