Charleigh | Ruston LA Baby Photographer

Look at that chubby lil sweet sugary thang! I so love Charleigh’s family and have gotten to know them in the last few years when they asked me to take some pictures for their plumbing business. It was a really fun shoot to incorporate their family with their business, but when Sarah purchased a session from our Black Friday Sale last year for a new baby, I was definitely really excited then! I mean, babies are my thing and I was excited for them to welcome a baby girl!

Since we get to photograph Charleigh’s first year I will get to see her every 3 months and see how she’s changing and boy has she already changed so much! She’s got a sweet personality and smiles easily. When she came in, I immediately saw big brother Hayden, I mean they could be twins born years apart. It’s so funny how kids can look so much like each other.

She was already dressed and ready in her pretty ruffled green bubble, child after my own heart. I love a good dark green myself. My backgrounds are always simple, I like to have neutral sets so I can use it for several different color choices my clients bring in and I find simple background to bring the focus on baby. I paired that with my white floor, gray background, and a white rug, soft for sitting and nice soft texture for subtle interest. Charleigh loved the rug and grabbed handfuls of it, as do many of my babies. When we turned her on her back for some headshots, I noticed her multiple dimples when she smiled. Oh do I love dimples and all types from on their little cheeks to the dimples from chubby thighs, it’s the stuff only babies can steal the show with.

One day, they’ll start walking and she all that baby fat and it’s a sad reminder that those baby days are fading. My own baby is now 9 years old and I remember her little baby rolls, now she’s a beautiful slender little girl without an oz of fat on her. She is turning into a lovely young lady but I do miss my little bitty baby.

With all my milestone sessions I work quickly, you may find this when you book with me and I promise it’s strategic and not rushing you out the door. I call babies my ticking time bombs and anyone who has raised a baby/toddler knows this to be true. It can get real ugly real quick. Babies can get over stimulated, hungry, tired and it all is gonna burst out in fits of tantrums and tears. It’s the perfect storm and there is no turning back, it’s time for a meal and a nap. So do my babies run the show with me, yes…yes they do. Cause no matter how hard you try, you ain’t (and I use ain’t for emphasis) getting no more pictures out of them.

Once we got plenty of good pictures of her green bubble, it was time for an outfit change. I was so excited to see Sarah visited Garden Baby and bought a piece from them. She had mentioned needing to find some outfits for Charleigh and her upcoming sessions. I immediately told her about Garden Baby in Ruston. It’s one of our hidden gems in town if you have a baby/toddler 5 and under. They have many cute things from market but they also have their own clothes line they hand make themselves in the back of the shop. It’s a mother and daughter-in-law duo that work together and their items are my favorite. In fact if one of their brand of clothes isn’t in the size you need, ask them if they can make you one in the size you need. I did this with my daughter and picked up the item in a couple weeks.  Mom also asked if I happened to have a “moses basket”. When she asked, I did not have one at the time. I do honor requests and will seek out what my client’s ask, but when you own a business, not everything can be provided due to budgets and cost of return. I have to pull the reigns on myself as well, I’m kind of a prop hoarder and would rather spend money on those things than a much needed new computer. BUT on my shopping adventure to Kool Kids for my own daughter, I happen to pass by none other than the requested basket and for $10 it was meant to be Charleigh’s basket. Other babies are more than welcome to lay in it, but it might always be dubbed “The Charleigh Basket”.

The last outfit was another request from mom for a pumpkin themed photo. This was an easy request to fulfill, remember I hoard props and I already had a set of little pumpkins from a cakesmash session I did a year ago. It turned out sweet and Charleigh really seemed to like it since she tried to eat every pumpkin. She’s probably wondering what the whole fuss with pumpkin spice flavor is about. Overall not a tear was shed, not a tantrum was thrown, and Charleigh was just as happy to be there. I wondered how she’ll change when I see her again in January! Until thing Charleigh girl!