Introducing Baby Charlotte

(My favourite image from the session - I love it when clients bring along props. This cuddly toy just might become a very significant keepsake in this little girl's life)

It is great when I get a second opportunity to work with clients because the relationship we build just gets easier and better with time. Julia had come in for maternity portraits as part of a training session for one of my students. Her and her son worked incredibly well during this exercise which, unlike private client sessions, tend to take longer and with less attention to themselves. Her little boy could not have been any better. His patience still astounds me. He did exactly what I wanted enabling me to produce this great portrait.

I love the connection between these two and know that this will be a fantastic image to look back on in years to come. I mean, can you imagine what they will both think of this in 20 years time when they both look so different and Mum can no longer look down at her son.

When Julia called to book in for the newborn session I was thrilled. And had no fear regarding Thomas and the likelihood of his co-operation. To make things easier for him though, since newborn sessions can be rather lengthy, we began the session while Thomas was still in school and made arrangements for him to arrive with us towards the end. I know he can be patient but I wasn't going to ask him to be that patient when it just wasn't necessary.

Before he arrived though we had a great opportunity to take many different images of Charlotte all on her own. As is sometimes the case, they don't always want to go to sleep during their session so we need to be patient and do what we can while they are awake. I always consider it a great bonus if I can get direct eye contact with a newborn which I was lucky to do with both the shot above and below.

(The blanket in this image was handmade by her grandmother - another wonderful addition to the portraits)

Again I got to use the cuddly toy and love this image for it too. This toy is really going to highlight just how much Charlotte is growing when they see its relative size shrink as she gets bigger. These little extras add value to the portraits and make them so much more interesting to look back on as time passes. So if you are considering a portrait session try to bear this in mind and bring along anything that matters to you.

I also love a simple sleeping baby portrait. They spend so much time sleeping at this stage of their lives that I think its important to capture how sweet and peaceful they look. This stage certainly doesn't last long.

And finally we have the weighing scales shot. I still love this as it includes the babies weight at the time this portrait was taken. Again, a lovely keepsake.

If you are considering newborn portraits the best time to do so is within the first 10 days. It is much easier at this time as they tend to sleep a lot so we have a much greater chance of a creating a variety of interesting portraits. In order to guarantee that we have space for you it is best to get in touch while you are pregnant so we can hold space for you around the time that your baby is are due.

You can get in touch by either ringing us on 01455 611069, following this link to our contact us page on our website, or sending us a message via our Facebook page here.

Comments

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...

Its a Dog's Life

When life gets tough I always look at dogs or my cats and think how lucky they are. I know not all are treated well but those lucky enough to be in a good home, like the ones who come into my studio, have a really great life. They look so happy and its a wonderful thing to see. I honestly love photographing dogs. They are a joy to work with and its almost impossible to produce a bad portrait of a dog which does of course make my life a little easier. I am someone who really needs to love the work I create. I can't help but love the portraits I've created of all the dogs I've photographed over the years. And this shoot was certainly no exception. I found it a real pleasure using a lighter background this time too. I do often gravitate towards darker looks but seeing as this dog had a light coloured coat I thought I'd produce lighter images. This gave me the chance to use a canvas I painted a couple of years ago but never really used and I absolutely love it...

5 Reasons you Should Consider Getting a Professional Headshot

Headshots, or profile pictures are becoming a requirement of so many tools we regularly use or reference today. From Facebook to Linked In, Instagram to Twitter and often any website that represents a company for which you work or own will have a place to include a photograph that is meant to show your audience who you are. And how you present yourself there will tell your audience so much about you. 1. A profile picture is your first opportunity for your audience to see you. Its often the first impression you make and we all know you only have one chance at a first impression. A professional photographer has the skills to show you in the best, most suitable way to give a great first impression. (These headshots were created for recruitment firm Optima UK who asked to have their logo placed behind them. I think it makes these headshots quite eye catching and they should do their job well.) 2. Using a professional to create your headshot will ...

Wedding Workshop in Nottingham

On Wednesday of this week I made the trek up to Nottingham (which wasn't actually much of a trek compared to most of the other delegates who travelled from as far as Glasgow, Portsmouth and South Wales) for a workshop held at Crash Taylor's home. Crash, a very talented photographer, specialising in weddings is someone I can highly recommend to anyone. Apart from spending the morning getting to know the other photographers we then spent the afternoon photographing a hired model, in her own wedding dress, as we wandered through Nottingham Castle. It provided me a chance to see how other photographers handled their weddings as well as a chance to experiment with equipment I haven't had a chance to play around with. Like in this image to the right. Here I used my flash, mounted on a tripod off to the side. This allowed me to achieve studio quality lighting out of the studio, a technique I will be using in my environmental portraiture. I can't seem to make up my mind on whi...

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog