The day after he heard you were pregnant, your husband upgraded to the most expensive digital camera on the market. But the next Annie Leibovitz he is not – and you can’t even figure out how to turn the darn thing on. Time to break down and hire a seasoned pro to capture those precious first months with your new family member. Here in the tri-state area, you’ve got countless to choose from, all with their own unique styles. Most sessions cost just a few hundred dollars, and if there’s a mom-to-be you really want to spoil, many of these photographers offer gift certificates.
Sue Barr
A glance at one of her photos and you can just feel the subject’s emotions jumping out at you. A photographer for two decades, Barr takes the artistry to such a high level you probably wouldn’t mind hanging her photos of someone else’s kids in your living room. Be sure to ask about her Lucite and pop photos.
Julie Brimberg
Her style ranges from happy black-and-white studio portraits to whimsical candids from a romp in the park. One package includes a shoot of an expectant mother and a follow-up shoot with the mother and child (hair and makeup is available).
Kenneth Chen
A photographer for the New York Times and several parenting magazines, Chen takes modern close-ups worthy of an art gallery. The “intimate innocence” series, which focuses on the details — each lash on a baby’s eye, a perfect, chubby arm — is especially striking.
Classic Kids
With its hip, crisp black-and-white photos, this studio could easily be the gold standard for modern children’s photography. With nine locations throughout the country, the head photographers all train through a good old-fashioned apprenticeship with founder Julie Floyd. The studio offers multi-photograph pieces of art (a specialty), unique holiday cards, custom-made photo jewelry and high-end photo purses.
Justine Cooper
The Met and New Museum have her stuff. Now you can, too. Australian-born Cooper captures the innocence and sweetness of a tiny baby’s feet or head, and the eyes of her young subjects seem to tell an entire story. Infused with energy, her pictures come across as being so much more than one-dimensional. Cooper offers a three-in-one Mini Studio Session package so moms-to-be can do a maternity, newborn, and say, 6-month shoot.
Abby Cope
Fresh, fun shots that capture those soft, gentle moments. Standouts include Cope’s artsier but wonderfully simplistic photos highlighting the beautiful frailty of infants — adult hands encircling the top of a newborn’s head, a tiny baby lying on her side with the top of her head closest to the camera. Maternity and First Year packages are available.
Aoommie Cutone
She’ll capture your kid being a kid — crinkling his nose, throwing his head back in laughter, casting a mischievous glance — in lively, documentary-style photos. Services also include birth announcements, cards and calendars.
Jordan Elyse
Relaxed, natural photos — taken anywhere in the tri-state area, often outdoors — will capture your child’s prevailing personality traits or the subtle, spontaneous moments shared between family members.
Nina Drapacz
Drapacz trained with Richard Avedon, who taught her to wait for that moment “that makes [her] heart beat faster.” Those “heartbeat” moments are clearly visible in her portraits and adorable sibling shots. Drapacz offers maternity/baby packages as well as online galleries with private links for each family.
Mary Jane Farnsworth
Although she’s shot rocks stars like Stone Temple Pilots, this photog is all about fun, candid shots. She works mostly on location to capture kids enjoying themselves in their natural settings. Online proofs are available, and she’ll travel within an hour of NYC for no extra charge.
Heather Forbes
Silly, sassy, and honest shots that celebrate your child’s myriad moods. Super-relaxed, at-home maternity sessions are also available.
Brad Franklin
Clean, crisp photos that would do any gallery wall proud, they have a high definition feel to them. By capturing a grimace, a glint in the eye, a smirk, Franklin seems to tell an entire story through each picture. His shots are anything but one-dimensional.
Heidi Green
Color-drenched shots of birthdays and family functions let you put down the camera and enjoy the party. Her portraits use light that looks natural and feel active rather than posed.
Susye Greenwood
A Day in Your Life Photography specializes in photographing the “poetry” of your family’s life. They’ll spend a weekend capturing the beauty in the minutiae of family activities (bedtime rites, piano practice, meal prep). The result is a series of photos showcasing the ordinary in an extraordinary light.
Karen Haberberg
Her relaxed photos celebrate little ones displaying the precious sentiments we so often associate with kids — bewilderment, awe, delight. Haberberg offers birth and maternity shoots.
Mac Hartshorn
Soft, intimate portraits chronicle a child’s every expression; pregnancy photos are elegant and sexy. Go for a two-hour session at the photographer’s Hoboken studio or head to the beach or park on designated days. Custom framing, albums and note cards are available.
Image Singuliere
French-born Virginie Blachere is an established wedding photographer whose work has graced the pages of numerous bridal magazines. It’s only natural she’d branch out into the next stage of a couple’s life together: babies (namely, their tushes). Parents of multiples take note: She seems to have the Anne Geddes ability to get three babies to stay still long enough to snap a group derriere shot.
Michael Jurick
This lensman is known for classic, colorful portraits, mostly taken outdoors. Images are online within three days of your appointment and you can request digital retouching.
Lucille Khornak
Khornak is a former model who knows her way around both sides of the camera. Her pictures have been called soulful, whimsical and energetic. She offers custom holiday cards that are sure to steal the spotlight on any mantel. Khornak often travels to London, Paris and the Hamptons to photograph clients.
Audrey Lee
Lee captures the natural wonderment of children exploring their environment — a little girl at the water fountain, a boy getting ready to fish. Her work features some interesting angles and intimate close-ups. Clients who book maternity and baby shoots together receive a discount.
Jessica Leigh
Fun, playful maternity pictures and little subjects who are footloose and fancy free are what Jessica Leigh is all about. One unique service she offers is an in-home consultation to help clients figure out where to hang the pictures, and what frames and picture shapes look best with their décor.
Yaron Leshem
A fine art photographer whose work has appeared in museums all over the world, Leshem has a natural, relaxed style. Black and white photos are his specialty. In addition to prints, you can order holiday cards, birth announcements and albums.
jennM photography
Jennifer Miranda is a contemporary lifestyle photographer of children and their families. Her style is simple and casual. Her work is a clear testament of her artistic dedication and talent. Most importantly, she strives to capture memories that you and your family will treasure forever.
Sarah Merians
Dramatically lit portraits of pregnant women, babies and toddlers lend drama to the little nuances and details — a smile, a pudgy foot, a soft kiss on the head.
Jennifer Mitchell
Having photographed political heavyweights like Bill Clinton and John McCain, as well as celeb power couples Brangelina and TomKat, Mitchell brings a journalist’s eye to her work. All photos are shot on location as Mitchell tries to capture each child’s personality. Prices include an edited and Photoshopped disc.
Adam Morgan
Adam Morgan of Fine Art Child Morgan brings clarity and brilliance to his museum-quality, ethereal shots of everyday life without any planning or posing — the back of a little girl running through an apartment, a boy sprawled out on a sofa, an infant yawning. A master of capitalizing on natural light, you’d think a Hollywood film crew was tagging along on his shoots. Morgan’s specialty is large-format printing.
Donna Padowitz
Artfully composed portraits and lighthearted candids capture every blink-of-an-eye mood and quirky personality. Family shots look spontaneous and completely natural.
Alysa Renee
Sweet, gentle photographs of natural moments are Renee’s specialty. She’s a big believer in minimal direction for kids during shoots. Maternity, newborn and first year combo packages are available.
Thomas Roemischer
This Park Slope photog likes working on location — the beach, the park, at home — so his subjects are relaxed and comfortable. That tranquility is easy to spot in his images of tots mugging for the camera. Check out Roemischer’s Baby Steps package of four photo sessions over a baby’s first year (including an optional maternity shoot).
Michael Scott
With years of children’s editorial work under his belt, this lensman is known for clean, modern, close-ups and creatively captured shots of little ones in action.
Paloma Sendrey
Memorable, straightforward, and simple family portraits that are especially perfect for birth announcements, holiday cards or birthday photos.
Sarah Sloboda
With clients like Sephora, Sloboda knows how to make color really pop. Her shots feature kids being kids — footloose and fancy-free, moody, pensive. Sloboda’s goal is to photograph her little subjects expressing themselves in the moment. Her carefully chosen locations, be it a rooftop or flooded street, give her pictures an interesting context.
Julie Hassett Sutton
Her portraits of children and families have been said to “create time through light,” slowing down precious moments so the viewer can fully experience them.
Bentley Waters
Her ethereal photos of kids can be compiled inside signature, handmade silk photo albums. One fun option: Meet the photographer in the Hamptons this summer to get especially relaxed, sunny beach photos with your baby.