Be in the picture, not just behind it.
There are ten thousand photographs of your child and almost none of you together. Mom & Baby sessions exist to fix that — built around the bond rather than the pose, for mothers across Falls Church and Northern Virginia.
The photograph your children will want later
Ask anyone who has lost a parent which picture they reach for. It is never the flattering one. It is the one where their mother is holding them, mid-sentence, not quite ready — the one she would have deleted.
Most mothers put this session off for a year or three, usually until after losing weight, growing hair out, or finding time. The children keep changing during the wait. This session is designed so the waiting stops being necessary: you are directed the whole way through, you are always doing something rather than posing, and Tammy shows you the back of the camera early so you stop bracing.
Included in every Mom & Baby session
- A planning call, including honest help choosing what to wear
- 60–90 minutes, in-home or on location in Northern Virginia
- Full direction — you will never be left standing there wondering what to do
- Frames with your child, and a few of just you, because those matter too
- 20 finished, print-ready images in a private online gallery within two weeks
On being photographed when you do not feel like it
Tammy’s working assumption is that you are tired and unconvinced. That is a normal starting point and it does not show in the finished frames. Posing is chosen for how it reads, not how it feels, and anything you are self-conscious about you can say out loud at the start — she will simply work around it rather than making you raise it twice.
Questions, answered
I hate being photographed. Is this going to be awful?
This is the single most common thing mothers say before a session, and it is the reason the session is built the way it is. You will not be asked to pose alone and smile at a lens. Almost every frame gives you something to do - holding, lifting, walking, talking to your child - because people look like themselves when they are occupied, and stiff when they are not.
What should I wear?
Solid, uncluttered colours in fabrics that move: linen, cotton, soft knits. Skip logos, busy prints and brand-new stiff clothing. Tammy sends a short guide once your date is confirmed, and she is happy to look at photos of two or three options beforehand and tell you honestly which will photograph best.
Can this include more than one child?
Yes. One child or several - the session is about the relationship, not the headcount. With more than two young children, plan for the longer end of the window, and expect the best frames to come from the moments Tammy lets happen rather than the ones she arranges.
Is this the same as a maternity session?
Maternity portraits can be photographed within this session, before the baby arrives. Many mothers book a maternity sitting and then return for a Mom and Baby session afterwards - the two make a natural pair, and the second one is what most people end up hanging.
Where do these sessions happen?
In your home, or on location across Northern Virginia. In spring, blossom sites near Falls Church and Arlington photograph beautifully; in late summer, the sunflower fields; in autumn, the parkland around Vienna and McLean. Tammy will suggest a location that suits your child's age and attention span.
How long until we see the photographs?
A private online gallery with 20 finished, print-ready images arrives within two weeks.
Book a Mom & Baby session
Tell Tammy a little about your child’s age and she’ll suggest timing and a location that suits.
Your note is on its way.
Tammy reads every inquiry herself and replies within one business day — check your spam folder if you don’t see her.
In a hurry? Call (571) 599-4437.