Oh how this Christmas studio session with my kiddos brought me so much joy this holiday season! My kids have a serious case of photographer’s child syndrome brought on by mom’s desire to capture them at every stage, but as soon as I told them they would be playing with fake snow they were on board!

These were shot in my basement studio using Savage Universal seamless paper, my trusty Einstein light, and my Canon 5D Mark IV. I discovered I didn’t have a connector for my R6! But the Mark IV is an incredible camera… I don’t miss the features of the R6 when I’m shooting in studio with it! Add some fake snow and MAGIC was made!

And then a little bit of snowy magic with the help of Meg Loeks’ Yesteryear Snow Overlays!

Making Memories

The holidays can be a bittersweet time, especially for those of us who are grieving a loss or whose holidays might not look as expected. I try to make all holidays special and memorable for my kiddos, but especially Christmas can be overwhelming time for me. There is internal pressure to make everything *perfect* while feeling the loss of my dad deeply and the absence of so many family members we love. I made a conscious effort to do things that bring me joy! One of those things is to photograph my kiddos in the spirit of this blessed season. My two littles are my favorite subjects to photograph!

This season was particularly important for me to capture because I am pretty certain it will be our last in our Burt’s Bees Baby family jammies unless I am able to find more. If you are reading this and have these rugby striped jammies in kids sizes I am SO willing to buy them! Burt’s Bees, if you are reading this, PLEASE bring back some of your past styles! I really think there is a big market for the classic rugby stripe and fair isle designs!!

The kids had a blast blowing the snow everywhere during this Christmas studio session! What you don’t see here is some festive peppermint lollipops they enjoyed afterwards!

Alexia Ballantine Photography is an award-winning portrait photographer serving Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. She specializes in maternity, baby, and family photography, including cake smash sessions. Reach out today to inquire about your session! If you are a photographer looking for mentorship opportunities, check out my 2025 mentorship opportunities here.