Kankakee Family Photographer | The Metzger Family

It has been so much fun watching the Metzger family grow over the years, and this session was another sweet chapter to add to their story!

I have been photographing Jen and Brett since 2018, and over the years I have had the chance to photograph Beckett, Baylor, and now their newest little girl, Brigham. There is something so special about getting to know a family through multiple children and multiple seasons. I always love seeing how each little personality is completely their own.

For this session, we met at one of our favorite parks in Frankfort, Illinois, to celebrate Briggy’s four-month milestone. We had a beautiful evening for their session, and I loved getting to see this little girl at this particular stage. One of my favorite things about photographing multiple siblings is seeing all of the little ways they are alike and all of the ways they are completely different. Even at four months, Brigham is already showing us her own personality. It was so fun to compare her to the photos of her brothers at this same age!

The Metzger family has been intentional about documenting each of their babies throughout their first year, and I absolutely love the way they have approached milestone photography. For their kiddos, we have followed a newborn, four-month, eight-month, and twelve-month rhythm. This gives us a beautiful collection of photos showing just how much they change during that first year.

If you are wondering how often you should schedule milestone photos for your own little one, I typically recommend one of two approaches. You can do newborn, four months, eight months, and twelve months, like the Metzgers have done with their babies. Or you can simplify it to newborn, six months, and twelve months. Either option gives you a really beautiful progression through that first year without feeling like you need to schedule a session every few months.

And truly, so much changes between newborn and twelve months. Your baby goes from those tiny, sleepy newborn days to sitting, smiling, laughing, crawling, standing, and developing a personality all their own. If you only want to schedule one milestone session after newborn photos, I highly recommend choosing somewhere in that newborn-to-twelve-month window. Six months is a great middle ground, but four or eight months can be just as sweet depending on your baby’s development and the season you want to capture.

For the Metzger family, I am already looking forward to seeing how much Briggy changes by her eight-month milestone session at Studio 388. It is going to be so fun to see her grow and change and to add another chapter to the collection of memories we have been documenting for this family.

Jen and Brett, thank you for continuing to trust me with your family and for allowing me to photograph each of these sweet milestones. I cannot wait for the next one!

Kankakee Family Photographer - Kara Evans Photographer