Ok so I had planned to update my blog more regularly but being a mum to two boys alongside running my photography business has taken up a little more time than I had expected…
It has been super busy here at my little studio and I am now photographing at least 5 newborns a week as well as the occasional cake smash and outdoor shoot! I just love my job and I am always overwhelmed by all the lovely feedback and clients who are choosing me because they just love my images. It makes me so very happy and proud!
I am going to try to blog a little more often and I thought that it would be good to blog today with a little more info on my newborn sessions…
My newborn sessions are designed to capture those first tiny moments which pass us by so quickly. Having two children myself I understand how special a new arrival is and how precious our little bundles are. Time really does fly by and it seems like yesterday that my now handsome almost 15 year old was handed to me in the delivery room and looked up at me for the first time. Even my youngest Henry who is now heading for three is growing far too fast. A new arrival really is the best feeling in the world and I just love to capture these precious first moments in a beautiful and creative way for my clients. I like to think that people can now see that my images have a style to them. It has taken some time for me to develop my style and I now think I have found what I love. My images are very pure, simple and natural. I don’t like fussy backgrounds and cluttered images. I love the pureness of babies and that is what I love my images to stand for. I love to add a small item, a colourful wrap, a hat, headband or a simple prop but I don’t like to take away from the all important part of the image… your beautiful new bundle. It is a very personal thing to choose a photographer for your newborn shoots the same as it is for your wedding or family photos. I fully appreciate that everyone has their own tastes. We all have a style that we like and a style that captures our attention and I love that people now come to me for photos because they love the simple pureness of my images and share with me the love of the images I create.
Some people may think photographing babies is very easy as all they do is sleep but those who have been to my sessions will agree that is not the case. Yes we have some miracle babies who turn up asleep, all done in an hour and leave asleep but believe me, this is very very rare. My newborn sessions take a lot of time and patience but the final result is so worth it. After my sessions I take many hours editing your little bundles to ensure you have the perfect images. We all think new babies have perfectly flawless skin but in these early days that is rarely the case. Quite often babies will have flaky skin, milk spots, jaundice, little scratches where they have caught their little faces with their nails and maybe red patches from birth. Unless parents request these things to be kept in images, I will take a lot of time to remove these non permanent marks from your images. My home studio is warm and cosy and a peaceful relaxing environment for you and your new baby.
I have photographed hundreds of beautiful little bundles, I am first aid trained and I have undertaken various baby posing training courses so you can rest assured your precious bundle is in safe hands. I am booked in to train with some truly amazing newborn photographers over the next 9 months such as Kelly Brown and Ana Brandt so I hope to be able to perfect even more amazing poses to show off you beautiful bundles.
My newborn sessions are best in baby’s first 4 to 14 days when babies are super sleepy and easier to pose. At this early stage they will naturally still curl their little legs up on their chests and will fall quicker into a deep sleep. I can photograph a bit later if circumstances do not allow the earlier photos and have actually managed some newborn poses up to 9 weeks with some very cute squishy bundles. My sessions can be booked anytime after your first scan and I try to leave sessions free for last minute arrivals. If baby arrives a lot sooner or later than expected I always leave spaces to reschedule as I know that our little bundles arrive when they are ready. Parents are welcome to bring along anything personal that they would like included in the session or any props, clothing or special items which represent you or are meaningful to you.
At the start of my session we will go through my large selection of handmade outfits and props so I can ensure the images I capture are perfect for you. I really do have a huge range of unique handmade outfits in all different sizes, beautiful hats, headbands, costumes, colourful swaddle wraps, baskets, bowls, you name it, I have it! My prop collection is ever growing with a slight addiction to newborn headbands with nearly one hundred to choose from.
I photograph a variety of poses and outfits including images on the beanbag, swaddled images and basket set up and am open to any suggestions or ideas you may have already too. During your session I also offer the opportunity for family and/ or sibling images too. This is entirely up to you but I really do love capturing the bond between new parents and baby, it is just so beautiful. Tiny bundles with little hands and toes look so cute held in mum or dads hands and arms or cuddled up with older siblings. Most mums are not too keen to have photos taken so soon after giving birth and I am totally sympathetic to this. There is a reason I am behind the camera as I hate having my own photograph taken! Despite this, the parents I manage to convince to have photos usually do absolutely love them. I don’t capture full length poses with baby lost in parents arms, instead I focus on hands, face and baby. My black and white images on a black background have lots of flattering shadows and I light just the areas of importance. I think these images really do look stunning and are quite timeless. They have a wonderful contrast particularly when dads have tattoos against the pureness of babies.
My sessions tend to last around 2-3 hours but there will be no rush or time limit. I like to make sure both parents and baby are as relaxed as possible and that you do not feel rushed in order to get the most from the session. I like my session to be a lovely experience for parents to look back on and also a relaxed environment makes for a relaxed baby. I do not use flash photography and instead use a constant light source and natural light when possible to ensure baby is kept as settled and relaxed as possible. We will stop for feeds and cuddles as and when needed and I do my best to make the whole experience as relaxed and memorable as possible for you. It does get very warm in my little studio while we keep your bundles comfy and cosy so it is best to wear loose comfortable clothing and bring along refreshments too if you wish. Even in the summer I still use a hot water bottle to keep blankets nice and warm whilst your bundles are undressed and being posed
After your session, I edit the best 30-40 images and have an online gallery emailed over to you for viewing within approximately two weeks. You can view your watermarked images individually or as a slideshow to music if preferred. You can then take your time to look over your images at home with family too if you wish before deciding which products you would like to purchase. I am on hand should you have any questions at all. When my eldest son was first born I went to a large photo studio for his photos and the experience was not a good one. I aim to make your experience totally the opposite to that which I had experienced. I felt uncomfortable from entering the studio right through to being invited back to choose my products. It was very rushed and I felt pushed to make decisions right there and then, ordering products I couldn’t afford at the time and not being able to offer family the chance to view too. I like to do things very differently with my sessions and I love my clients to be able to view their images comfortably at home and to be able to share with family too. Despite this I am happy to view images with you and advise on products if I am asked.
There is a famous quote… ‘to be successful, the first thing you have to do is fall in love with your work’ – Sister Mary Lauretta
I REALLY do LOVE my job and I just love the wonderful reactions my parents have when they see my images. It makes me so so happy!
I look forward to meeting your precious new arrivals and capturing images of their first tiny moments. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me.
Michelle
07487709968 michelle@littlestarimages.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/littlestarimages
