Like many, Victoria Vita was a fan of snapping pictures of her travels and along the way got pretty good with a camera in hand. Then her son was born. Understandably she wanted to take as many pictures of her new little one as possible. What was a hobby soon became a part-time job. Now she’s photographing other parents’ kids and mothers to be full-time at her own New York studio proving that anyone’s pastime can transform into a career with hard work and dedication. Now it’s time to talk more to this Big Apple photographer about backdrops and cake smashes.
Kendra: You deal a lot with women carrying little humans inside of them. With that, an expecting mother probably doesn’t want to do a shoot when her baby is two weeks past the due date, but she also doesn’t want to go when she’s barely showing. When do you think is the best time for a mother to do her maternity shoot in terms of bump and all around comfortability?
Victoria Vita: I always tell my clients there is no specific time frame to do the shoot. I have clients do the shoot at 28 weeks, and then I have those who wait until the last moment and do it at 38 weeks. I believe it is a very individual choice for a mother to be that depends on many circumstances. Mainly depends on how the mother feels since this is the most important thing for a mother to be comfortable. Another big thing is that every woman shows differently. Some women are tiny at 39 weeks while others have already a big bump at 30 weeks and don’t want to look too big on the photos, but usually, I would say average clients are 32-38 weeks.
Kendra: I also have to commend you really quick for doing so much work with children. Have you always been a patience queen, or did that skill develop with time?
Victoria Vita: I believe that patience comes with experience especially when working with children. After my son was born , I learned to be more patient so this was a great head start for me but I do understand that all children are different and patience is the key which is why I never rush my little clients and always take the time to interact with them before we start the shoot.
Kendra: The cake smash photos you have are so adorable. Like, is 32 too old to have one of those sessions? Just kidding – maybe…But on that note, are those sets you already have in a studio or do you customize them based on a parent’s request?
Victoria Vita: HAHA, actually I did cake smash for 30 year old. We had so much fun, only with the cake they had a champagne bottle as well. Age is just a number so its never too late especially if you can have fun while doing it. Back to the question , I customize each set for clients desires. I ask them what theme or color combination they have in mind. Then I start prop shopping for all the items I need. I also have a list of cake smash themes to help parents choose the special birthday shoot for their children.
Kendra: Being in New York City, you have some of the best backdrops in the world. I noticed a lot of your families choose the iconic parks for their photos. Does anyone ever want some classic Brownstone Stoop Shots or a Subway Session?
Victoria Vita: To my surprise I never had people select subways but I think its because everyone goes for what they see on other peoples pictures and I rarely see those kind of shoots with children or maternity clients although I think it would be a really cool shoot and hope to do it one day.
Kendra: As someone who plans on visiting NYC again (hopefully sooner than later), where would you suggest me and my fiance snap our next must-have tourist selfie? We have ones from the Top of the Rock, Central Park, and with the Manhattan Skyline.
Victoria Vita: Thats a hard one, since the first answer that came to my mind was Central Park because you can never get too many pictures there. I really love DUMBO, especially shoots by Janes Carousel. The sunsets there are amazing and the view is unbelievable. Another place that I love shooting is at the Coney Island boardwalk and Luna Park. It is so colorful and just beautiful place for pictures, and you have the water right there as well. You can’t go wrong with that place.
Kendra: As we get deeper into spring and soon the summer, are you busier than normal with sessions?
Victoria Vita: After Christmas, this is my second busiest season. People are so tired of the cold. So as soon as it gets warmer, everyone want to book a photoshoot outdoors. Now the Cherry blossoms and tulips are blooming. This is the prettiest time for photoshoots outside besides the fall shoots which also has so much color.
