everything you need to know about our
Newborn & Maternity Portrait Experiences
We make capturing your family’s story easy and enjoyable, from wardrobe planning to choosing the perfect location. Our sessions are designed to reflect your family’s unique personality, with no pressure or stiff poses. Relax, have fun, and let us create portraits that you’ll cherish for generations.
schedule a consultation
At Monica Browning Photography, we believe newborn and maternity portraits should do more than capture a moment—they should celebrate the beginning of your family’s story. Serving expecting families and those welcoming a newborn in Manlius, New York, and the greater Syracuse area, we offer a personalized experience that reflects your unique journey.
Whether it's capturing the anticipation of pregnancy or the sweetness of your newborn's first moments, we’ll guide you through every step of the process. We focus on creating images that reflect the love and excitement of this special time in your life.
Our goal is to create timeless portraits that you'll treasure forever and pass down through generations. From start to finish, we ensure the experience is seamless, enjoyable, and stress-free.
Let us help you capture these unforgettable moments, creating lasting memories that you’ll cherish for years to come.
Your Portraits Deserve More Than Just Digital Files.
Timeless newborn and maternity portrait photography in Manlius, NY
schedule a consultation
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We begin with a personalized consultation to fully understand your vision. Whether you’d like an in-home consultation to get a feel for your home’s style or a studio consultation to discuss lighting and settings, we make sure every detail is planned to match your family’s personality.
During this meeting, we’ll get to know you and discuss what you want from your portraits. We’ll talk about location, wardrobe choices, and any special requests to make sure the session reflects your family’s true essence.
1. Initial Consultation (In-home or Studio)
the process
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Once we’ve established your vision, we’ll assist with all the details to prepare you for the session. We provide a personalized styling guide to help you select the perfect outfits that not only complement each other but also reflect your family’s style.
From selecting the ideal location that holds meaning to you, to tips on making the day stress-free, we make sure you feel confident and well-prepared. This thoughtful planning ensures that your family feels relaxed and ready for their photo session, creating natural, effortless portraits.
2. Planning & Preparation
the process
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Think of our photo sessions as a fun, laid-back adventure. No stress, no awkward poses—just a chance for your family to relax, laugh, and be themselves. We’ll guide you through each moment, whether we’re capturing the cozy vibes at home or heading out for a fun outdoor shoot.
Our goal? To make sure everyone feels comfortable and has a blast while we capture those perfect, authentic moments. The result is a set of portraits that feel as natural as your family itself—and just as fun to look back on.
3. The Photo Session
the process
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After the session, we’ll meet in person for a reveal session, where you’ll get the first look at your portraits. This is an exciting moment where we walk through your photos together and help you choose the perfect pieces to display in your home.
We’ll guide you through the selection of prints, wall art, and albums, providing our expert advice to ensure your portraits complement your home’s decor and feel like a true part of your family’s legacy.
We want this process to be thoughtful and stress-free, helping you make choices you’ll be proud of for years to come.
4. In-Person Reveal & Ordering Appointment
the process
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Once your portraits are finalized, we’ll deliver your heirloom-quality prints and wall art to your home. We use only the best materials, ensuring that your artwork will stand the test of time.
Whether it’s a large wall display, a custom album, or a set of family portraits, each piece is carefully crafted to highlight your family’s story.
We make sure your portraits are beautifully packaged and ready to be displayed, so you can enjoy them for generations, creating a lasting memory in your home.
5. Delivery & Final Artwork
the process
We help you plan the perfect display for your portraits. After your session, we offer in-home consultations to guide you in choosing the ideal location for your heirloom-quality wall art. By visiting your home, we ensure your portraits are showcased beautifully and become a lasting part of your space.
We’re committed to helping you select the best way to display your family’s story, creating timeless artwork that will be cherished for years.
In-Home Consultation for Custom Wall Art
Your portrait session is a seamless experience, where expert advice and support are provided throughout. We ensure that you feel confident and at ease during every moment of your session, offering help with wardrobe, posing, and location decisions.
Our role is to make the entire process stress-free, giving you the luxury of enjoying the experience without the worry of details.
Expert Guidance Every Step of the Way
We believe your family portrait session should be as unique as your family. From the initial consultation to the final portrait, we personalize every detail. We guide you through wardrobe selections, posing tips, and location choices, ensuring a session that is tailored to reflect your family’s true essence. Our goal is to make the process feel easy and comfortable, allowing you to be relaxed and natural throughout the entire experience.
Curated & Personalized Experience
We provide a personalized family portrait experience that ensures you feel comfortable and relaxed. From consultation to final portraits, we guide you through every step, including styling, posing, and selecting the perfect setting. Our goal is to make the process enjoyable and stress-free, creating timeless portraits that reflect your family’s unique connection.
The Experience
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Monica is an amazing photographer! Over the past 3 years, I have had multuple sessions with her and every time she’s able to capture the cutest moments. From maternity to newborn, milestones and one year cake smashes, family minis and holiday photos - she does it all and I love the variety of props she has at her studio. Monica is professional, very easy to communicate and schedule with, and is amazing with my girls. She makes my toddler feel like a princess and makes photo shoots fun for her. I would highly recommend her!"
- Kimberly n.
"Monica took pictures of my daughter when she was 4 months old. She was so understanding when I showed up with a bag of outfits and was so great and patient with us as parents. She was incredible with my daughter. Just so sweet and genuine. The pictures were beyond what I could have imagined. She got the best shots of my girl! I have booked Monica to do my daughter’s first birthday pictures and I know they will be amazing. I highly recommend her for any professional pictures you’re considering."
- nicole r.
"I've loved working with Monica on our family photo shoot and a newborn shoot. She's very experienced working with young children as she has several kids of her own. She made my toddler feel very comfortable and got some great photos. I highly recommend her, especially for working with young children."
- chetna c.
"Monica is the absolute best!!! So wonderful and easy to work with! Always make everyone feel comfortable and at ease! Love her!"
- joely k.
The Luxe Portrait Experience
The Luxe Senior Portrait Experience is our most elevated and personalized session, designed for those seeking an unforgettable experience. Whether in our elegant studio or at a location within 30 minutes of Manlius, NY, this session offers a high-end experience from start to finish.
We begin with a comprehensive design consultation to discuss your vision and help you select the perfect wardrobe and location. You’ll have access to full wardrobe styling, expert guidance, and 2-3 outfit changes. The session accommodates up to 10 people, perfect for extended families.
After your session, we’ll send you a private, virtual portrait reveal to help you choose the perfect pieces for your home. Home delivery is available, and your sitting fee includes a credit toward your final package collection.
Session Fee: Starting at $250, due at booking. Your sitting fee includes your design consultation, wardrobe styling session, ordering appointment, and home deliver. A $600 prepayment credit is required before your session, bringing the total due to $850. Clients typically invest between $1,200 and $2,000, depending on their final selections.
Let’s create something extraordinary—portraits that feel like fine art and an experience you’ll cherish just as much as the final result.
i want this experience
Session Length: up to 90 minutes
Our Recent Work
Personalized consultation (in-home or studio)
Wardrobe styling guidance
Location selection advice
Professional posing direction
In-home consultation for wall art planning
Heirloom-quality prints and wall art delivery
Our family portrait sessions include a fully curated experience designed to make every step of the process enjoyable and stress-free. From the moment you book your session, we guide you through everything—helping you choose the perfect outfits, select the ideal location, and ensuring that everyone feels comfortable and confident during the session.
We provide professional posing direction to highlight your family’s unique connection and personality. After the session, we offer an in-home consultation to help plan where to display your portraits, ensuring the final artwork complements your home beautifully. We are committed to delivering timeless, heirloom-quality portraits that you’ll cherish for years to come.
What's Included
frequently asked questions
We curate the sessions specifically to your wishes. Some sessions take longer than others. For everything but newborns, we allot up to 90 minutes for your session.
How long do sessions last?
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I understand personally that figuring out what to wear is challenging. Part of our session fee includes an in-home consultation where we can help you pick out what to wear or give you ideas on how to choose outfits for you or everyone in the session. We also have a detailed styled guide to share with you.
What should I wear?
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Sessions start at $950. $350 is the session fee and $600 is a credit to use towards wall art, products and prints. The average spent on a session is between $1000-$5000 for wall art curated for your spaces, albums and folio boxes imported from Ireland.
How much do sessions cost?
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Yes, digital images can be purchased, but are low-resolution and only suitable for sharing online, not for printing.
Do you sell digital images?
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No, we do an in-person ordering appointment at the studio. We will go through all of your soft-proofed images and discuss different options for you and help you narrow down your choices. Having done this for over 7 years and chasing down many people to choose pictures, I have realized that it’s helpful to set a date, go through the portraits, make decisions and let us guide you through the whole process so it’s not hanging over your head for months. As a busy mom of 4, I get how easy it is to let things slide but have that constant task in the back of your mind. I’m here to help make it easiest for you!
Do I get an online gallery?
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Consumer labs do not produce the same quality as professional labs do. My softwares are calibrated to the professional labs that I work with and I have researched and tested multiple labs to find the ones I think are the best. My folio boxes come from Ireland and my albums and some wall art comes from Italy. I want the products I sell to stand the test of time to last for generations and to be the best quality available, to coincide with the service I provide for my clients.
What is the advantage of ordering prints, products and wall art from you?
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My studio is large enough to accommodate 20+ people in portraits and I have multiple backdrops to choose from as well. I also can do on location and outdoor sessions as well and can bring lighting needed. I have a location guide full of my favorite outdoor locations as well that we can go over in the pre-consultation meeting.
Where do you do your sessions?
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I offer a personal photography experience curated to each client. We start out with a phone call or text or email to decide if what I offer is what you’re looking for. Once the initial fee is paid we schedule an in home consultation.
There we will talk about what you’d like for your session, go over wardrobe options and location options and discuss the types of wall art, prints or products you’re looking for. Next is the session that we design for you. Lastly, we do an in-person ordering appointment at the studio to go over all of your portraits and decide what formats you would like them in. Wall art, prints and products will be delivered to your house.
What is your process?
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CNY weather is hard to predict. We keep in touch the day of your session and if it’s going to be windy or raining/snowing, we will move your session to a different date or into the studio if that fits your vision. If it’s just cloudy or dreary, we can work with that! Clouds can actually be a good thing for outdoor sessions!
What happens if the weather is bad on the day of our session?
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I try to limit my weekend sessions as I have four kids still at home, and we try to spend weekends as a family. I am available most weekdays and weekday evenings, and occasionally I can be available on weekends as well. For outdoor sessions, within 2 hours of sunset is the best time, lighting-wise, to do outdoor portraits so I aim for evenings for those.
When do you do sessions?
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