My second son, Baby Gray, didn’t have a picture-perfect entry into our world. It was sloppy and messy, and we’re still trying to play catch up from his early arrival and brief stay in the NICU. Life with two littles is chaotic and moves oh-so-quickly, so much in fact that I feel I barely have time to soak it all in, much less immortalize the little moments with my camera phone. Luckily, Miranda Gerberding of Gerber Belle Photography swooped in and helped this exhausted mama capture my baby in timeless, classic, and beautiful photographs, right inside our own home.
Miranda truly loves working with her clients, and she clearly has a gift with tiny babies (and nervous mamas!). Her process is extremely hands-on and customized for each family. Here are a few things about our experience with Miranda and Gerber Belle Photography that are truly special:
Initial Planning Phone Call:
After we set a date for our in-home photos (you also have the option to go to her home-based studio), we set up a phone call to plan and discuss. During our brief conversation, Miranda got a feel for my style (minimal and natural, with soothing colors), my goals for the pictures (announcement and framed display), and who would be participating in the picture (Baby Gray, our two-year-old, my husband, and me).
Tips and Tricks:
About a day before our photo shoot Miranda e-mailed over a detailed document with tips and tricks to get the most out of our newborn pictures. She included ideas on what to wear, what temperature to set the house, and even plans for when to feed the baby to ensure he was nice and tired for those oh so adorable sleepy-baby poses.
Confidence and Professionalism:
Miranda and I hit it off right away, although I have the sneaking suspicion that she might hit it off with all her mom clients. She’s warm and genuine, truly took an interest in my family and our story, and was confident enough to step into my extremely non-picture-perfect home, and turn our playroom into a newborn photo studio. She never rushed, but she did keep working the entire 2 hours she was here, all while holding a comfortable conversation with me about life as moms in Columbus, soothing Baby Gray for pictures, and attempting to pose our wild toddler with his baby brother.
Personalized Follow Up:
About a week after our photo shoot Miranda was back in our home with a beautiful slide show of our baby set to music. She had edited the photos down to the absolute best, so we weren’t stuck scrolling through 50 of the same picture. We decided to purchase digital prints, but she also offers printed photos of all sizes, gift books, announcements and more.
Beautiful Pictures:
And of course, the reason we’re all here, Miranda takes stunning pictures. She captured the best of my baby, from his adorable yawns, to his big eyes, she didn’t miss a moment. She even managed to catch my toddler during the split second (literally) when he was actually laying down next to Baby Gray. All very telling about what kind of an artist she is. But the most telling? She managed to make this mama, this sleep deprived, un-showered with not a smudge of makeup on, overwhelmed mama, look absolutely glowing next to my baby.
Miranda was able to help us capture the beauty of our life as it is right now in its most simple form, without all the clutter and the mess of the day to day. Her beautiful, simple, and serene photos will hang in my home forever.
