When you have your first, you document your pregnancy. You do the beautiful maternity session with lovely flowing dresses and the quiet. You schedule the newborn session months in advance to make sure you have the time blocked off. You call the pediatrician every time there’s a sniffle…well, maybe not every time. Basically, you do all the things because you’ve never had a chance to do them all before. And, it’s an adventure. But, what about when you’ve already had your first and you’re about to meet your second? Here’s the secret, you still do all of those things. You just do them differently.
Being a family photographer in Westchester NY, I get to see what’s new: watching your first make room in her big little heart for another person to take up space in her family. Watching her exhibit an ungodly amount of patience as her new brother soaks up the majority of the attention. Watching her somehow magically morph into the roles of protector, teacher, and playmate all at once. So, when Mykola called me to schedule a maternity session for his entire family, I was super excited. While I do love that maternity moment with the flowing dresses and loving quiet moments between mom and dad, what I love even more is watching those first-born babies ready themselves to become something other. I’m a first-born, so maybe I’m biased.
Meeting little miss Anastasia was one of those rare moments when you look into the eyes of a child who is far older than her years…and I realized that she is going to be an AMAZING big sister to whoever introduces himself to their family next. In our afternoon together, I got to watch as she really took interest in the little person still tucked up in her mother’s belly. I got to watch her play and be silly, and ask questions, and get her knees dirty. And, I got to watch her on that precipice of change…changing from being just sweet and soulful Anastasia to being someone’s big sister for a lifetime.
Let me tell you something about big sisters. We might piss you off good and plenty with our bossiness on occasion. Or our answers to your questions. Or when we tell Mom that you’ve done something you shouldn’t. But, we will NEVER EVER stop loving those people who made us something we never were before. So, to my sisters – you changed me. You’ve pissed me off royally on occasion, and I you. But, you made me something I wasn’t.
family photographer in Westchester NY
Gina specializes in modern & emotive family imagery. By focusing on the relationships of parents and their children, she is able to go beyond the standard pose and capture the true emotion of her clients’ relationships. Visit the Portfolio Page for more inspiration.
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