Say Cheese: Mom Finds Career Snapping Kids

"Ten days tops," says Stacey Broggy as she shares the latest in birth announcements—children's blocks with tiny sleeping pink-capped babies printed on them. "I like to capture newborns really within that first week."

Broggy sits back comfortably on a black leather couch near the living room corner turned photography studio of her Syosset home. She explains how through trial and error she found this to be the best place in the house, with ample, natural light.

"The front windows let in the northern lights, which makes my style of photography have that dream quality," she says. 

The walls are lined with black-and-white and color photos of her three boys:  Liam, 10, Quinn, 6, and Declan, who just turned 3, at various ages.

"Lighting is crucial and babies grow fast within two weeks; they're already different looking," Broggy says—and she knows kids. A former special education teacher from Boca Raton, Fla., Broggy moved to Manhattan 11 years ago. It was Broggy's eldest son, Liam, who indirectly got Stacey into photography.

"I took Liam on a what the 'business' calls a go-see for a print advertisement, and we needed head shots to bring with us," Broggy remembers. "I wasn't in any position to pay top dollar, so I shot photos of Liam myself."

Broggy says the head shots worked. Liam booked many ads and TV commercials, and has also acted in films including Trust the Man with David Duchovny and Julianne Moore.

As a busy mother-turned-coach/business advisor for her three sons' modeling and acting careers, Broggy says it all kind of came together. 

"I'm really just a chaffauer for the boys, getting them to and from their appointments," she says. "The photography I do for myself. It's what I love to do."

Friends were so impressed with her photos that they began requesting Broggy for their own children's head shots, and through word of mouth a business was born.

Cheryl Lutz of Levittown swears by Broggy, whom Lutz found online. Lutz says Broggy has worked with her 6-year-old daughter Regan, who models and does some acting, for four years.

"Regan would never sit still," Lutz says. "But Stacey is really good with kids and uses props to make them comfortable and have fun."

Broggy advises parents on wardrobe: "Avoid loud patterns. White gets kind of washed out. You want to dress your child in simple, plain-colored shirts in blue, green or aqua. Those colors really translate best."

And for those jaundiced, sallow-skinned newborns, Broggy suggests plenty of sunlight. 

"Bring the baby out in the fresh air for some sunshine and vitamin D," Broggy says. "It's helps level off bilirubins and clear the skin tone."

Broggy has shot newborn infants to teenagers, as well as family portraits for the holidays, She focuses her photography mostly on head shots but enjoys capturing newborns.

"As a mom, I want to be accessible to my own children during the day, while photographing newborns and children," she says. "It's truly a cottage industry for me."

For further information on Stacey Broggy's studio work and to book a session, see www.mom2boyz.smugmug.com