Brooklyn Coy's Newborn Session | Social Circle, Georgia

For the first time, nothing. else. matters. Life is now consumed with gazing at this little being every second of every day. Every yawn, every sweet little sound is the most amazing thing you’ve ever witnessed. Those toes, that tongue, tiny little lips and nose. Every part is pure perfection. I remember I didn't want to come home from the hospital. I loved having the nurses always checking in on me and making sure my every need was taken care of. Even if they did wake me up every ten minutes. lol The first week was probably my hardest. Adjusting to life with my girl was no joke. Being sleep deprived while trying figure out how to nurse a baby that didn't want to latch on correctly. Poor thing would just cry and then I would cry. I realized I was doing it all wrong when she sneezed blood in my face while she was nursing. And then postpartum depression snuck up on me. I had no idea that was gonna happen.

Needless to say, after all that, the majority of us crazies that have one end up having another. lol And we love it! Because we know that when our babies are all grown up, living their own lives they will always come back to us - with their own families. And then life with stand still all over again.

Cailey + Jeremy welcomed their sweet girl, Brooklyn Coy, into the world on Saturday, March 5th, 2016. She was a healthy 9 pounds, 7 ounces and 21.5 inches long.

Conquering that Session

I've been photographing family + children sessions for over five years now. I've noticed some patterns + a few things I think we can implement into your child's session that will set the perfect tone and give you guys the shots your hearts desire. Trust me y'all! I know it can be challenging and that some of you even dread it. I have been on the other side of a camera many, many times with my cray kids! lol I have to remind myself, just stay calm, whatever happens, happens. This is how my family is! Through trusting my photographer and trying to stay as chill as possible our sessions have always looked natural and fabulous! :) Even if in my mind it feels nuts.

Setting the tone. I'm just gonna jump right in. . .I love it when parents don't do a lot of talking. Eek. I hope this isn't too harsh. I love getting sweet little candid shots of your children looking around their environment in awe and it's how I get a lot of those fabulous side profile shots. LOVE! I know you guys want those perfect shots of your child looking directly into my lens with their gorgeous toothy (or toothless) smiles - believe me, I want those too! It's always a goal of mine to make that happen. But first, I need to earn your child's attention. Letting them be for a moment to acclimate and get used to my voice and my directions is important. Some times this means, you will need to just walk away. So, some advice to parents: please don't talk to your children (especially not in a negative way) while I'm working with them - unless of course you see they are miss behaving in some way that is totally inappropriate. Even then I feel like I can handle it (I have TWO of my own. lol) I've noticed when parents start reprimanding their children during our session it only gets them in a worse mood. :( And if we only have 20-30 minutes together, I say just let them be the wild child!

Dressing for sessions. With Pinterest at our disposal, I think it's much easier to get ideas for your outfits. It's def helped me out on many occasions. Neutrals are so fabulous and simple. Think creams, khakis, grays, light browns. Pastels have my heart! <3. Especially for the spring. Bold colors are super fun too! Rich jewel tones like navy blue, turquoise, ruby red - so gorge. A color that I don't recommend is hot pink (like florescent pink). It always seems to photograph so weird. Knowing these color palates will help when you start putting together multiple outfits for your family. The goal is to coordinate, not for everyone to match perfectly. Mix it up! Not everyone has to wear a solid color. Mix in patterns and florals with your solid colors and bam - you are picture perfect.

I love, love, love getting my girl's all dolled up for sessions. Here are some places I have found outfits. Lollipops Children's Boutique is located in downtown Monroe, Georgia. This is where I found RyAnne's dress she is wearing for this session. They carry boys clothes too! DollCake.com is an online boutique that has some of the most gorgeous, elaborate dresses and accessories for little girls. 3claps.com is another online boutique that has super cute clothing for girls and accessories as well. Old Navy + Gap have fabulous coordinating outfits for family sessions. Just take a peek at their mannequins if you are having trouble putting together an outfit. ;) Keep in mind when ordering outfits online that you give yourself plenty of time for them to arrive well before our session and you have time if you need to exchange for a different size. For parents of little boys, I wish I had more suggestions. If you guys would like to share where you find your cute little guy outfits please leave your suggestions in the comments box below - Thank you!

Makeup. Ladies, when doing your makeup for your session, I recommend going a little heavier than you typically do. It will show up better in your photographs. :) Don't forget to bring that lip color! Depending on how much time we have together you might need to touch it up a bit during our shoot.

Locations. Unless, I am hosting mini sessions in a central location, I always ask that my clients pick their own locations. How awkward would it be if you asked me to pick your location, your family shows up and it's not what you had in mind. . .I would be embarrassed. When considering your location, think about this - Do I want a city-scape, a field, a forrest (aka the woods), a local carnival, a state park, a lake, my backyard? There are so many more options! This is why I love when my clients pick their own locations. You make your session that much more perfect and unique to your family.

Snacks, food, juice - Bribery! I'm not opposed to any of these. lol Please make sure your child has had a full meal before arriving to our session and a clean diaper (if they wear them). This can help with mood. The last thing we want is a hangry child. :( Bribery isn't off the table. at. all! I do it often with parents consent. I have been known to console a child with a lollipop or two or just a bag of them. Whatever it takes. lol

I sure hope this post has been helpful for any upcoming sessions we may have together or just your future of sessions in general. With some pre-planning we can make it happen! If I'm missing something or you have any questions - leave me a message in the comment box! ;)

Who needs a high five?

This morning, I noticed one of my friends "Liked" a bunch of my posts on Facebook. Not only does she always seem to "Like" my posts but she is always there in real life to give me encouraging words and support.  Y'all this is so important! I try hard to constantly surround myself with positive folks, but you know there are always those rotten ones that just keep creeping in. I want to encourage you to reach out to someone and give them some positive words, a hug (Miriam, don't cringe too hard my non-hug loving friend) or even a high five! While you may be thinking happy thoughts for them on a regular basis, hearing it makes it feel real and brings it to life. It can create a spark, not only in you for sharing but most certainly for the person on the receiving end.

And by the way, You look gorgeous today!

Love.

H.

Spring. . .I need you! And bunnies, too!

It smells like spring outside y'all! I'm so excited! I can see my green grass coming through all the dead color and I just can't wait for my flowers to start blooming out too. :) I've started the planning for our Spring mini sessions this year! Yay! My fingers are crossed that we will have bunnies. *Insert Squeal* :) I will be able to confirm this very soon. I remember a couple of years ago when I had bunnies during my spring minis RyAnne went bonkers! I have a picture (the one below, look how cute and tiny she was!) of her and a bunny in her bed room and she asked me if I would get bunnies again. :) Something about animals that brings a smile to a child's face. Love it!

Here are more deets on when I am hosting my minis this year. I have the following sessions available:

Saturday, March 19th, 2016 at 4:15, 4:45 + 5:45 and Sunday, March 20th at 4:15, 4:45, 5:15 + 5:45.

Please shoot me an email at weddings@hollylrobbins.com and let's capture your sweet babes smiles as they experience the joys of spring AND BUNNIES! :)

Close to the beginning. . .

Yesterday my sweet neighbor, Cailey, came over for me to photograph her and her belly for the last time. :) Seeing her not feeling her normal self and somewhat down, it reminded me of my final days carrying my girls. With our first daughter, I was scared and excited because I knew our lives were about to change. It wasn't going to be just Trey and I anymore. And of course this is what we wanted, a family. But still, I don't like HATE change. I was unsure of so many things. . . who was going to watch her when I needed to be away, how was I going to run our business, is she going to be a good sleeper, a good nurser, would my delivery go as I imagined. . .Did I even have an image of what my birth was going to look like?????? Yes, I was quite overwhelmed when at my 40 week check up the mid-wife blasts into the room telling me she just called the hospital and scheduled my induction to begin THAT night. WHAT???? Yes! Without warning or addressing me otherwise - How rude of her. :( I had heard nothing but negative things about indications. That they typically result in a C-section. I was terrified and I cried all day. As my protest, I was 30 minutes late to the hospital to begin this indication process. Huh, take that! lol Not that they really cared and it most certainly didn't make a difference to my nurses. Birthing babies is so unpredictable. It can make you a crazy person. As if the hormones weren't enough, you then have opinions being thrown at you left and right from your doctors, midwives, your girlfriends and the lady in the check out line that has had five kids and breeds horses - she knows it all y’all! lol

JUST. BREATH.

I do know it’s the most beautiful experience of my life so far. Creating my babies (that was fun), growing my babies (incredible and exhausting), birthing them (a true miracle that my body was able to do that) and the very best part holding my fresh newborn babies (I grew this bundle of perfection). GAH! Just too amazing. God is so great.

Cailey gets to meet her daughter, Brooklyn Coy, this Saturday! I'm so excited for her and her family. :) Please lift her up in your happy thoughts + prayers!!!