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Fed Is Best- How I Learned This Important Lesson

Niagara Newborn Photography
Can we all just agree that ‘fed is best’ 💖
From the time your sweet newborn is placed on your chest, all you want to do from that moment on is keep them safe. As a first time Mom you might feel the weight of all of the decisions you have to make for your baby and worried about making the ‘right one’… I understand because I have been there too. So to help you feel a little less alone, here is my breastfeeding story…
Before Amalia was born I made the choice to breastfeed, and luckily after a few struggles we were able to find our groove and she was thriving on ‘liquid gold’. At the same time I was struggling with postpartum anxiety and trauma from her birth. I started to find breastfeeding isolating and my inability to leave her for more than a few hours fed my anxiety. I decided it was time to introduce formula for my mental health. When I asked the midwives they said they wouldn’t recommend a formula and that breastfeeding is best. This was WRONG, and made me feel like I was wrong to stop breastfeeding for the sake of my mental health. So I kept on breastfeeding while struggling with feeling isolated and with anxiety. In time I followed my instincts, and with courage I weaned her at almost 10 months. She finally slept through the night and I began to heal.
Fast forward 4 years to Alexander. There was no way ANYONE was going to tell me that breastfeeding is best for me, because I knew in retrospect how much it had affected my mental health. I made it very clear that if breastfeeding meant sacrificing my mental health again then there was NO WAY that I would be doing it. I prepared the bottles and my breast pump- and tossed aside the idea of nipple confusion. Let me explain that I was happy to breastfeed again, but only if I was mentally healthy enough to do it.
When Alex was born, he did breastfeed very easily and because it was a different birth experience, and I wasn’t a FTM, I was mentally healthy. I decided to breastfeed him for a few months- while also using a pumped bottle- and then slowly introduced formula. I didn’t ask a single person what they thought… because I knew what was best for me and my baby. You will too… just follow your own instincts.
xo Nadia
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What is Lifestyle Newborn Photography? – Niagara Newborn and Family Photographer

As human beings we all are encouraged to to follow our hearts in order to truly make our lives meaningful and connect with those around us… we hope this will ultimately lead to our happiness. Life events, one being the birth of my sweet daughter, led me to a full time career in photography and what a blessing it has been. As a photographer, I had to find the style and type of photography that is the most meaningful to me, so I can create and capture the most beautiful and sincere moments for my clients.
To me, as a Mother first and foremost, this means lifestyle newborn photography. So let me explain to you what this means to you as my client…
What is Lifestyle Newborn Photography?
It is… real and beautiful. It emphasizes the true moments in those early days. It focuses on capturing your newborn baby, naturally, from their tiny toes to their sweet lips. My goal is to capture for you, what those early days looked and felt like <3
It is…full of details. This is to bring you back to those early days, the feel, the sounds, the love. Everything from your child’s nursery, to the way you and your husband now look at one another-with such love and admiration, your doting dog waiting at your feet as you hold your child, your forever unfinished mug of coffee.
It is…typically in your home (although this has been altered temporarily due to Covid-19). This is where it all began… the love that brought your baby into this world, and where it will continue for years to come. I want to capture you in your home, as it is, so you can always remember and cherish these memories and those feelings. This is where it all happens, from those loving cuddles to those sleepless nights, so this is what will make your photographs more meaningful.
It is…100% natural light. This means soft lighting to create depth, contrast and textures that will truly set your photographs apart and give them a very documentary feel to them.
It is… the perfect choice for any parent wanting photographs that will make you smile, bring tears to your eyes and truly bring your back to these early days together.
xo nadia
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Take Better Photographs of Your Children: Part 4 of 4 – Niagara Newborn and Family Photography

Nadia Trapasso Green, a Newborn and Family Photographer based in Niagara Ontario, wants to help you capture beautiful moments with your children while she can’t during Ontario’s third Covid-19 lockdown. All you need is your phone, and you will learn all about Composition in this 4 week blog series!

*Trying out these tips and tricks, then use the hashtag #dreamsandtalesfineart #parentswhoclickdt

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Last week we learned about Depth of Field, a key element in taking your photographs to the next level. I chose to focus on 3 main aspects of Composition (rule of thirds,  depth of field and viewpoint) because most parents are taking photographs of their children with their phone…so this let’s us set the technical aspects of a DSLR aside for this blog series!  Each week we’ll break down a element of composition, and assign you a task to try out! Last but not least, we will be looking at Viewpoint…

  1. Viewpoint:  The position from which you photograph the subject. Before photographing your subject, take time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of our photo, and as a result it can greatly affect the message that the shot conveys. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on.
  2. How to Use: When photographing your child(ren), consider, 1. The angle at which would compliment them best, 2. The message you are trying to convey when photographing them. Are you simply hoping to capture a beautiful portrait of your child, or are you hoping to capture them during their play. Each situation would be better served by a different viewpoint.

    As you are photographing them, try different angles, heights and positions until one just feels right! I like to use my ‘360 degree method’ by moving completely around the subject you are able to photograph them in many different way; lighting, backgrounds, etc will change and create different perspectives.

    Example:

           

     

    Sources: https://sites.google.com/site/photographycompositionrules/viewpoint-1

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Top 5 ‘Must Haves’ To Survive Life with a Newborn- Niagara Newborn Photography

Top 5 Must Haves To Survive Life with a Newborn- Niagara, On Newborn and Family Portrait Photographer
So, you’re expecting! Congratulations; motherhood is truly an amazing adventure! It’s honest to goodness the most incredible love you will EVER experience in your lifetime… EVER! The kind of love that takes your breath away, warms your heart, brings tears to your eyes…and wine to your lips, grease to your hair, and forget like you have amnesia. Yup, all wrapped up into the loveliest experience there ever was… motherhood. While it is all worth it, 100 times over, there are a few items you will not be able to survive with out. Since this is my second ‘go’ at the whole motherhood adventure, and I meet and chat with endless new mom’s through my career as a newborn and child family portrait photographer, I thought I could offer you some ‘must haves’ to surviving life with a newborn.
1. Dry Shampoo- Preferably one with an lovely scent. I have never showered less in my life, not even when trekking through unchartered forests on portaging trips, than when I was a first time Mom. Currently, in your glowing pregnancy bliss, you might be appalled at the thought of instead of actually washing and drying your hair, that you would have the need to apply a chemical concoction in order to make your hair look like it’s been washed and dried… well, let me assure you that you will be quite grateful for this advice in the days to come!
Here is a link to recent reviews of Dry Shampoo’s – http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/best-worst-dry-shampoo/p152222/page4
2. Wine- Or some other beverage that you can enjoy during the quiet bedtime (or naptime?) moments of the early days of parenthood! For myself, this is wine…for others this is chamomile tea…again, for me this is wine. My husband and I are self-proclaimed wine connoisseurs, and in our pre-child days, visited several world renowned wine regions, so for me this helps bring me back to those days. While enjoying a perfected pinot, I can be brought back to our days in Napa Valley or Tuscany. Perhaps over a cup of chamomile, you are brought back to restful afternoons at your Grandmother’s home. Cheers!
3. A Friend With a Child- Preferably more than you, so you can be assured their experience is more and their ‘suffering’ is worse. You absolutely need someone to confide in, laugh with and simply make you feel ‘normal’. Becoming a Mother means entering a whole new world, and in this unchartered land you’re going to need a buddy… no man (or woman in most of these cases) for himself. Who else can you talk about baby poop with and get such enthusiastic advice from?
4. A Hobby- Whether it’s being a chocolate eating connoisseur or a cross-fit junkie, you absolutely NEED to have a hobby that frees your mind and makes you feel like you again. The only way to be the best mother, is to be the best you. Knitting, hiking, dog walking… you name it, and get on it!
5. A Good Concealer- I mean an EXPENSIVE one that takes up all of your week’s spending money, and comes wrapped in unnecessarily beautiful packaging. You will need this to appear well-rested and ‘fresh’- if that’s the look you desire! You will achieve this look by applying said concealer to the dark bags under your eyes. That is all.
My concealer of choice- http://www.sephora.com/naked-skin-weightless-complete-coverage-concealer-P392854?country_switch=ca&lang=en
I hope this list of ‘must haves’ helps you to enjoy your early days as a new Mom a little bit more! Sending you love!
xo nadia