Newborn Photography NJ | Jacqueline Belle Fleur Photography Blog

First Birthday Cake Smash

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The First Birthday Cake Smash is such a beautiful way of capturing memories of perhaps one of the biggest milestones of your little one’s childhood. Cake on the nose, cake on the toes! There’s nothing better. Let’s capture it and create a gorgeous album of memories – a coffee table must! Now booking sessions for March (limited availability), April and May!

About the The First Birthday Cake Smash

This is one of my favorite moments to capture! A sweet little one, a delicious cake, and a whole lot of fun watching someone take his/her first BIG MESSY, little bite of cake.

DETAILS

The 1st Birthday Cake Smash takes place in my Cranford, NJ studio. The session includes my time and talent to capture your fully-edited final images. And, I provide carefully and personally selected props such as handmade swags, balloons and paper flowers to match your backdrop/color selection. Clients may bring any additional props they would like to include.

The session begins with more formal photos of baby and ends with the smash. You may change birthday baby if you desire (up to 3 changes). You will need to provide an outfit for your little one for the actual smash (I can always help with recommendations). The Cake Smash is for the birthday baby ONLY, sorry no sibling or parent photos. Once a theme is selected, it cannot be changed due to prop purchases. Due to the recent increase in allergies, I require clients to bring their own smash cake. Please, before you order a smash cake, discuss the details with me. I have been smashing cakes with babies for 11 years and have some advice that I would love to share with you to make your session the most successful smash.

THEME

Our exclusive and most popular Heidi Hope hand-painted backdrops are beautiful with plenty of adorable and gorgeous choices. For girls: carousel, hot air balloons, lavender fields, ballerinas, Paris, carnival and unicorns. For boys: sailboats, airplanes, hot air balloons, and carnival. If those drops aren’t your style, no problem, I have lots of others to choose! And sometimes, I just work with favorite colors instead of themes.

If you are interested in a first birthday capture without the cake and balloons – sans smash – please inquire.

Reserving your session

If you are ready to book your session or have further questions, please contact me at jacqueline@jacquelinebellefleur.com.

Visit the blog for more cake smash photos. Two great resources for finding very simple cake smash outfits and cake toppers are Amazon and Etsy. My favorite vendor for girls dresses is Tutu Du Monde.

Easter Bunny Sessions

Monday, January 24, 2022

It’s almost spring and that means it’s time for the Easter Bunny Sessions! Hippity Hop! The real BUNNIES are back. And they are the most popular, adorable little creatures of the year.

2 DAYS ONLY! Saturday April 2 & Sunday, April 3

Each session is 20 minutes and includes 8-10 hi-res digital images edited to perfection. The full session fee is $365 plus tax. A $100 retainer is required at reservation and the balance is due two weeks prior to the session. The final images are sent via digital download.

The Easter Bunny Sessions are held in my studio in Cranford, NJ. The sessions are best for babies at least 6 months (or sitting up) up to children 10 years old. Each individual session is for siblings only, no shared sessions with friends or relatives.

Reservations

These sessions are very popular – they sell out quickly. Please contact me at jacqueline@jacquelinebellefleur.com to reserve your date and time for your session. Once your time is secured, you’ll receive a link for retainer. Please submit the retainer within 2 hours of reservation or the time slot will be reopened to another client – no exceptions. Because these sessions sell out so quickly, I am unable to hold sessions without payment. Thank you in advance for your understanding. No refunds/no exchanges.

Safety Measures

Due to COVID, I will offer a very limited number of sessions this year. I am fully vaccinated. I am requesting that all children ages 5 plus and adults are vaccinated to enter the studio. The studio windows are open for air flow. We clean and disinfect all props in between sessions. Let’s keep everyone safe.

This Year’s Set

I always like to put together an inspiration board for petite sessions. The backdrop for this year’s Easter Bunny Sessions is NEW and spectacularly spring – pastels of pink, yellow, blue and green. Add a blue seersucker suit for boys or a gorgeous pastel tutu dress from Tutu Du Monde for girls. The set includes lots of flowers and a cute little white bench – perfect for sharing with a little furry bunny!

PLEASE NOTE: We are animal SAFE! Children under a certain age will not hold bunnies, but sit next to them. Some children do not wish to hold them and that’s ok! We pet and kiss them. If you have questions, please inquire. Bunny holding is at our discretion. Please respect our process and our safety for all.

The pictures above are from the 2019 Spring Easter Bunny Sessions. The set and the bunnies are new and different every year. Please reference the inspiration sheet above for this year’s backdrop.

Senior Sessions

Monday, January 24, 2022

Senior Sessions are a celebration of what’s been achieved and what’s to come. And, that’s why it’s a family session too! This family celebrated their gorgeous senior with the family and her bestie! These captures will be a great album of memories! Catch them in photos now, before they head off to their new adventures and it becomes more challenging to get everyone together. Senior Sessions may include family and/or friends, it’s up to you. I’m happy to assist in capturing your ideas for the session and choosing the best location.

Our lives are before us, our pasts are behind us, but our memories are forever with us.

The best thing about memories is making them.

Session Info & Reservations

I have two packages for Senior Sessions. Please feel free to email me at jacqueline@jacquelinebellefleur.com for packages and pricing.

My favorite clothing and brands for teens is Anthropologie and Free People. There are lots of other retailers for teens, but photo worthy clothing takes a special outfit. Look for that inspiration piece to build your outfit!

For more teen/senior sessions, please visit the blog.

About Jacqueline

I am so proud to say that 2021 marks by 11^thAnniversary as a small business in New Jersey. My specialty is modern portraiture for newborns, maternity, family and children (including babies, communion, cake smashes, and high school seniors) and I capture sessions throughout New Jersey, NYC or in my studio in Cranford, NJ. Studio Sessions are for newborns, babies, small children, and fine art portraiture for older children/teens.

As a small business for over a decade, I have been honing my craft while capturing life, landscape and stage photography for over 35 years. This is not my “hustle” or hobby. It’s so much more. It’s my livelihood and my labor of love. I pride myself in providing my clients with the best quality images, products and service. I understand the importance of memories and skillfully capturing them and work under the philosophy of “I capture for my clients what I would want for myself.”

My captures have graced newsprint, magazines, online social media and television shows such as US Weekly (multiple times), BET, The New York Times, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, The Wendy Williams Show, and USA Network on The Cromarties among many others.

Summer Family Sessions

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Summer Family Sessions

Summer! It’s time for FAMILY! And one of the best ways of celebrating family is to capture family. Let’s make memories with Summer Family Sessions! Time to get those albums on your coffee table and the gallery wrapped canvas on your walls.

Family Sessions with Jacqueline

I wish I could stress how much I encourage and love family sessions. How many of you have photos with your lovely littles? I honestly don’t have enough. Why? I am always the one taking them (as are most moms).

When I look back at family photos from my childhood, I have two images with my parents and siblings together. Just two! I’m betting that I am not alone. I encourage you to think of family images in a different way and with an additional purpose. We love to post pics of our children all over social media, we all do it. One day, when your children are young adults and become parents, they will ask for images of their childhood with YOU. They will be making memories with their kids while re-living theirs. So let’s not make the same mistake as past generations and let’s celebrate the family in photos, the ENTIRE family, and capture the moments that will be cherished when your children are old enough to truly appreciate it.

There is nothing greater than a capture of a loving family laughing and smiling together.

Reservations

For more information or to reserve a Spring Family Session, please email me at jacqueline@jacquelinebellefleur.com. I am happy to make recommendations that will best fit your family regarding dates, locations, and even clothing choices.

“Sometimes you will never know the value of the moment until it becomes a memory.” ~ Dr. Seuss
“If you don’t think photos are important, wait until they’re all you have left.” ~ Missy Mac

For more Family Sessions, please visit the blog.

My favorite clothing for family sessions is Joyfolie and JCrew.

Spring Family Sessions

Friday, January 7, 2022

Spring Family Sessions

May and June are the perfect months for Spring Family Sessions! Plan ahead and reserve for two of the most beautiful months of the year. The greens are so lush – the parks are gorgeous! I try and capture my own family at different times of the year. It helps to bring some variety to your captures and family albums and coffee table books (I know you are creating these, right?!?!).

Family Sessions with Jacqueline

There is nothing greater than a capture of a loving family laughing and smiling together.

Reservations

For more Family Sessions, please visit the blog.