Motherhood is a beautiful whirlwind of messy kisses, sleepless nights, and a love that goes beyond anything you've ever known. It's also a breeding ground for something called "mom guilt."

Family photos capture smiles and silly faces, but they offer so much more. Here are 5 ways family photos can help you enjoy the moment, even while you're creating them.

Whether this is your first baby or your seventh, capturing those fleeting newborn moments with a professional photographer is a wonderful way to create lasting memories. But you might be wondering: in-home or studio session?

I am so excited to build a custom heirloom album over baby Alina’s first year. Her studio newborn portraits turned out so beautifully.

Here are my top five reasons to schedule your newborn session in a studio.

This sweet family drove an hour for updated portraits in our Maplewood, NJ, studio. I loved meeting baby Margot and working with her family again!

Madison is back in the studio with her baby sister, Ella. The bright and natural sibling portraits from this studio session are absolutely beautiful.

I love how clean and classic baby Isaiah’s studio newborn portraits turned out. I cannot wait to add them to his collective first-year album.

It was a treat to work with this family of five in our Maplewood, NJ studio. We took several sibling portraits, family portraits, and newborn portraits to decorate the walls of their new home.

It is so clear that this Essex County mom and dad are in love both with their little girl. I love to work with newborn families in our studio!

I loved working with Averie’s moms to create a beautiful newborn album that they can enjoy and share with their little one for years to come.

Newborn Naya was such a joy to have in our studio. She looked so sweet in her white onesie for a clean, classic style of images with lots of natural posing.

Baby Averie’s moms happened upon our studio while they were on a walk in their hometown of Maplewood, NJ. Her light and airy newborn session was a joy to capture.

We captured sweet, natural moments with baby Dorothy and her UES family in this gorgeous studio session.

Anthony Jr.’s classic newborn session featured snuggles with mom and dad in our cozy NJ newborn studio.

I love how these photos turned out. They are the perfect combo of pure and classic newborn photography. I love to use the simple white backdrop and that soft beanbag featured in these newborn baby portraits. I think the simplicity of this shoot allows for the focus to be on the baby’s sweet details.

Northern NJ newborn photographer Nicole Hawkins discusses what is means to hire her for a newborn session; you are commissioning her to document your family’s visual legacy and you trust her vision.

Baby Lilly is the first newborn to visit our Essex County portrait studio in Maplewood, NJ!

Our Essex County newborn photography studio is the perfect place to create classic newborn baby and family portraits, especially if you have toddlers. Studio wardrobe and beautiful light ensure classic images your family will treasure for generations.

Baby Jack’s newborn session in Nicole Hawkins’ Upper West Side Manhattan photography studio. We used a combination of natural light and studio light to create gorgeous, bright lighting for these gorgeous family photos.