Today, August 19th, is World Photography Day. As a nationwide team with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and talents, the greatest unifier of Bella Baby & Bella Life photographers is our shared passion for photography. To celebrate this year, we asked our team to share with us more about why photography is special to them.
How we got started
In 2016, during my senior year of high school, on one of my art class’s trips to NY, my art teacher kept telling me I had such a good eye for composition in my phone photography at the time. For a while, I thought nothing of it. But come 2017, I grew more interested in photography as I looked at my photos from New York more and more. It was the perfect way for me to let loose on my creativity from anywhere I wanted, I wasn’t so restricted on where I could create, like I was with drawing and painting. I bought my first camera after that! -Kyleigh Cool, Bella Baby & Bella Life Photographer in Dallas, TX
I began doing photography when I was about nine years old. It was a “phase” that I never got over! Around the age of 13 my parents helped me purchase my first DSLR and the rest is history. I began doing photos for neighbors and friends and photographed my first newborn at the age of 13 (with help from parents of course!). I lived and breathed photography; photographing everything from the tiniest flower to dogs, cats, cows, horses and everything in between. My spare time was spent teaching myself manual settings, Lightroom, and photoshop. -Haven Giglotti, Bella Baby Photographer in Tyler, TX
My parents are both artists. -Sarah Wesolowski, Bella Baby Photographer in Fort Worth, TX
What our team loves about photography
I’m a disabled combat veteran (Former Paratrooper Combat Medic), and I was looking for something to bring more peace into my life, so I pursued photography full time. I love being able to capture a moment in time that will never exist again. I started with landscape photography, and I was drawn to being isolated and finding myself. While I still do landscape photography, stepping into newborn photography brings me a level of peace that only holding the definition of innocence can bring. I’m not capturing newborns here at Bella Baby, I’m capturing moments I think we all wish we could go back to. A time when we were all so engulfed in love and knew nothing of the evils in this world. -Andrew Tijerina, Bella Baby Photographer in Denver, CO
I love challenging myself to try a new technique. I love studio lighting and changing the tone of the image based on where I place my light, how far it is from the subject, the type of modifier I use, and a billion other components. Photography is so much more than ‘pushing a button’, there’s a lot of thought and intent that goes behind a strongly composed and lit image, and I love being able to navigate the technical side and balance it with the customer service aspect while still engaging with the subject. It’s the type of multi-tasking that a mom of four is a pro at! -Calli Tuggle, Bella Baby Photographer in Des Moines, IA
When I was 15, I took photos of my dad’s wedding and instantly fell in love with photography. I loved being able to capture the special moments in someone’s life. And when my nephew was born, I took photos of him too. I’ve always loved photography even when I was little, I would run around with my mom’s little camera and take pictures of everything. My grandmother bought me my first camera told me I was going to do amazing things one day with my photos. Every day since then, I’ve taken photos with my phone or a Polaroid, and now with the camera my parents bought me for my birthday. I’ve always wanted to be a professional photographer because I just love capturing the special little moments in people’s lives. No one can truly know how amazing it is to capture a special moment and then get to keep it forever, to fulfill your dream of being a professional photographer, and to see the joy and smiles on people’s faces when you capture a beautiful memory on camera. -Jaymie Cowan, Bella Baby Photographer in Waco & Temple, TX
I love being present for the “big” moments in people’s lives. Who else but a photographer gets to witness a baby meeting their big sibling for the first time? A family celebrating their child’s “Gotcha Day”? A new family forming because two people fell in love and one of them proposed? We get to see all these special glimpses into their lives AND we get the privilege of capturing them. – Alison Thompson Bella Baby & Bella Life Photographer in Naperville, IL
Our favorite photography memories
It absolutely bursts my heart with joy and satisfaction when new parents and family visitors have too many favorites to choose from to print or purchase. It makes me feel like my art is worth something, and that encouragement makes what I do at Bella Baby keep me wanting to learn and improve. Even if families don’t purchase, I love the acknowledgment I receive from parents that the photos I captured are beautiful to them. Because what I see and capture is what I think is beautiful and special. Every session locks in a moment in time where each and every baby will ask about their origin story (& parents can count on that). I get a kick out of being a small part of creating that story and igniting memories. – Sarita Garcia, Bella Baby Photographer in Redlands, CA
My son Noah’s senior photo session. We were camping in the Flat Tops near Yampa Colorado. It was a father/son moment I will never forget. It was the beginning of October and fall foliage was in full swing. We had such great conversations on hikes looking for the best locations. We talked about manhood, treating people well, encouraging kindness in one another. I tear up just writing about as it was a moment in time that I will never forget. When I look at his senior photos, I see those hikes, I hear those conversations, and most of all I see the wonderful man he has become and continues to strive to be. -Andrew Tijerina, Bella Baby Photographer in Denver, CO
It’s hard to choose a favorite moment because I have a lot of them, but I think it’s when I did pictures for one family a few years ago, and they had another baby at the same hospital. They asked if I still work for Bella Baby photography, and the nurse let them know I do. When I showed up to the room, they were so excited and said they had a surprise for me. The dad held out his hand and showed me a tattoo made from one of the photos I had taken of them with their first baby. Then the mom lifted her shirt slightly to show me she had the same tattoo on her side. They said they wanted to add their second baby to the tattoo so we replicated the same pose during their session. That moment made me cry happy tears. It was a very special moment to see the parents again and to know they were inspired to get a tattoo from my photograph. -Katarzyna Worwa, Bella Baby Photographer in Park Ridge, IL
One of my favorite Sessions I’ve done with Bella baby was in June 2025. At this time, I had started to become friends with a lot of our nurses, and one of them was due to have her first baby boy in June. They had been trying for baby boy for a while too, going through IVF. I got to do their maternity photos beforehand. At one point during the session baby was fussy, and I turned on white noise for him. He immediately calmed down. Dad looked at me in amazement, and was like how did you do that. The whole photoshoot was full of love and so genuine, and I think that’s what made me love it so much. Watching people you know become parents is just so special. – Kyleigh Cool, Bella Baby & Bella Life Photographer in Dallas, TX
I was sent to Milwaukee to train 5 new hires at West Allis Medical Center. It was field day 2 for one of the trainees, and there was a very sweet family waiting for us. We started talking with them about their hobbies and experiences with preparing for the newborn. I like to train new photographers to use everything in the room to add to the variety. I handed the father a guitar he had, and the photographer asked if he played while he was shooting. The dad gave us the most emotional face and instantly burst out into song. The trainee kept shooting, and I pulled out my phone and started recording. The nurses peeked in. I asked them if it was too loud, and they were so taken aback by the scene that they just let him play. In the end, the father told us that he and his first son wrote the song for the new baby boy, Alejandro. Hands down, one of my most memorable shoots working for Bella Baby Photography. -Christian Ritter, Talent Acquisition
My favorite session was my very first proposal in 2016! I loved the surprise of it all and being able to capture such an intimate and special moment for the couple. A few years later I also had the chance to photograph their maternity photos and most recently, I photographed their child now all grown up! -Heidi Washington, Bella Baby Photographer in Dallas, TX
I get told all the time “You must have the best job” and I can honestly answer “Yes I do” -Cori Saunders, Bella Baby Photographer in Lynchburg, VA
Final Thoughts
Photography is more than a well-lit image or a perfect smiling family. It is healing. It’s connection. It’s pushing yourself to try new things and grow in the service you provide. It’s about preserving extraordinary moments and turning every day into lasting memories. As we honor World Photography Day, we celebrate not just the art of photography, but the joy of preserving memories that bring families closer together.
