A Little Personal – Capturing My Kids

By Kat Knuth, Longmont Baby Photographer

It’s interesting, as a photographer momma, how I choose to photograph my own kids. It’s a personal choice, of course. I do practice on them pretty much constantly, whether it’s taking pictures while they play or something a little more staged.

Sometimes, I like to just…meet them where they are. For example, my daughter is happiest in her crib. Around 2-3 months, most of our photoshoots took place there, just before naptime (she nurses to sleep and likes to cuddle for a while afterward). I learned how to light her crib by positioning the blinds in the window just so, depending on the natural light outside.

I started using these simple setups to capture her special or most adorable outfits. For example:

Best Longmont Baby Photographer
In a custom onesie

I loved the contrast for this photo. Her bedding, passed down from her brother, a dark blue background full of colorful dinosaurs. Her custom onesie, white with text. An absurdly poofy skirt, dusty purple and so much fun for her to play with while I worked. I debated putting a bow on her nearly hairless head but decided not to overwhelm her with all the addons. Besides, she’s a baby. She’s perfect just as she is.

Her sweet smile proves it.

Best Longmont Baby Photographer
The whole outfit – too cute!

I’ll share a few more shoots I did like this, where my daughter is her most relaxed and happy. Stay tuned!

Kat Knuth is one of the best Longmont baby photographers in the area. Her relaxed and natural style has babies giggling and smiling throughout their sessions. Kat is also a writer, artist, full-time momma to two littles, and wife to an adorable man. She always has her hands in something artistic, often blending together her interests to best serve her clientele.

Newborn Composites

By Kat Knuth, Top Longmont Newborn Photographer

One of the reasons I love newborn photography is because I love building sets. But if you don’t want to have a million props lying around or access to a studio, digital backgrounds and composites are the way to go!

In my previous post, I talked about compositing my daughter as a little mermaid. But this time, I went back and tried a couple things to composite some of my favorite newborn photography images.

First up:

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Pretty on a pedestal.

I’m definitely getting better! Except for parts of the skirt, this is one of my best composites. I love the simplicity, the delicate lace, and the wood floor. I think though, this is a prop I would truly just like to own! Haha!

I wonder where I could get something like that lovely droopy lace. Do you think it’s a curtain or table cloth repurposed for a photo like this? That’s my guess and probably where I’d start researching.

Next up:

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Nestled in a crate.



Another one of my better composites. But, again, I look at this and think, “well, I could just add a crate to my collection.” I could fill it with one of my dozens of newborn photography blankets. I could start collecting bouquets to accent it!

I think I’m just a newborn photography prop hoarder.

That’s okay. I’m not there yet. But doing photoshop exercises like this and learning new skills makes me want to be one!

For now, I’ll stick with my traveling studio and set up gorgeous sets in my client’s homes. This is more comfortable for my littlest Longmont newborn photography clients anyway. They can stay warm and cozy at home while I create meaningful art for their families.

I really love my job. *sigh*

Spring Mini Sessions 2022

by Kat Knuth, Longmont Family Photographer

It is that magical time of year again! Winter is receding, buds are just beginning to form, and then photographers begin to offer spring mini sessions!

See details here:

Longmont Family Photographer Spring Mini Sessions
Save the dates and book ASAP!

I’m a recent addition to Longmont, Colorado, (I know, I know, don’t hate me! I married a native! It doesn’t count!) and my favorite season is, by far, spring. I love how the world begins to awaken, shaking off the long, bleak winter, and bursting forth with crabapple blossoms, tulips, and daffodils. I’ll buy so many daffodils for my home over the next few weeks, it’s bananas. They’re just so cheerful! Like little trumpets of joy, shouting that warmth and sunshine is coming!

Can you tell I’m mostly from the southwest? Winter is HARD for me. Haha!

The best way to celebrate this changing season? Why, with custom photography, of course!

This year, my minis are only $250 and INCLUDE 5 professionally edited digital images. I’ll give you more than that to choose from, of course, and you can purchase the entire album if you wish, but if you just want those 5 images, that’s okay by me!

My mini sessions this season will be 15-20 minutes long – just long enough to capture some adorable, fun, and gorgeous pictures of your family! I’ll host them in the evening, 5:30, 5:50, and 6:10 PM for two weekends toward the end of May:

May 20th:
5:30
5:50 (TAKEN)
6:10

May 21st:
5:30
5:50
6:10 (TAKEN)

May 28th:
5:30
5:50
6:10

May 29th:
5:30
5:50
6:10 (TAKEN)

As you can see a few dates have already begun to fill! To grab your slot, simply email me at katknuthphotography@gmail.com with your top 3 choices! I’ll do my very, very best to get you the perfect spot. Once we’ve agreed on a time, and you’ve paid your session fee, I’ll send you my how to prepare guide to get you all set for your photos!

Location is TBD based on foliage around that time. I will update you as soon as I see how things are blooming!

Thanks so much! I can’t wait to capture your family this season!

Kat Knuth is a top newborn and family photographer in Longmont, Colorado. She specializes in heirloom-quality photography and having fun while creating it! She can be found poking around town with her two littles and her darling husband.

Learning to Composite

By Kat Knuth, Longmont Newborn Photographer

If you go on Etsy and look through the photography backgrounds, you’ll eventually end up in the composite area. Compositing is a Photoshop technique that combines several image elements to create a final image. This can be as simple as inserting a baby into a set or as complicated as turning a child into a fairy riding a unicorn.

There’s a lot that goes into it. You need the background, of course. You’ll need an image to pull a subject from. The light should match or be easily matched. Maybe you’ll need extra digital props to tie it all together. Who knows? It all depends on what you’re trying to create.

For me, it was the little mermaid.

Like many 80’s/early 90’s babies, I worshipped at Ariel’s fins for most of my childhood. Turning my daughter into a version of a mermaid was the ultimate dream. I bought her a little knit mermaid outfit online and couldn’t wait to put her in it.

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Littlest mermaid on a boat <3

This composite was very simple and while definitely not perfect, I like that I was able to learn a new skill to create a new image of my sweet girl. Especially one so close to my heart! For this image, I bought a background on Etsy and took pictures of my daughter in her crib. I then used the lasso tool to cut her out (if you have a green screen background, this is a great time to use it!) and place her on the background. There’s some more to it than that, messing with tone, highlights, shadows, etc. But that’s the gist!

I tried again with this background:

Top Longmont Newborn Photographer
Heyo, Sebastian and friends!

Also, an imperfect but good attempt at a composite! Same techniques used for this one to create a fun, silly image!

As I continue to work on and improve this skill, I intend to focus more on babies, especially newborns! That way, I can offer digital sets to my clients as well as the traveling studio I bring with me to each shoot in Longmont, Colorado.

Happy Easter!

By Kat Knuth, Longmont Newborn Photographer

I just had to stop by today and wish you all a Happy Easter!! I love Easter, not because I’m particularly fond of chocolate eggs or bunnies, but because it is the holiday that means spring has sprung! (Or will do so shortly. Thanks, crazy Colorado weather!) Plus, I promised!

Anyway, keeping with my tradition of celebrating those precious baby first, I had to take a shot at an Easter baby portrait. I couldn’t decide how to do it. Normally, I go down an Instagram rabbit hole (pun absolutely intended). But there wasn’t a lot to be inspired by. Searching “Easter baby,” “Easter newborn,” “spring baby,” etc., nothing seemed to give me what I was looking for.

Guess I needed to create it myself!

Longmont Newborn Photographer
Easter Bunny Baby!
Longmont Newborn Photographer
The sweetest bunny.

I originally wanted to shoot these pictures outside but the gorgeous white lace caught the sunlight in the strangest way. My daughter seemed to be in a halo, and not in a fun angelic kind of way. In a strange, why is that baby glowing like a lightning bug, kind of way.

Not cute.

But by setting up a studio inside, controlling the light with a few well-placed soft boxes, I was able to get the cute pictures of my little bunny. True to my signature style, I even thought to grab the knit blanket her great-grandmother made for her.

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Lounging on an heirloom.
Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
The whole magical look.

It was so much fun to mix the studio style with the lifestyle elements that define my newborn photography client experience. Of course, I’ll save this outfit for my daughter so that maybe one day she’ll pass it down to hers. One day in the very, very distant future, HAHA!

Again, Happy Easter everyone! Hope you spend today surrounded by love.

Kat Knuth is Longmont’s top newborn photographer. She owns Kat Knuth Photography and specializes in newborn and family portraiture. She is a wife, mama to two kiddos, and an artist. To schedule your photo experience with Kat, please email katknuthphotography@gmail.com or call (602) 741-8483.

Holiday(s) – A Bit of Newborn Photography Fun

By Kat Knuth, Longmont Newborn Photographer

Holiday milestones are so precious when welcoming a new baby to the family. Every first has to be documented and celebrated! My girl was born in the fall, so her first major holiday was Thanksgiving!

When thinking about what kind of picture I wanted to take to mark the occasion, I thought of my younger brother. My brother loves when people put their newborns in funny places, like inside pumpkins (did I ever mention that was his idea?). One of our favorite childhood playthings wasn’t a toy, it was a granite roaster. We used to sit in it together, me in the bottom part and him in the lid, and giggle at each other. He’d often mentioned, after the pumpkin pictures turned out so well, that I should stick my kiddos in a granite roaster for a Thanksgiving picture.

However, my son was just past 6 months old during his first Thanksgiving. I put him in a stock pot instead:

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Turkey Soup Baby!

But my daughter was still a very little turkey when her first Thanksgiving came along. I decided to try the hallowed granite roaster and prepared to stick my newborn daughter in it!

Coincidentally, my mother-in-law gave my a knit turkey outfit when my daughter was born. It was just the right look for this photo! I prepared it, the roaster, and some leftover dried corn from her pumpkin baby shoot. We were ready to pose her for some holiday fun!

Longmont Newborn Photographer
Turkey Girl!

To finish the set/look for this photo, I added some natural elements and added to her outfit. The autumn colors all naturally worked together. They even looked nice when positioned on a scarf I had just bought for myself! I love creatively using household items like that to create something magical.

With Easter coming in a few days, I’ve been racking my brain to see what I can do to take some new milestone pictures for another first holiday! Stay tuned for a special post this Sunday to see what I came up with!

Kat Knuth is a top newborn photographer from Longmont, Colorado. She is often exploring her journey through motherhood with her photography and sharing images of her precious kiddos on Instagram. To schedule your newborn or family session, please reach out by email to katknuthphotography@gmail.com or call (602) 741-8483.

Playful Outfits – Newborn Photography

By Kat Knuth, Longmont Newborn Photographer

For posed newborn photography, there seems to be several trends:

  • Baby posed asleep on a single color background, often wrapped in the same color, holding a small plush or wearing a simple headband. (Like This)
  • Baby posed in neutral tones, laying on a heavy cable knit blanket. (Like This)
  • Baby wearing a funny or too cute outfit, posed sleepily in a (sometimes) elaborate set. (Like This)

    In the days before my daughter was born, my mom picked up an angel baby outfit from a local shop in Longmont, Colorado. She thought it was perfect to dress up my daughter in for some newborn photography pictures. One morning, I decided to test it out:

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Sleepy Angel

It worked out really well! The skirt was a bit too scratchy and my daughter didn’t care for it. It would wake her up as I was trying to pose her and who wants an annoyed angel baby in their newborn photography photos? I ended up laying it on top of her and tucking it behind her bum. The wings were difficult to pose too, but by folding them in half and tucking them behind her shoulders, I was able to get the look I wanted.

Another outfit I just had on hand was an impulse buy of my own. I was wandering around Once Upon a Child in Longmont, Colorado, and saw this adorable, brand-new baby unicorn outfit hanging on an endcap. I had to get it. My clients could probably get some use out of it, right? After the photos in the angel outfit, I thought I’d try it out on my sweet girl anyway.

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Unicorn Girlie!

I used a different blanket background for the unicorn outfit photos. These little rosettes seemed to add to the whimsical nature of the photos. I loved how the blanket and the outfit worked together to achieve that final, precious, newborn photography result.

Kat Knuth is a wife, mama to two littles, and owner of Kat Knuth Photography. She specializes in family and newborn photography in Longmont, Colorado, but often works all over the Northern Colorado area. To schedule a session with her, please email katknuthphotography.com or call (602) 741-8483.

Newborn Photoshoots – Mommy’s Wedding Veil

By Kat Knuth, Longmont Newborn Photographer

One of the sweetest, most beautiful newborn photoshoots I’ve even done was with my 6 week old daughter and my wedding veil. I went down this Instagram rabbit hole, as one does, and found the most beautiful pictures of baby daughters in their mother’s wedding veils. Having loved my own wedding veil and hoping to pass it down one very distant day, I thought this would be a perfect project for my daughter and I!

When I discovered this newborn photoshoot idea, my daughter was already 5, almost 6 weeks old. Definitely still a sleepy little chunk but no longer a newborn squish! I decided to go for it during a nap anyway, prepping her nursery the way I would for a newborn photoshoot:

  • Warm the room to 80 degrees (thank you space heater!)
  • Keep props and heirlooms nearby.
  • Relax. This could take some finagling to pull off!

This is what we created together:

Longmont Newborn Photographer - wedding veil
Lace and baby chub, what more could you need?

If you decide to go down your own Instagram rabbit hole full of newborn wedding veil newborn photos, note that these are usually done with an all-white background. I love that ethereal look but I wanted to put my own spin on things. I thought about some local high end newborn photography, thinking of all those beautiful black and white shots full of tiny details. Then it clicked, a black background would be a different take and give that high end, high contrast vibe.

The shoot itself definitely went very well. My sweet girl would stir when I positioned and repositioned the veil so I’d have to slow down and lull her back to sleep to keep going. She was as cooperative as a very sleepy newborn! It was actually a lovely experience.

Longmont Newborn Photographer - wedding veil
Had to add another!

Just another option for your Longmont area newborn photography shoot!



Heirlooms in Family and Newborn Photography

By Kat Knuth, Longmont Family and Newborn Photographer

I know I’ve said this before, but heirlooms are my favorite props to use during a family or even newborn photoshoot. My Longmont family and newborn photography clients know and love to add this personal, sentimental, and sometimes quirky touch to their photos (see: Koala Baby).

So, I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite personal heirlooms I’ve been lucky enough to incorporate into my family’s photos!

First up:

Longmont Family Photographer - Heirlooms in Family and Newborn Photography
Handmade by my Father-in-law!

My sweet little guy was about 18 months old in this picture. I’d know for a long time that I wanted to do some kind of photoshoot with this lovely heirloom rocking horse, handmade by my father-in-law and passed down through cousins and my husband before making it to my son. It’s almost 40 years old! It not only just made sense to dress up my son as a cowboy (something his father loved to do as a little boy) but I’d done a previous cowboy shoot when my son was 9 months old that I loved. Recreating it as hew got older was long a goal of mine. He is just the perfect little Colorado cutie!

Gathering my equipment, the rocking horse, and my little cowboy, I set up shop in the courtyard outside my home. The autumn leaves were falling and were such wonderful colors. I thought it was just the perfect setup. As you can see from the pictures above and below, I was right. Haha!

Longmont Family Photographer - Heirlooms in Family and Newborn Photography
With all those lovely fallen leaves in Longmont, CO.

Not to be outdone, but when my daughter was born, my mom passed on a couple keepsakes she’d stowed away for me! She saved a knitted blanket from my great-grandmother and a yellow tunic she brought me home from the hospital in. I couldn’t wait to put them on/around my daughter for some precious newborn looks!

Longmont Family Photographer - Heirlooms in Family and Newborn Photography
All dressed up in heirloom love.

I love, love, love that I was able to memorialize these items in these precious family and newborn photos. The history, the stories, and the sentiment behind them – who could resist? Just something to think about as you plan your next Longmont family and newborn photography shoot!