Petit Session: frolicking in the fall leaves with a wee one | Brooklyn, NY child & family natura

Andreea B. Ballen Photography - New York Child & Family Photographer

Sometimes when you are photographing a little one who's about one year old, a 'petit session' of no more than 20-30 minutes is all you need or want in order to capture some your subject's 'greatest hits.' Young littles like this will give all their interst, smiles and attention in short little bursts, and if ready, you can definitively capture TONS of different, wonderful moments. Moving the little one from fun attraction/distraction to another, and to a few toys/props will make the most of your time and get the best of their smiles! Interact too long, though, and you will lose not only their interest but risk a melt-down. So word of advice: keep it fun, sweet and SHORT!

Here's Raisa's take on our petit session together one fun October morning in McGolrick Park, Brooklyn:

"Andreea made us feel very comfortable and was really great with Michael! Being a mom, she knew how to engage with my son."

"I’m great about taking photos of my son and my husband, but I’m rarely in any ofthem! I wanted to get some great shots of all of us to pass along to generationsto come."

"I found out about Andreea through word of mouth and examples of photos. I loved her use of natural light."

"For our session, we were already running late (as one usually does with kids), but on top of that, our elevator broke down. So we were basically running to the session! Once we got there, I was just hoping that my son would cooperate. He is really shy! He is usually more smiley than he was at the session, but at least he didn’t cry! Despite his lack of smile-liness, Andreea got some great shots!"

"Working with Andreea was a great experience! I love the mini-session. We will likely book another one next year! It is the perfect amount of time – long enough to get some great shots, but short enough that my son (and husband) did not get bored/antsy.

Andreea was super friendly and very engaging with my son, which was helpful. Turn around time was extremely quick, which I appreciated. And best of all – there are sooooo many good photos to choose from. Whenever I book these types of things, I always think to myself that all you really need are a couple of good shots. But we got like 40 great shots!"