Ways to Give Photos as Gifts

The holidays are coming up, and you know what that means. Lots of holiday shopping!

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes struggle to find the perfect gift for everyone on my list. Especially those people who don’t really need or want anything—and yet I still want to express my love and appreciation in some way.

For just about every situation, I’ve found that photos can be the perfect answer! Here are some ways to give photos as gifts that will work for just about everyone.

Artwork

There are so many gorgeous ways to display your photos. From framed prints and canvases to photo blocks and albums, creating a piece of art composed of special pictures is a gift anyone would treasure. This can be a single piece of wall art, perhaps for a grandparent, or an album focused around a theme like a relationship (you and your child, for instance) or event (like a family vacation).

Custom Photo Gifts

If your recipient’s tastes run more to the fun and whimsical, maybe a custom photo gift would make their day! There are a plethora of options for using your photos to create customized mugs, blankets, pillows, keychains, calendars, puzzles, coasters, etc. The list is almost endless!

Prints

And there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple. Personally, I would be thrilled with a thoughtfully chosen selection of favorite prints that had special memories for both giver and recipient. A few ideas:

• Write a message on the back of each print expressing your love or a fond memory, then tie it all up with a pretty ribbon.

• Include a gift card to a favorite restaurant or other location and set a date to make some more memories there together.

• Give them a small, blank photo album along with the images so they can start their own photo collection.

• Buy a frame and include a selection of prints that they can rotate throughout the year: One frame, lots of possibilities!

• Include a length of twine and some cute clothespins so they can brighten up a spot in their home with some fun pictures.

I hope these ideas for ways to give photos as gifts provide some inspiration as you get ready for the holidays!

And one more, just as a bonus: Professional photos make an incredible gift that will be cherished for years! If you’d like to gift a special someone a photo session (or treat yourself!) I hope you’ll be in touch. I would love to help you give one of the most meaningful gifts they will ever receive: a professional photo session just for them!

When to Book Your Photo Session

If you’re coming up on one of those exciting life events, like expecting a baby or getting ready to celebrate your little one’s first birthday, you’re probably wondering when to book your photo session. My shooting schedule fills up very quickly, so I want to make sure you know the best times to book so you can plan ahead and not have to deal with the stress and disappointment of not being able to find a photographer who can accommodate you!

While some sessions aren’t super time-sensitive, there are a few (like newborn, maternity, cake smash, and holiday pictures) that have a limited window for perfect photos. Let’s take a quick look at each of them:

When to Book Your Newborn Session

Babies only stay little for so long. My favorite time to capture newborn photos is when they’re between 7 and 21 days old. I’ve taken photos of babies as old as 6 weeks, but I don’t necessarily consider those to be newborn pictures. If you don’t get baby in before they’re 4 weeks old, it makes it a lot more difficult (and sometimes impossible) to get certain poses. Plus, baby probably won’t be as sleepy and cooperative!

Because you really do want to have newborn pictures taken right away (and because I only take a limited number of newborns each month) I recommend booking your session at least 3-4 months before your due date.

When to Book Your Maternity Session

If you’re pregnant, the best time to capture images of that beautiful bump is right around the 30-35 week mark. We want your belly to be nice and big, and for you to still be comfortable enough to enjoy your photoshoot. And we don’t want to get too close to the due date because babies sometimes decide they’re ready NOW!

With these considerations in mind, I recommend booking your session about 2-3 months before that ideal 30-35 week window.

When to Book Your Cake Smash Session

Another type of session you’ll want to book early is a cake smash! Honestly, the earlier the better with this one, because I create your custom set completely from scratch and it takes at least 6-8 weeks to create your unique setup. I also like to photograph baby about 3-4 weeks prior to their first birthday. So, once your baby gets to be about 6 months old, hop on the phone and let’s start planning their milestone celebration!

What About Holidays?

I usually hold my holiday sessions in October and November so you can have pictures in time for Christmas cards and gifts. But you’ll want to be thinking about scheduling your session well before then! I announce my holiday sessions in July and they sell out FAST! If you haven’t done it already, be sure you get in touch for one of my magical holiday sessions later this year.

I hope this information helps you in planning your photoshoot. If you have any questions, get in touch sooner rather than later! I want to capture those beautiful memories and can’t wait to reserve a spot for you on my calendar!

Announcing: Maternity Studio Sessions | New Jersey Photo Studio

Earlier this year I posted about all the different types of photoshoots I offer, and I’m so excited to expand my list to include maternity studio sessions!

Pregnancy is such a beautiful and exciting time, and I want to offer moms the chance to celebrate their bodies and the new life they’re carrying inside. Which is why I’m thrilled to tell you all about what you can expect when you book studio maternity photos with Jennifer Parrello Photography.

What is Included in a Maternity Studio Session

There is so much to do to get ready for a new baby, which is why—as fun as it is—you don’t want your maternity shoot to take forever. These sessions are simple and focused on YOU. My maternity studio sessions are up to an hour, and you can choose between an all-black backdrop or a light and airy window backdrop (featured in these photos).

What to Wear

I have a few select pieces such as body suits (like the one in these photos) and black fitted dresses available in my New Jersey photo studio. I encourage you to wear what you love and feel beautiful and comfortable in. We’ll typically do two outfits per session, so feel free to bring your own outfits or mix and match with what’s in the studio so you can get a couple of different styles for your maternity photos.

Who Can Participate?

My studio maternity sessions are designed especially for mom—to capture that pregnancy glow and beautiful baby bump! My studio is small and perfect for intimate portraits, so if you want to include a close family member, such as your spouse, we can absolutely do that! If baby has an older sibling, they are welcome to join too. If you have multiple children or extended family you’d like to include, I recommend an outdoor session simply so we can accommodate everyone comfortably. (Yes, I do offer outdoor maternity sessions as well. Bear in mind that New Jersey weather can be unpredictable!)

Book Your Maternity Studio Session

I want you to have memories of this irreplaceable time in your life. If you have questions or are ready to schedule your session, please get in touch! And a quick note: While you can book a maternity session only, you’ll get a discount when you bundle your maternity session with your newborn session--just something to consider as you get ready to welcome that little one! I hope to see you in the studio soon, and congratulations on this exciting time!

Outdoor Maternity Photos | Passaic County, New Jersey

Outdoor Maternity Photos | Passaic County, New Jersey

Springtime and babies go together! Just ask Mother Nature—or this sweet couple! I had the pleasure of doing their outdoor maternity photos last month, and I love the way our images turned out. Enjoy!

Time for Maternity Pics!

If you’re opting for outdoor maternity photos, I always recommend just after sunrise or just before sunset as the optimal time. Maternity photography, like any other type of photography, is all about lighting, and there’s a reason the time around sunrise or sunset is referred to as “the golden hour” by a lot of photographers. The sunlight is really soft and warm at this time, giving the perfect glow to portraits—as you can see from these shots.

Passaic County NJ Maternity Photographer

What to Wear

We wanted to keep things pretty simple for this maternity photography session. Since it was outdoors, we didn’t want to be messing around with outfit changes. Mom wore a classic black dress with boots, and Dad chose blue jeans and a black button-up shirt. It was a great mix of stylish and casual, and went great with the rustic backgrounds we chose at our outdoor location in Passaic County, New Jersey. The wood, stone, and hills made for a perfect setting.

Outdoor Maternity Photo Session Passaic County NJ

Maternity and Newborn Pictures

Most photographers who offer maternity photos do newborn as well. Most of the time it just makes sense to have the same photographer take care of both sessions for you, which is what this couple decided to do. A few weeks after we did these outdoor maternity photos, I welcomed them and their new little one to my NJ photography studio for a newborn session. So much fun! Keep an eye out on the blog for those pictures as well. Trust me, you won’t want to miss them!