(tampa baby photographer) I have the pleasure of photographing many mommies with their “babies” over the years and I am happy to share just a few of them over the last year or so. I am so thankful to these mommy’s for choosing Tracy Gabbard Photography to photograph the most special times in their lives. I wish I could post all the “mommy and me” portraits I have taken but I am going to spend some time with my “babies”! Thank you again to all of you! (tampa baby photographer)
Tampa Family Photographer I have had so many sessions lately at Tracy Gabbard Photography I thought it would be fun to share a quick peak from each in the order they are up for editing! Top to bottom shows the editing order from first to last. 🙂 Do you see your session up on the editing block in this bunch?! As a Tampa Family Photographer, I just love this first one as she is super excited too! 🙂 I can’t wait to get to all your sessions! Tampa Family Photographer
Tampa Baby Photographer Okay! So as a Tampa Baby Photographer, my schedule has been a bit busy lately but I’ve finally managed to get this cute little lady up on the blog! She was an adorable addition to the studio! With her cute kissy faces and super chunky baby rolls, this baby girl was nothing but precious! She’s grown so much since I photographed her newborn session! Can’t wait to celebrate her first year! 
Tampa Baby Photographer
Tampa Baby Photographer This little lady was so good during her sitting up session in the studio! As a Tampa Baby Photographer, I loved that she was crawling around the studio and gave me such sweet smiles during this sitting up session! We had so much fun playing dress up at the beginning of the session with the pearls and fancy head pieces And the special white crocheted dress that this little lady wore at the end of her sitting up session was handmade by her grandmother! What a sweet keepsake for this precious little lady! Tampa Baby Photographer
Okay! So as a Tampa Baby Photographer, my schedule has been a bit busy lately but I’ve finally managed to get this cute little lady up on the blog! She was an adorable addition to the studio! With her cute kissy faces and super chunky baby rolls, this baby girl was nothing but precious! She’s grown so much since I photographed her newborn session! Can’t wait to celebrate her first year! 🙂 Tampa Baby Photographer
Tampa Baby Photographer This little lady was so good during her sitting up session in the studio! As a Tampa Baby Photographer, I loved that she was crawling around the studio and gave me such sweet smiles! We had so much fun playing dress up at the beginning of the session with the pearls and fancy head pieces 🙂 And the special white crocheted dress that this little lady wore at the end of her sitting up session was handmade by her grandmother! What a sweet keepsake for this precious little lady! Tampa Baby Photographer
Tampa Baby Photographer This little lady is finally one! As a Tampa Baby Photographer, it has been such and honor to watch her grow ever since I did the photos of her in Mommy’s belly! For this post, instead of featuring her cake smash photos on the blog today, (don’t worry, you’ll see them in a surprise post soon!)I thought I’d feature some of my favorite close ups that I think really featured her personality well! Isn’t she absolutely precious! Loved this session from beginning to end 🙂
Tampa Newborn Photographer This sweet baby girl was a little angel at her newborn session! She had a nice awake period but when she fell asleep she really slept! As a Tampa Newborn Photographer, I had tons of fun putting her in cute little poses! Not only was this newborn session going well but the weather outside was wonderful for her outdoor pose! The connection with this sweet baby girl with Mommy and Daddy was too precious! I was even able to get a few cute smiles out of this little angel when she was comfy in Daddy’s arms! 🙂 Tampa Newborn Photographer
As a Tampa Newborn Photographer, one of the cutest things that I love about sweet baby newborns are their ADORABLE chubby cheeks 🙂 Out of the many newborns I have had the honor of photographing, here are just a few of my favorite “chubby cheek” moments with these very special newborns. These super cute photos are sure to make you swoon sigh, and smile when you see them! 🙂
Tampa First Birthday Photographer What more can I say about this CUTIE who came to my studio not too long ago for his First Birthday Smash Cake Session. As a Tampa First Birthday Photographer, I absolutely LOVED this little guy’s high energy and excitement as he literally ran around the studio during the session. Mommy was able to snag a few kisses from him as well before he got nice and messy during his cake eating! Everything about this session was adorable and and fun! Happy first birthday little guy! 🙂 Tampa First Birthday Photographer
Tampa Newborn Photographer Both young and old, these Halloween Costume cuties are some of my favorites from present and years past. As a Tampa Newborn Photographer, I especially love the ADORABLE newborn knitted costumes that are perfect for this time of year! Happy Halloween from Tracy Gabbard Photography! Tampa Newborn Photographer
Tampa Family Photographer Being a big sister or a big brother is no easy task! It comes with a whole bunch of new responsibilities and new experiences. As a Tampa Family Photographer, I am so excited to feature these super siblings and a little sibling love on the blog today! Some are super sweet and some are just down right hilarious but these priceless interactions between siblings really make me smile! 🙂 Hope you love them too! Tampa Family Photographer
Take a look at these precious moments from the past and their now photos 🙂
It’s Flash Back Friday again! Take a look at these sweet cutie pies!
(Tampa baby photographer) It’s that time of the week again folks where we celebrate some of our not-so-little-anymore friends who have grown up to be big kids now! Check out this week’s Flash back Friday Features and stay tuned for next week to see who gets chosen next! tampa baby photographer
It’s Flash-back Friday where we feature a few of our favorite cute clients from the past! As a Tampa baby photographer, I love seeing the comparison just like the families do. One of my favorite things is planning the whole process with the parent so they remember to bring something similar to each session. I also enjoy putting a page in their album that includes at least 2, if not all 3, of their matching photos. And although it makes me a little sad because I know how fast that year goes by, it also makes me SO happy to know that I have helped provide the families with lasting memories for that whole first year! So here are some of my favorites for the week! Be sure to check the blog next week to see if your little one is featured in our “Flash-back Friday” series!! tampa baby photographer
(tampa infant photographer) All my clients with newborns that also have young siblings that we incorporate into the session KNOW how it is a “family affair” to get a young child (3 and under) to cooperate with a newborn! I have posted pull backs before of everyone gathered around the “babies” with treats to try to get the toddler even close to the baby! It is actually quite funny. We always manage to pull out a few priceless photos that mommys and daddys will always treasure but I had to post this picture of a recent sibling session. LOVE the look on this adorable little guys face as we are persuading him to get close to his new baby brother! Do you see anything else funny? Look closely, there is a treat somewhere in the picture waiting for “pick up”… you know I am supposed to snap the shutter at the EXACT time this quick little guy reaches down for his treat! LOL! Cracks me up! (I actually don’t think that he fell for our trick and never picked up that treat!) Needless to say, there are priceless images of the 2 of them together but this one really “tells all”! (tampa infant photographer)
Love this baby girl’s frilly and fun outfit from head to toe! 🙂
(tampa baby photographer) This little lady has grown so much since her newborn session and lots of “chunkers” which I LOVE! As a full-time baby lover and a Tampa baby photographer, this sitting up session was so much fun for me. Mom and I planned to use the quilt from this little lady’s nursery for all her session so it would be a great way to show the growth in her from each session. As you can see from the playful photos, l loved her quilt too! I especially loved that this baby girl has big beautiful blue eyes that were super fun to capture in the light. tampa baby photographer
Love this mommy and baby together…. you can just see the love! 
tampa baby photographer This session was one of my absolute favorites! As a tampa baby photographer, I’ve been working with this family since this baby boy’s big sister was in Mommy’s tummy! One of my favorite features about this sitting up session was brother and sister’s precious fire-fighter inspired outfits since Dad is a fire-fighter. Mom always has the cutest outfits for these two little ones. Another special part of this session was when big sister leaned over and gave little brother a big kiss! Big sister just loved giving her baby brother kisses 🙂 It was hillarious and heart-felt at the same time! I am so looking forward to this baby boy’s one year session when Mom remembers to bring Dad’s firefighter gear so we can get a before and after from his newborn session! (tampa baby photographer)
First birthday cake smash First I have to say, I absolutely love love love this family! As a Tampa first birthday photographer, it’s always an honor to work with a family that you’ve been with since their one-year old was in mommy’s tummy! Loved watching these little ladies grow up so fast! This was little lady’s first birthday cake smash session and it was tons of fun! These adorable sisters had similar outfits that were handmade at a local boutique and little sister loved playing with her dress during her first birthday session. She had the most fun when got the tape from the balloons stuck on her hand. As she tried to get it off, she was laughing the whole time! This fun first birthday cake smash session was one of my favorites! (first birthday cake smash)
(Tampa Newborn Photographer) This was a recent last minute session and I just happened to have an opening so it worked out perfectly. Especially since mom was a referral from another photographer and as a tampa newborn photographer, I was honored since the traveled all the way from Valrico. I knew that the most important thing to mom were the sibling shots and the kids were awesome so we were able to get a nice variety of images. Mom also REALLY wanted an outside newborn swing picture. But this particular morning it was storming. And I mean really really storming. It was so bad that at one point I took out studio lights because the clouds were so dark. (You could tell I was determined to make her dream come true!) It was really dark outside so the swing situation was NOT looking good but thankfully, I didn’t end up having to use the studio lights. Towards the end of the newborn session, the rain took a small break AND this sweet baby boy stayed in his deep sleep so we were able to pop out in the yard and get her swing pictures! This family was amazing! (Tampa Newborn Photographer)
(tampa newborn photographer) This little princess was super sleepy and made her first photo shoot sooo easy! It was so fun to see grandma, aunty and daddy ooh and ahhh over her cuteness. There is no doubt she will be the apple of everyone’s eye! A little fun information for this first picture. Mom brought the sea shell and the starfish clip on the headband was what mom wore in her hair in her wedding. How special is that? It is so great when families bring special things to use in their sessions. Not only is it fun to incorporate personal things into a session but it means a lot to the family as well. (Tampa newborn photographer)
(tampa family photographer) A special Happy Mothers day to all the amazing moms! I am so lucky to be able to capture precious “mommy and me” moments throughout the year at many of my sessions. Here is just a small sampling of the many wonderful moms I meet each week! I hope that all my client mommies have wonderful day (and other moms to)! (tampa family photographer)
(tampa photographer) As I downloaded and scrolled through a recent session it inspired me to write this post on evening sessions with children. As a mom I am all to familiar with “the witching hour” which I am sure most moms reading this know, that is the hour in the evening (it is a different hour for every child but usually with in a couple hours of bedtime) when your most precious, adorable, perfect child is MISERABLE and you are to! This hour(s) creates fussy, cranky, needy children and this hour is very often what makes us moms count the seconds until bedtime. Although my children have now outgrown this hour (yay for me!) I remember it with not so much fondness very clearly. That is why when a mom emails or calls me to chat about a location session, I have a list of questions and a few things to chat about before we actually schedule.
As many of you may know, location sessions most often happen in the evenings about an hour before sunset. Depending on the time of year that could make the session start as late as 7:30 pm. Can they happen during the day or in the morning? Sure, however, the lighting is not as beautiful, the grass is usually wet (at least in the mornings) and it is often more difficult to find those shady areas that help keep your eyes from squinting in the bright sunlight.
So, back to that list… the first thing I usually ask is “How old are your children?”. If they tell me that their child(ren) are under 5, my next question is “How are they in the evenings?”. And we begin a very enlightening (at least I like to think so :)) conversation about evening sessions with young children. I always tell my potential client that I will of course take their pictures no matter what if they think their family is ready for it but I always like to remind them that it is not a great time for children to be at their best. And we do always get some great shots but there is a good chance that they many not have as many to choose from. Believe me, I have done MANY sessions in the evenings with young children…. how about 1 year old twins on the beach…. yea, i know, crazy! BUT, although VERY challenging, mom loved her gallery and it really told the story of how her family was at that point in time. She will always remember that time when her *babies* kept her on her toes (I am sure that is an understatement) and when she looks back at those pictures, I am sure she smiles and remembers that time with fondness. You can see some peaks of that session here.
So… that brings me back to my recent session. This particular mom and I had this discussion about evening sessions and one year olds. In her defense, we were trying to somewhat replicate a session we had done with her older child at ONE at the park. That session was great and he did just fine but as we know, every child is different. So off we trotted to UT (The University of Tampa) and began our session among at least 3 other sessions happening there at the same time 🙂 . Now, I love this location, it is beautiful with many options for backgrounds and beautiful light. But as I have learned over the many years of photographing children in the evening, this is when all photography “rules” go out the door and we just get what we can. The photographer in me REALLY (I mean REALLY) wants those perfect pictures, in the perfect light, beautifully in focus with an amazing smile or an adorable connection between siblings or family and believe me, I try SUPER HARD to get those (I think that my clients will tell you this… we *play* HARD at our sessions :)). We trot around the campus and we corral the kid(s) to my choice of backgrounds with beautiful light shining through the trees or landscape (my clients probably don’t even know that I am looking at all this but I am… as we walk around). We get the child(ren) perfectly placed and I turn on my *amazing* personality (lol!) and back up just a little bit to get what I think I need to in the frame of my camera…. By the time I get to the place I need to be (literally a split second- I move fast :)) there is a good chance the child is either up and moving, crying, or giving my silly sounds and faces a completely “blank” stare (even though I must say, I am rather funny). Mom and dad do *magic* tricks behind me (I will video this someday) but to no avail, there is no perfect smile or even a hint of happiness. Maybe we could qualify it as a cute *look* in this “perfect” spot…. but instead he gets up, moves to a NOT perfect spot and gives the most amazing smile ever….
Don’t know who’s thumb that is trying to keep him there for a minute (probably big brothers) 🙂
Will mom care? I have no idea, probably not … I like to think that in most cases I am the only one that cares about those perfect backgrounds (it is the photographer in me, I can’t help it- I am sure most other photographers can relate). Moms mostly just care about happy children and precious portraits that will put a smile on their faces as they walk by. It is just a “bonus” to get all of the things together in one shot. Here are some fun “behind the scenes pictures from this session as well as a few “gems” so this poor mommy who has not gotten her gallery yet doesn’t think that there are not any other shots as well. 🙂
We ended this session with a cake smash (after all what is a one year old session with out a yummy cake to end the night?) and although this session did have its issues, from all of the balloons popping (notice the amount of balloons in the beginning to the end), to adorable but busy toddlers, windy, and of course mosquitos, over all it was a great experience. And when I really think about it, almost all sessions bring their own unique set of issues whether they are in the mornings, in the studio, planned around naps or during the “witching hour”. Is an evening session right for you if you have little ones? You will have to decide… I think it went fine for this family! I think they will be very happy with their gallery! 🙂 (tampa photographer)
(Tampa newborn photographer) This little one was so special and so sweet. We were worried in the beginning of the session that she wouldn’t sleep but she worked it like a champ! 🙂 There are so many amazing image of her it was hard to pick out a few to share but here they are…
(tampa newborn photographer)
(tampa newborn photographer) Oooooo these cheeks! I absolutely love a little bit of baby chunk, especially on those precious kissable cheeks! This doll baby was a dream baby to photograph. I think mommy and daddy got some good R&R during her session as they let me play with her the whole time and I loved it! It was an awesome morning in the TGP studio! (tampa newborn photographer)
(tampa infant photographer) Such a special time for this amazing family with their new baby. Mommy is a big fan of a certain football team (as you will see) and I am sure her princess will help her cheer on her team in years to come. Just a few quick peaks for them before they get their full gallery in a couple of days. I would love to share their planned maternity session with you as well but since baby came quite a bit early- I think the best they got were a few snap shots on their phone for maternity pictures! LOL! I am sure the last picture in this group will be a huge favorite and I know they have been waiting to see it! (Tampa infant photographer)
(palm harbor baby photographer) This sweet baby was in the studio today and we had the perfect weather for a special spring set up in honor of the first day of spring! She had a great first photo shoot and I can’t wait to edit her pictures! 🙂 (Palm harbor newborn photographer)
(clearwater baby photographer) This special little thing was super interested in everything going on in the studio during her session! She didn’t want to miss anything! She couldn’t stay awake for the entire session but close to it! I am so excited to have her as one of the newest members of the New Beginnings Plan (although there are lots of new members lately). You can see her mommy and daddy’s beautiful maternity session here…. But for a special sneak peak of her newborn session just look below… (clearwater baby photographer)
(Tampa maternity photographer) Scheduling a beach session at this time of the year is always challenging with the unpredictable weather. Well, who am I kidding- scheduling a beach session at anytime of the year is challenging in Florida as we NEVER know when a rain shower could arrive but during this time of the year there are other elements to consider as well. Wind and cold temperatures are at the top of the concern list for this time of the year. It was not different for this tampa maternity session. We had it scheduled for just a little bit later but this smart mommy to be was watching the weather and contacted me to see if we could move it up a few days since a cold front was expected our our originally scheduled day. It was GREAT move (as you can see) since we had amazing light, beautiful temperatures and only a little breeze!
I am really looking forward to getting to know this couple this year as their next session will be their newborn session (delivery expected in just a few short weeks) as part of the TGP New Beginnings Plan. They choose to add on a maternity session to the plan and I think it was a very smart move considering how their session turned out! They will have amazing images to look back on and remember this special time of their lives! This will probably be their last “easy” beach session as I am sure any that they consider in the future will include an adorable child! LOL! (tampa maternity photographer)
(tampa first birthday pictures) This little one was “serious” about her cake smash session. I don’t think she thought there was to much to crack a smile about on this particular day. There were no fun and games- she was on a mission… get this over with LOL! Little did she know that she looks just as cute serious and she couldn’t hold it in for the whole session so we did get a few smirks out of her here and there! I will say though that she gave me one of my FAVORITE smash cake photos ever…. can you guess which one? It is for sure one of a kind and something that I have not ever had another one year old do (yet :))!
Couldn’t resist this sneak peak for mommy and daddy! Fun in the studio!
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(tampa baby photographer)
{tampa baby photographer} These two adorable babies started the New Beginnings Plan a little bit later than the usual so their 3 sessions were slightly adjusted from the “normal” three sessions that go with the plan (newborn, sitting up and one year). But we made it work just the same. Here a couple fun before and afters (their first session to their last) and then a last one of them together from the beginning to the the last session! For their last session (the outside image) they were super busy and it was almost impossible to get them to stay together without one getting up and toddling off but I think we got at least this one of them together. I will certainly miss seeing them frequently! {tampa baby photographer}
