Do you remember seeing portraits on your grandparents or great grandparent walls?  I know my own grandmother had one specific wall that was FILLED with framed memories from her life –  photos of family, friends, and the kids (all five of them!).  I loved looking at this wall growing up, and I remember seeing portraits with a white vignette on her wall.  They were beautiful!  There was something so timeless about them, and they were always some of my favorite photos to look at.

Fast forward to MANY years later, and me running my own photography business.  I’m now taking similar photos, as timeless as the ones I saw on my own grandmother’s wall.  I’ve been doing children’s heirloom portrait photography in the Minneapolis area for about 8 years now.  It has traditionally been more popular out east and in the South, but I’m happy to say these portraits have kept me BUSY here in the midwest. I think they’re finally catching on up this way, and I’m so happy they are.  I love taking these timeless portraits of babies and children, and it makes me so happy to provide these classic portraits for my clients.

I get asked a lot of questions about these heirloom portraits, so I thought I’d share a little Q & A:

When is the best time to have these portraits taken?   In my opinion, the best times are 9-12 months, 2-3 years and 5 years.  At 9-12 months, your child is still a baby.  Maybe a few teeth popping though, or a gummy smile. Chubby cheeks and baby rolls.  At 2-3 years, they are definitely looking more like toddlers rather than babies.  Their hair is usually longer, they’re sometimes a bit rambunctious, and their personality is really starting to show.  Baby teeth are on full display for toddler photos.  At 5 years, some of the toddler look as grown away.  This is the “big kid” stage.  Children are usually more relaxed, and I get a mix of soft smiles and toothy grins.  All three of these ages/stages are SO different, and are great times to have these heirloom portraits taken. That being said, I have taken these portraits at all ages, from 6 months to 8+ years.  There’s never a wrong time to get beautiful portraits taken of your children.

My kid won’t sit still for long.  How long do these sessions last?  The fantastic thing about these sessions is that I really only need 15 minutes or less to get some great photos of your child.  Of course, if your child is loving the camera or if you want to do multiple outfits we may go a bit longer, but I can almost always get a full heirloom portrait session done in roughly 10 minutes.

What should my child wear for these photos?  I typically recommend a shirt or dress with a collar or smocking if you want a more traditional look, but I’ve had clients wear a button down shirt for a more modern take on these portraits.  Ivory, cream, and light colors/pastels photograph best.  No matter what your preference is, I have a full studio wardrobe for boys and girls to wear for these sessions, from size 9 months up to 8 years.  Lots of beautiful dresses, onesies, shirts, and bobby suits that all photograph beautifully. If you want to purchase your own outfit, I have a list of stores I can recommend as well.  We’ll chat and figure out wardrobe before your session.

How do I schedule a session?  These sessions can be scheduled anytime throughout the year.  I also host a Children’s Heirloom Portrait Event once or twice a year, in which you can save a bit on the session fee if you schedule during the event.

The Spring 2026 Children’s Heirloom Portrait Event

This spring’s event will be held on April 11, 2026 at my Lino Lakes studio, which is just off 35W and 23/Lake Drive.  It’s a store front business that is easy to find with plenty of parking. I have an assistant for these events to greet clients, help them with wardrobe, and keep things going as smoothly as possible.

The sessions are 10 minutes long, and include one 5×7 fine art cotton print matted to 8×10, as well as the matching digital file in both color and black and white.  I also have framed pieces, larger prints, and other artwork available to purchase from these sessions.  If you’re inserted, please click the sign up HERE to reserve your session time for the event. If the link isn’t working, you’re viewing this blog post after the event has passed.  Please reach out to see when the next heirloom portrait event will be, or schedule your own individual session by reaching out via the contact link HERE.

Pictured below: one of my first heirloom portraits, and the same child 7 years later at least spring’s Heirloom Portrait Event, as well as a couple others from last spring’s event.