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Newborn · Baby Milestones

My First Year of Life

A guide to the beautiful milestones worth photographing in your baby's most precious year

December 2017 5 min read Seattle, WA

Baby milestone photography by Ravina Photography, Seattle

The first year of your lil' one in your life is a very special year — both for you as parents, and for the extraordinary developmental journey your baby goes through. Every week brings something new. Every month, they become someone slightly different from who they were.

I am often asked: what is the right time to take pictures? So here I have put together a guide to the first-year milestones that are beautiful experiences as a parent and equally important for a photographer to document. These sessions are planned around milestones, not a specific age — because all babies grow at their own beautiful, unhurried pace.

"For me, there is nothing more precious than memories. And the first year of a baby's life is full of moments that slip away faster than any of us are ready for."

Milestone 1

"I am born" — The Newborn Stage

The moment our baby enters the world, we discover another dimension of love. We now have someone who defines precious in the truest sense — and we want to hold on to everything that is so special about this stage. This is indeed the most tender phase of parenthood.

Newborn sessions are planned within the first month and are best done when your baby is 2 weeks old or younger. It is the perfect time to capture these lil' bundles in their natural, fetal curled-up positions — highlighting tiny toes, delicate fingers, and those dreamy newborn smiles that make the world stop.

Newborn baby session by Ravina Photography Seattle — Those first quiet days — soft light, tiny hands, and a world brand new. · Ravina Photography, Seattle

💡 Ravina's tip: They sleep and they are comfortable — you can't sleep, and you are exhausted. So it is best to book your newborn session in advance to ensure the photographer doesn't miss capturing this beautiful phase for you. It pairs beautifully with a maternity session.

Newborn wrapped in blanket — Ravina Photography Seattle — Bundled and dreaming. · Ravina Photography, Seattle

Milestone 2

"I can hold" — 3 to 5 Months

They can now hold their head up with ease and are comfortable lying on their belly. After the newborn stage, it is best to wait for this milestone — which usually happens when your baby is between 3 and 5 months old.

This is also when they begin responding to the world around them. Their first smiles — real, intentional, directed right at you — are among the most wonderful moments a photographer gets to capture. There is nothing quite like the feeling of making a 4-month-old genuinely laugh.

Baby tummy time milestone session — Ravina Photography Seattle — Eyes wide open and ready to discover the world. · Ravina Photography, Seattle

Milestone 3

"I can sit" — 6 to 9 Months

They can now sit up like a pro — but not quite crawl yet. This phase is fun, and they are honestly the cutest they have ever been, with their endless giggles and that big-eyed curiosity about absolutely everything.

This milestone usually falls between 6 and 9 months and opens up a whole world of poses and setups. It is also a wonderful time to begin outdoor sessions — golden-hour light on a baby this age is something truly special.

Baby sitting milestone photography — Ravina Photography Seattle — That smile. That light. This is exactly why I do this. · Ravina Photography, Seattle

Milestone 4

"I am One" — The First Birthday

They sit, they stand, they may even walk. Completing one whole year is a milestone worth celebrating — not just for your baby, but for you. You have done something remarkable this year too.

One of my favourite ways to mark this milestone is a Cake Smash session. Watching them dive into the cake, smudging it all over their face and hands, with those completely unpredictable expressions as they taste sugar for the very first time — it makes the most joyful, unscripted, laugh-out-loud photographs you will ever own.

First birthday cake smash session — Ravina Photography Seattle — One whole year of love — and a very happy cake. · Ravina Photography, Seattle

The year goes faster than you think

I always say: the right time to take pictures is right now. Whatever stage your baby is in this week — that version of them only exists for a few short weeks before they become someone new again. Each of these milestones deserves to be held still, just for a moment.

If you are expecting or have a little one already, I would love to document their first year with you — one milestone, one giggle, one magical frame at a time. ❤️

"For me, there is nothing more precious than memories. I love to photograph all that matters — love in all its seasons."

Book a session with Ravina

Ravina

Seattle family & portrait photographer. Born romantic. Mamarazzi at heart. My love for the camera began the moment I became a mother — and I haven't stopped photographing love in all its seasons since. ❤️

Our Rainbow

"The greater your storm, the brighter your rainbow"

For most women, pregnancy and new motherhood is a joy - at least some of the time. But for some it is not easy at all.

When Nidhi got in touch for an infant session and took me through her journey of motherhood, I knew I had to meet them all. She explained how they wanted a very different theme to the whole session, since their baby boy Abeer was a rainbow baby. They had lost their first child, a daughter, an year ago.

Grateful for having got the opportunity to capture some frames for them. And thanks Nidhi for sharing your experience ...

"My journey to motherhood has been very long and arduous. It has been filled with despair, tears and darkness and yet, here I am alive and breathing to share my story and to give hope to those that await their miracle. After a never ending struggle to become a mother including visits to doctors and a miscarriage we were incredibly overjoyed when we got to know I was expecting. We had moved to Germany a few yeas back and that is where we got to know we were expecting a little girl who we named “Paakhi”. After we crossed the dreaded first trimester we were so relieved. However, my baby girl decided she wanted to come out early. Due to her early arrival she had to be admitted in the NICU. She was doing well in the NICU until after 39 days she caught a deadly infection that led to sepsis and we lost our baby forever in 2017. They say that the smallest coffins have the heaviest burden. The pain of losing our first and only child cannot be described in words. Our world had come to an end and all I could see was a long , dark tunnel of hopelessness and despair. I was a mother with aching arms and an aching heart. However, our lives changed course when we got to know we were expecting our second baby…our rainbow baby. A rainbow baby is the life that follows the storm of a heartbreaking loss, and conceiving a rainbow baby is a testament of enormous faith in life and love. Our second child arrived safely in this world in Nov 2018 and we have named him “Abeer”. Abeer means color and our rainbow boy has added unimaginable colors and joy in our lives."

"Loving your baby does not mean that you have forgotten the child you lost. Children want their parents to be happy and fulfilled, so finding happiness and being open to joy with your new baby is one of the greatest ways you can honor your baby's memory." — Carolyn Wagner, MA, LPC

Adorable Abeer took my breath away with his innocent grey-blue eyes and his little hands seen from within the folds of his romper.

The Rapunzel Family

Family photographs boost your child’s self-esteem and their sense of belonging to the family as their very own safe nest.

Relationships are such an important part of life. Infact, they may well be the most important aspect of one’s life. In today’s time, time is always short. There is so much to do and get done, and the easiest to put aside for a while, is time with our near and dear ones. After all, they will always be there…something we would want to believe but sadly may not stay as true.

This is something that drives me at work. It is the very essence I wish to capture in my frames. With every family photography portrait session I do, I strive to capture the relationship and bonds in their purest form. I truly believe, that a good family picture on the wall, is a constant reminder of how the family and those in it are important to one another. Waking up every morning to a happy family picture is surely a blessed way to start each day. It reminds us of who we are and what our family stands for before we are forced to zone out into our respective work zones.

My recent session with a beautiful mother and her two gorgeous daughters at my studio, was truly an amazing one. Each of them were unique individuals and yet together they were truly one.

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My First Year of Life

The first year of your lil’ one in your life is a very special year, both for you as parents and also the developmental changes your baby goes through.

I am often asked what is the right time to take pictures. So here I have put together a list of the first-year milestones, which are beautiful experiences as a parent and equally important for a photographer to document the journey. These sessions are planned at milestones and not a specific age, since all babies grow at a different pace.

(more…)