Session Information

Discovering a new love beyond any love you’ve ever experienced. Those little fingers and toes, pouty lips, tiny eyelashes and super soft skin. Finally your little one has arrived! Meeting your baby for the first time is truly special and I think it’s so important to capture those moments to look back on and remember how small they were.

As a first time mum you may be surprised at how fast they grow and change! I recommend that newborn sessions are best done at less than 2 weeks old. At this age they are still squishy and curly from being in the womb. They are easy to settle and pose at this age too as a lot of poses require your baby to be fast asleep. If you have missed the 2 week mark, I am still happy to photograph your baby but you must understand that I can not guarantee sleeping newborn poses after this time. All babies are different so some may easily pose after this time but some may not.

Before leaving home for your newborn session, you will need to give baby a feed. That way baby will be happy, relaxed and hopefully sound asleep when you arrive. We will most likely spend some time feeding and soothing baby during the session so please be prepared with extra feeds if you are bottle feeding. If you could please bring baby wearing a button baby grow with no vest so it easy to remove once you arrive and won’t disturb them too much.

Please also bring extra nappies. It is completely normal and most likely that baby will have an accident during the session. It is usually on me or on the props but honestly no need to worry at all, it’s part of the job. All props used are cleansed and cleaned after every session.

I keep the studio very warm during newborn sessions so please wear something cool or layers that are easy to remove. Babies lose their body heat a lot quicker than us so a warm studio is very important for their well being. My studio does have a balcony so if you do get too hot you can relax outside and enjoys the views.

A newborn session can take 2-4 hours. This is because we do have to spend sometime soothing and feeding your baby. Some do settle easier than others. I have been trained to recognise sleeping patterns and how to safely sooth and pose your baby. Did you know babies can smell their mums breast milk and also sense if you are anxious or unhappy. It’s important you feel relaxed during the shoot so please put your feet up, get comfy, have a cuppa and enjoy watching your little one looked after by me for a short while.

I always encourage parents to have a few shots with your new arrival. I know you probably haven’t even had time for a shower or are too tired to even think about putting make up on but I promise you will be so happy looking back at some snaps of you together. It doesn’t necessarily need to be of you giving a big cheesy grin looking into the camera. They can be very natural shots of you just looking down at baby from angels that won’t capture those bags from your sleepless nights or can even shots of your hands holding babies feet.

Other siblings are more than welcome to come along to be photographed with their new baby sister/brother. It is a very special time for them too. However, 4 hours in a small studio for a young child can be pretty boring and most likely lead to a stressed mum or dad trying to entertain them or keep them behaved which could prolong the shoot and disturb the baby.  What I suggest is to bring siblings along just for their turn to be photographed with baby and parents. I suggest for one of the parents or another family member to bring them in about half way through the shoot once we have photographed baby alone or to come in for the first half and then leave with one parent.

Some parents like to incorporate sentimental items or collections into their newborn sessions. I have had parents bring their Harry Potter and Star Wars collection. I love to get creative but I do like to keep it tasteful and still must suit my style. Please ask me before bringing anything with you. Other popular items used in some shots are wedding/engagement rings, sentimental jewellery or teddy bears.

What to wear? When being photographed as a family, it really looks great if you are all slightly coordinated. Colours that look great are whites, creams, greys, navy, denim and pale/pastel colours. I would recommend to avoid large bold patterns, logos and brands.

I have a lovely collection of newborn outfits, hairbands, hats, props etc so no need to bring anything for the baby. If you do have something you want to bring please check with me as if must suit my usual style. If you have preferred colours or props you have seen in my photos then please make me aware of this before the session.

Please try and book your session in as far in advance as possible. Due to babies arrival being so unpredictable, I can only take a certain number of newborn bookings per month to ensure I have space to photograph all my bookings. It is highly likely that nearly all of my newborn bookings need to be moved.

So I think a lot of people might be scratching their head thinking, what is the difference between a newborn session and baby session? For me, my baby sessions start when baby is approx 4 months old. This is usually when they can lay on their front and lift their head up, this is a great pose for baby sessions. They start developing their own little character too at this age and we can usually get lovely smiles and little laughs. If you can hold off until baby can sit unaided, then this is when we can really have some fun photographing them and get more variety in your gallery. This is usually at around 6 months old. At this age, props can come into play and I have a lot of lovely outfits to choose from for babies this age. I always suggest to get some nudey ones at this stage too so we can capture their rolls and chubby writs before they grow out of them.

Sessions for babies can also be done on location or in the studio. Baby sessions take 1-1.5 hours.

A child photo session is all about capturing your child’s personality and having fun. It is not much fun for a child to be told to sit still, look this way and keep smiling, I keep my sessions as light hearted as possible. Simple things such as bubbles, their favourite toy, favourite songs being sung, mummies tickles, daddy throwing them up on the air, these all fit together to help me capture their natural beauty! You can choose to have your session in the studio or at a location of your choice. If you think your child is easily bored or distracted, I would suggest shooting outside. When children are free to run about, we see a happier side to them. Also as my studio is small, for larger groups I would also suggest a location shoot. When it comes to deciding what to wear, I will always say photos look better if everyone is slightly coordinated. Colours that look great for pictures are whites, creams, greys, navy, denim and light/pastel colours. Please avoid large bold patterns, logos, brands etc. Bringing a little imagination into a child’s shoot is always a good thing. If they have a favourite princess dress, cowboy outfit, fairy wand or super hero cape, please mention this when booking.

Can you believe that little newborn baby you held for the first time not that long ago is turning one! A very important milestone so what better way to celebrate than with a cake smash photo session! Capture their surprise, curiosity and delight as they explore and make a mess of their very own cake!

When you arrive we will firstly do some pre-messy photos, so please dress your little one in their best outfit. I am also happy to do a quick few family shots at this point too so please dress appropriately yourselves, if you wish to join them.

Then we introduce the cake! This is when the fun starts! Be prepared to get a bit messy yourself as you may have to help out and keep your little one in place, as some do like to wonder. You may want to bring a change of clothes if your planing on going anywhere after. I have a number of lovely little outfits to choose from but you are welcome to bring your own if you wish. The cake is made to the colours and style of your choice. Please make me aware at the time of booking if your child has any allergies.

To finish off the session we bring out a little bubble bath to wash those sticky fingers and toes. If your little one has any allergies, I ask that you please bring your own bubble bath and towel.

Don’t like cake? That’s okay, just book a normal child photo session and we can make it a birthday themed shoot, minus the cake.

Although cake smash shoots are most popular for babies 1st Birthday, however I can also cater for older ages, including 18th, 21st and 30th Birthdays!