Two year old session with miss Stella


I have now had the privilege of working with Kaitlyn and sweet Stella girl three times! I talk about dream clients, and Kaitlyn is one of them. She truly might be among the best of my clients. She not only is one of the sweetest fans of my work, she books with me regularly, she comments and engages with my content, she tags me when she shares photos, she shares things I post, and she's just all around a really kind human. Oh...also she sent invites to my FB page to HER ENTIRE FRIEND LIST. I gained 50-60 new followers one night and was overjoyed but perplexed how it happened. Kaitlyn texted me the next morning just to let me know she did this, and I was so overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness.


Kaitlyn genuinely wants to see me succeed here in Demopolis. I can really get into my head sometimes that I am never going to get local Demopolis bookings and that I'm a fraud, and I shouldn't be doing this (imposter syndrome, anyone?), but clients like Kaitlyn remind me why I'm doing this. Well, that and I feel fueled with creative energy after every session. I just love to create. But, sometimes it helps to have people in your corner.


Heck, lets just drop this "client" nonsense, I consider Kaitlyn a friend at this point.


Anyways - Kaitlyn booked a two year old session with Stella, requesting it to be "in studio". She was looking to have her two year old portrait done. We set a date and I told her I would have a tan and pink backdrop when the day came. Well spoiler alert the pink backdrop had NOT arrived by then...but I'll share more on that later.


I had my lights set up when she showed up, but not my backdrop stand yet. I think this was a little intimidating to a sweet and tiny two year old. The room is fairly small but the light in there is just LOVELY. And the walls are a very neutral greige color. You can see when she walks in, she's holding her hands, and appears very shy. Once she realized the attention was going to be solely on her, I think she wasn't super interested in that. I set up my backdrop to give her time to warm up to me and the space.


After the backdrop was set up, Stella was still nervous. I tried giving her a stool to sit on, Kaitlyn tried giving her her bear, her snack pouch, and she even allowed her to put her shoes back on. Then the Minnie mouse ears came out and she was a lot happier. The last image, with the minnie ears, was the best one, so I edited the ears out so Kaitlyn would have a portrait without them in.

Child in blue dress standing near photography equipment during indoor photo session.
Child wearing vintage-style blue and white dress with lace trim on hardwood floor.
Child in blue dress standing next to wooden stool during photo session.
Side view of child holding wooden stool while wearing blue lace-trimmed dress.
Child in pale blue vintage dress posing against neutral backdrop during photo shoot.
A sweet light blue dress with white lace trim is twirling in a simple studio against a beige background.
A light blue dress hugs a teddy bear against a neutral studio backdrop.
A light blue dress is styled with white shoes in a minimalist studio setting.
A brown teddy bear rests beside a light blue lace-trimmed dress on a white surface.
A flowing light blue dress with white trim twirls gracefully against a neutral backdrop.
A brown teddy bear companions a light blue dress in an artistic studio composition.
A delicate light blue dress with white lace trim is captured in a minimalist studio setting.
A light blue dress with lace details flows elegantly against a beige background.
A light blue dress with white ribbons creates a playful scene against a neutral backdrop.
A light blue dress with white accents shimmers in soft studio lighting.

If these images don't exactly show how a two year old's brain works, I don't know what would - shoes on, shoes, off, holding beary, moving furniture, etc.


I was happy with the collection in the blue dress so Kaitlyn had her switch to her white birthday gown. The dress change had her unsettled so we went outside to lift her spirits. I took some images along the away. This is the thing with kids ages 1-4, and sometimes even a little older, as the photographer you have to be prepared to pivot to keep them willing to work with you. Sometimes some of the best shots happen when the child is doing something you didn't ask them to do.


Stella loves to rock in rocking chairs, so we decided to bring the black rocker back inside. This seemed to work and coax her back inside. It was working until stella rocked back super far and broke through the backdrop paper. This scared her and we decided she might have reached her threshold.

Child wearing a white dress twirls playfully in a bright indoor setting.
Wooden rocking chair on a rustic porch with lattice background.
Sweet moment of cuddles with a soft teddy bear and turquoise shirt.
Child plays in a grassy backyard with wooden fence on a sunny day.
Small figure in white dress runs joyfully across green grass.
Playful moment between parent and child against sunny backyard setting.
Joyful embrace between adult and child on sunny grass.
Child in white dress poses playfully on modern black chair.
Child lounges on sleek black modern chair against white background.

Stella got changed back into her normal clothes and seemed more willing again to be photographed in front of the backdrop. She got comfy and then got happy! We took some great images during this time frame too. She was so happy in fact, that we decided to try putting her back in the blue dress to maybe get a real smile out of her.


We also got out the BUBBLES. What two year old doesn't love bubbles! But I am glad we save it for last as it splattered the backdrop with little drips from the bubbles. I could edit each of those spots out, but I kind of liked the affect. We concluded the day with these images.

Parent and child share tender moments with pink toys and accessories.
A small wooden stool and aqua t-shirt are featured against a beige backdrop with pink accessories.
A wooden stool is positioned against a neutral background with pink and mint clothing details.
Pink Crocs and a mint colored shirt appear against a minimalist beige studio setting.
A wooden stool and purple bubble wand create a playful scene against a neutral backdrop.
A wooden stool and purple bubble wand are arranged against a cream colored background.
Soap bubbles float around a wooden stool against a cream colored studio backdrop.
A rustic wooden stool is paired with a light blue dress in a minimalist studio setting.
A light blue dress with lace trim flows against a neutral studio backdrop.
A purple bubble wand and light blue dress create a whimsical scene on a white floor.
A wooden toy horse is displayed against a light studio background with blue dress details.
A child in a light blue dress plays on a wooden stool against a neutral background.

The pink backdrop I'd promised arrived a week later so I had Kaitlyn and Stella come back to test it out for 20 minutes. I had also moved rooms from my guest bedroom to my spare room / workout room. This offered more space for the price of less natural light - but I have enough artificial light that it didn't matter. Stella immediately seemed more comfortable than her last session. She colored some, and played with bubbles again. Mid way through, my baby woke up, so I when and got her from her room and plopped her on the floor with me. This seemed to completely disarm stella. She was really sweet to miss Lily and Lily LOVED watching Stella.

A toddler in a white dress sits playfully on a pink background with scattered crayons.
A joyful moment captured as a child in white plays with bubbles against a pink backdrop.
A cheerful scene with a small child in a white dress sitting on a wooden stool.
An energetic toddler wearing a white dress poses against a pink studio background.
A whimsical portrait with soap bubbles floating around a child in a white dress.
A playful moment captured as a small child interacts with a wooden stool against pink.
An adorable portrait showing pure joy against a soft pink background.
A candid moment of childhood happiness captured against a pink studio backdrop.
A sweet portrait showing genuine laughter against a pink studio background.
Toddler in white dress plays with wooden stool against pink backdrop in creative photoshoot sequence.
Child wearing white ruffled dress poses playfully against grey background in portrait series.
Little one in white dress and pink slippers plays with wooden stool in pink studio setting.

Another good session in the books. I look forward to many more sessions with Stella.


If you too seek a milestone session, or a session with a professional studio setup, please contact me here


This blog was originally published on 5/8/2025 but was republished on 7/16/25 when it was migrated to my new site.