Intimate Newborn Shoot at Home in Kent
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to photograph a gorgeous family from the Kent / Sussex borders with a 3 month old baby and 2 and a half year old toddler. It was intimate, cozy and relaxed and off the back of a happy 2 hours together in their home, the family received around 60 hand-edited images, which they were thrilled with.
A newborn session is a really unique photoshoot as this time in your life is chaotic, fleeting and full of contradictions. As a parent you might not feel your best, you are likely sleep deprived but your baby is tiny for such a short time and you will never regret capturing those moments, those rolls, those tiny finger nails.
When my baby was born I went from taking photos on walks and nights out to having 1,000s of pictures of him from all angles on a normal Wednesday at home, but I was rarely in the photo myself unless I asked my husband to take one - and it was always taken from a bad angle or didn’t capture the moment like I remembered it! Sound familiar?!
Choosing to ask a photographer into your home to help you persevere these times can feel a bit personal, or intimidating, but when you look back it will be the best decision you made, I promise you.
To give you an idea of what you could expect from your Kent Newborn Photoshoot, I have talked through how this session went below:
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I arrived at 10am which suited with naps and gave the family time to get ready and not rush. The husband had lit the fire because it was a cold day and we sat by it and had a chat while we waited for the baby to wake up. I took this opportunity to test the light and play with their toddler. Getting to know the children I work with, getting on their level quickly and building trust is a huge part of the process and sets the tone for a happy photoshoot ahead. As a Mum of two myself, I also love spending time with babies and children and am often told by parents that ‘he/she never bonds with people that quick!’.
When everyone was ready and we had all had a nice chat, we took some relaxed photos of the toddler and parents reading a book in their favourite spot. This helped everyone warm up and didn't involve any posing or forced smiles.
Next we went outside as it was dry and we played in the garden and let the two children interact naturally - it led to some beautiful family moments, with the backdrop of their lovely garden. No matter what size your outdoor space is, it can work for a photoshoot, as my style is usually fairly close up and outdoor photos just work so well because of the natural light. I once read a meme that said going outdoors is the eqivilent of ‘ turn it on and turn it off again’ for emotional little ones and I couldn’t relate more! So I often keep this up my sleeve and we change location when I think your children would benefit from it and it pretty much always keeps the whole family relaxed and happy.
Following this the baby needed a feed and change, and so we went upstairs. My client asked me if I would take some discreet photos of her breastfeeding and I was very honoured to do so. We chatted about newborn life while I took photos from a slight distance, and then we all had a cup of tea together while the toddler and baby started interacting on the bed. This led to some beautiful moments with the two of them and even though they weren’t both smiling or laughing, the sight of their little bodies on the bed felt even more special as a picture to me. Sometimes the best photos are the more unusual ones in my view - not always showing joy, but showing quiet real moments.
Thoughtout a session like this, I regularly check that I have all the agreed shots a family might want, have got all the groupings they are after and there is always a time when I just trust that I have got enough variety of images to give the client a really special selection.
After about 2 hours I wrapped up and said my goodbyes - a newborn session can extend up to 3 hours to allow for breaks for feeding and changes and this may feel like ages, but it does really help a session flow naturally and without any pressure, and that was certainly true for this newborn photo-shoot.
The final piece of the puzzle is photo selection and editing, which will be done within 15 working days and is where I use my creativity to choose the very best photos and to ensure that every family I work with gets a varied range of images that show love, joy, tenderness and most importantly of all - are true and authentic to you and your family.
So if that sounds like something you would value, and you are expecting a little one, or have recently given birth- firstly congratulations and secondly, I would love to chat with you about booking in your session soon. :)