How to Choose the Right Photographer

With photography, there’s no one-size-fits-all. Your family is unique, and your artwork should be too! But with so many options out there, it can be hard to know how to choose the right photographer for you. Here are the questions I recommend you ask as you search for the perfect photographer.

Do They Offer the Type of Session You’re Interested In?

Some photographers specialize in just a few types of portrait photography. Make sure you know what kind of pictures you want and that your potential photographer offers those sessions. Just because they do great family portraits doesn’t mean they can pull off an amazing cake smash!

little boy in New Jersey studio during birthday cake smash

Do They Have Training and/or Experience?

For newborn photography, training is crucial. (I’ve got more specific information on choosing a newborn photographer here.) Your photographer should be fully qualified in infant safety and posing, so be sure to check their credentials or ask if they’ve taken classes. And for any type of photography, the more experience your photographer has, the more likely it is that your session will go smoothly and your pictures will be exactly what you hoped for.

What Type of Photoshoot Experience Do They Offer?

Are you interested in a studio session? Want the photographer to travel to your home? Prefer outdoor photos? Check the kinds of experience a potential photographer offers to see if it matches what you’re looking for. You can also read reviews to see what other people are saying about their experience with that photographer.

Does Their Style Appeal to You?

Take a look at their gallery. Do they gravitate towards bright colors or neutrals? Do they use lighting equipment or rely on natural light? Are their portraits more posed and formal or do they go for lifestyle/candid shots? While some variety is good and indicates that they are willing to customize each session to fit client needs, there should also be elements of their style that are consistent, and that you can count on for your own photos.

Will Your Personalities Work Well Together?

You want your photo session to be a great memory in and of itself, so it’s worth learning a bit about your photographer to figure out if they’re the right photographer for you. Read their About page, follow them on Facebook or Instagram, or give them a call to get a better feel for their personality.

Siblings standing together under trees near rustic barn in New Jersey

I hope these tips on how to choose the right photographer are helpful as you search for that perfect someone to capture your family’s memories. If you are considering Jennifer Parrello Photography for your portrait needs, I’m absolutely thrilled, and would love to answer any questions you may have! Please get in touch and let’s find out if we’re a great fit for each other!

Child and Family Photography Sessions with Jennifer Parrello Photography

Child and family photography sessions are so important! And every age and stage is precious. Some people tend to save professional photography for big events, like holidays, birthdays, or weddings. But what about all the moments in between?

I’m a big believer in the idea that moments are fleeting and memories need to be captured along the way. And I don’t know of any better way to do that than with a family photo session!

While newborn and cake smash sessions usually take place in the studio, there’s a little more flexibility when working with groups and with kiddos who are past the infancy stage. So, while we can certainly do your family pictures in the studio, we also have the option to enjoy the great outdoors! I like to schedule outdoor family shoots for an hour or two before sunset so we can get the best light possible.

Mother kissing son as an example of child and family photography sessions with Jennifer Parrello Photography

If you’re wondering what constitutes a child or family photography session, a lot of that is up to you. I can capture portraits of just one child, do a mommy-and-me session, your immediate family, or a big extended family session. All will take about the same amount of time (usually around an hour), and will provide you with beautiful images! I offer multiple collections so you can choose the best fit for your family.

Above all, I want your child and family photography sessions to be fun! Your session should be a great memory in and of itself, so I’ll make it genuine and real so your portraits reflect how truly unique and beautiful your family is!

If you’d like to learn more about extended family photo sessions, find out why mommy-and-me sessions are so great, or need to help deciding what to wear for your family pictures, I’ve got you covered! And of course, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! Can’t wait to hear from you!

NJ Most Loved Newborn & Family Photographer

Can’t even tell you how much fun I had doing this newborn and family photo session a few months ago. I have known this family for years and I absolutely LOVE them! I’ve photographed big sister’s newborn session, cake smash, and everything in between. So you can imagine how excited I was when I learned that little sister was on the way!

Baby girl was the cutest thing ever. So much gorgeous dark hair, and she loved being swaddled. And big sis did a great job posing with her. She is always fun to hang out with, and is already a great big sister. Absolutely adores the new baby and is a great helper for mom and dad.

New Jersey most loved newborn and family photographer

New Jersey most loved newborn and family photographer

All of my sessions are completely customized, so I get lots of input from my clients to make sure the session I create is in line with their vision. For this family, we did most of our session with neutral colors (I love the high contrast black and white), but added some splashes of purple too.

Northern New Jersey photographer, newborn and family portraits

Northern New Jersey photographer, newborn and family portraits

All the Love

We mostly wanted to capture the relationships—which is what newborn and family photography is all about! Because of that, we didn’t do a lot of props or fancy backdrops. Just lots of beautiful portraits as we highlighted the love between this sweet baby girl and each member of her family. I can’t imagine anything more perfect.

Loved having this family in the studio again as they welcomed their second daughter! It was such a joy to see them for photographs every few months while big sister was growing from newborn to toddler, and I hope I’ll be able to record that same amazing journey for this new little one. Congratulations to one of my favorite families—love you!

Custom Stars and Light Cake Smash | Northern NJ Photographer

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is getting ready for a fun-filled holiday season! It may look a little different for a lot of us this year, but as long as we have the love of family we have a reason to celebrate!

Birthday Cake Smash

I did this birthday cake smash photoshoot back in October, when the weather was just starting to turn chilly. All of my cake smash sessions are fully customized, so I always ask parents what kind of a look they’re going for and if there’s a particular theme they want. Mom told me that baby girl’s name means “light,” so she thought it would be fun to play on that theme. What a great idea! I filled the studio with twinkle lights in preparation for their session. Also used light-up star props and lots of white to reflect the light and give our photos some sparkle. It turned out just like we were hoping.  

New Jersey cake smash photographer

Although we spent most of our time in my New Jersey photography studio, we also did a few outdoor shots with baby and her parents. Including parent photos in your baby photography session is a great add-on! Lots of people book that add-on when they schedule their child’s photoshoot. It’s the perfect way to document the big one-year milestone. Plus, you get updated, professional family pictures at the same time. Win-win!

Northern New Jersey baby and child cake smash photographer, baby girl stars and twinkle lights

Book a Photo Session

This has been quite the year, and that’s all the more reason to document how your family is growing and thriving throughout it. Professional portraiture is the perfect way to hold on to precious memories forever. So if you want to document a major milestone, create beautiful family photos, or record the newborn sweetness of a brand new little one, I hope you’ll contact me! In the meantime, I hope your holiday season is just as merry and bright as this beautiful birthday session!

Wenzel Family Session - Northern New Jersey Family Photographer - West Milford

Oh how I love my job.  Spent some time with this momma and her littles for some fun in a field chasing "dinosaurs" and "spaceships".  I think they might of had some fun. . . What an awesome family session! 

Baptism session with a beautiful family!

Had an amazing session with this gorgeous family.  This little guy was baptized in Spain and his family decided to have a session when they came back to the states.  Also, his outfit was incredible and custom from Spain.  LOVE!!!

Summer Lifestyle Session

Gosh, I love the summertime and everything that goes along with it.  Just the relaxed atmosphere, the sun shining and all of the amazing things that summer brings about.  I had this amazing lifestyle session and boy was it perfect. 

Oldie but goodie! Baby girl session in November @ Skylands Manor!

This is totally an oldie but goodie!  We are swamped with snow here, so I figured I would post some warm weather photos in hopes it will bring nice weather soon!  A girl can only hope.  HAHAH!!!