The First Year Collective: Cherish Every Moment

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The first year of your baby’s life moves fast. One week you’re bringing them home wrapped in a hospital blanket, and the next they’re pulling up to stand and waving bye-bye. As a [Fort Worth newborn photographer](https://allisonkrognessphoto.com/about), I built the First Year Collective so you don’t have to choose just one moment to remember — you get the whole story, from those first sleepy days to their first steps toward toddlerhood

If you’ve been searching for a Fort Worth or DFW baby photography package that covers newborn, milestone, and family portraits in one simple bundle, here’s everything you need to know about what’s included, how sessions work, and where we might shoot.

What Is the First Year Collective?

The First Year Collective is my most popular option for growing families in the DFW area, starting at $1,295. Instead of booking separate sessions throughout the year (and separate invoices), you book once, and I walk with you through three key milestones:

A full newborn photography session (a $795 value on its own) — 60 to 75 minutes of relaxed, lifestyle photography focused on your newborn and your family’s first days together. You’ll be holding your baby for most of the session, and I make sure to capture close-up details of their tiny features, along with siblings and even the family dog.

One milestone session at 6–9 months (a $225 value), once your baby is sitting up on their own, photographed either in-studio or in your home.

Your choice of a maternity mini session, a Fresh 48 session, or a 20-minute family mini-session at the 12-month mark (a $300 value), delivered as a gallery of 20 images.

Altogether, that’s three sessions and hundreds of images spanning pregnancy or the newborn days all the way through your baby’s first birthday — bundled at a lower rate than booking each session individually.

Why Book the Whole First Year at Once?

A few reasons families choose the First Year Collective over a single newborn session:

You capture the in-between moments, not just one day.** Babies change so much between month two and month nine that a single session only tells part of the story. Booking the full package means you have a visual timeline instead of a single snapshot.

It’s more affordable than booking separately.** Because the sessions are bundled, you’re saving compared to paying full price for a newborn session, a milestone session, and a family or maternity session on their own.

You only have to plan once.** Every client — no matter which package — receives a full session prep guide, a wardrobe consultation with style collages, a signed contract, and a pre-session phone call so you know exactly what to expect before I ever pick up my camera. Booking the Collective means we build that relationship early and I already know your family, your home, and your style by the time we get to your milestone and family sessions.

Your baby’s personality gets to show up in the photos.** A newborn session captures sleepy, curled-up details. By six to nine months, your baby is sitting up, reaching for things, and starting to show real personality. And by twelve months, they’re often cruising around and interacting with you in a completely different way. Spacing sessions out over the year means each gallery looks and feels distinct, instead of three similar sets of photos taken close together.

Where We’ll Shoot

One of my favorite parts of the First Year Collective is that it isn’t locked into one location. Depending on the season and which session we’re planning, we have a few great options around Fort Worth:

●At home.** Most newborn sessions happen right in your own space, where your baby’s nursery, favorite blanket, and morning light are already familiar and comfortable. This is also where a lot of the magic happens for Fresh 48 and early lifestyle sessions.

●In studio at The Lumen Room. When Texas weather isn’t cooperating — and it rarely does in the middle of summer or a January cold snap — I love using the Lumen Room’s natural-light studio spaces here in Fort Worth. The bright, airy backdrops work beautifully for milestone sessions and family minis when we want a clean, timeless look without worrying about the forecast.

●Outdoors at local Fort Worth parks. For family minis or a first-birthday session, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden offers lush, varied backdrops in every season, from blooming spring gardens to golden fall foliage. Also, there are several local parks and green space areas that are another favorite for families who want open green space, big shade trees, and a more relaxed, walk-and-play feel to their session.

Wherever we shoot, my approach stays the same: child-led, natural light, and focused on genuine connection rather than posed, stiff portraits.

What Happens After Your Session

Every gallery is delivered within three weeks of your session date, and every gallery includes full rights to download and print your images — no watermarks, no upsells for basic digital access. The First Year Collective includes a gallery of 50+ edited images from your newborn session alone, plus a print credit to use in my gallery shop, on top of the milestone and family/maternity galleries.

Is the First Year Collective Right for Your Family?

This package tends to be the best fit if:

– You’re expecting or have a newborn under six weeks old and want to plan ahead rather than book session-by-session

– You want a documented timeline of your baby’s first year without juggling multiple photographers or repeating the planning process

– You’d like the flexibility to choose between a maternity, Fresh 48, or family mini session depending on what fits your family best

– You want a Fort Worth photographer who already understands your home, your kids, and your style by the time milestone and first-birthday sessions roll around

– You like the idea of mixing locations — a cozy at-home newborn session, a bright studio milestone session at the Lumen Room, and an outdoor family or first-birthday session at a spot like Trinity Park or the Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Every family’s first year looks a little different, and that’s the point. Some families lean into mostly at-home, lifestyle-style images. Others want at least one outdoor or studio session mixed in for variety on their walls. The First Year Collective gives you room to decide that as you go, rather than locking you into one style or one location a year in advance.

If you’d rather book sessions individually, I also offer a standalone newborn session starting at $795.

Planning Ahead

I only take a limited number of newborn and First Year Collective bookings each month, so families expecting a baby typically reach out during the second trimester to reserve their spot. If your baby has already arrived, don’t worry — I can often accommodate last-minute newborn sessions too.

Ready to book your baby’s first year?