Maryland Newborn Photography // Baby Miles // Posed + Lifestyle

I haven’t talked about this a lot before now, but I love Harry Potter. I mean, I really love Harry Potter. A few weeks ago, on the verge of tears, I told my husband that I was torn because I wanted to read Harry Potter out loud to our future children, but I didn’t want to deprive them of the experience of reading it for the first time. He was probably reconsidering his marriage proposal at that point. But hey, when you marry a Potterhead, you know what you’re getting yourself into. It’s why Tyler dashed home mid shoot to get the correct wand for us to use. Luckily they don’t live too far! ​

You can imagine my excitement when Kate and I were emailing back and forth discussing details for her upcoming newborn shoot, and she told me she wanted to incorporate Harry Potter into it! I did a little happy dance in my desk chair. When Miles came on the 11th of September, Kate and I shared a joke about him being just a little too late for his Hogwarts term. I assured her he’ll be one of the oldest students and therefore top of his class!

I love connecting the magic of the Harry Potter to the magic of bringing a new human into the world. The first chapter of the the first book starts with Harry as a baby, completely innocent and unaware of all that is happening around him. Newborn shoots are like that a bit. There are adults bustling around, adjusting blankets and backdrops and checking the light and preparing bottles and pacifiers. And in the middle of it all, this little person sleeps peacefully. Incorporating that very first chapter, the beginning of this incredible series, was the perfect touch to the shoot.

I could go on and on about how much I love Harry Potter and how delightful it was to surround Miles with items so near to my heart. I can’t get enough of these books. (And I may or may not be watching the 7th movie on FreeForm as I write this! Consider it market research!) But, as cute as all the HP stuff was, there was a whole lot of other adorableness during our session together.

For starters, Miles’ nursery is adventure themed with outdoorsy touches. Kate mentioned that she had a deer hat she wanted to use in some way. I wasn’t prepared for just how cute it would be! On top of that, she and Tyler brought a speckled blanket with them and it completed the set up.

Usually the baby items people bring are just a tad too big. It’s difficult to buy things in the right size when you haven’t met the baby yet, and it’s hard to believe any human could be that small! But Miles’ hat fit him perfectly and he was quite pleased with the extra warmth. He snuggled right into that speckled blanket and let us put him in a crate. (The things we do for photos!) It was beyond words.

Even with all of that, my very favorite part of the shoot was the happiness that filled the room. Tyler and Kate were just bubbling over with it. It didn’t matter how I posed him or what props we were using, they loved every single thing that baby boy did. They are an adorable family, and I just know their lives will be filled with magical moments!