What a year 2017 has been! I've met so many wonderful people, seen so many new parents created, had the privilege of capturing so many fleeting newborn moments, and laughed with, chased, played with and photographed so many fun-filled, full of life families.
Here are a few of my favourite moments from the year.
“I just fall in love with him even more every time I see them together.” Kyrie’s mum told me during our planning consultation about the incredible bond between Kyrie and her dad. It was obvious from the moment the three of them walked into my studio that their whole family is filled with so much love, laughter and happiness. Each of her parent’s faces would light up every time they looked at Kyrie – and at each other. There was a matching delight on Kyrie’s face when she caught their eyes.
Like most families waiting for their first child, Bailey’s parents were incredibly excited but also a little scared! One of the highlights of newborn photography for me is talking to people during their pregnancy and hearing about their hopes and dreams, and then watching them slot into the role of parents as if they had always known how. There are so many little ways the bond between them is visible, and for me, Bailey’s tiny fingers clinging on to her dad’s hard working, capable hands sums it up in one photo.
It turns out that a plug is a fairly crucial part of a maternity milk bath photo shoot. Who would have thought? Our session narrowly avoided being a complete washout when we realised that ours was missing!
This was the first time I had tried a milk bath photo shoot, so I’d done plenty of research online to get tips and tricks and make sure I was fully prepared. Milk powder, scissors for the flowers, a bowl for mixing milk powder in, cornflour for extra whitening – I had it all. It never even crossed my mind to check the plug! Living in a house with two children under 3 who love to squirrel things away to random places, I really should have known better!
Shekinah's parents knew from when they first met and fell in love that they wanted to build a family. Then came a long stretch of getting their hopes up, only to have them crashing down again with one negative pregnancy test after another. Month after month brought frustration, hopelessness and despair. They wondered if their dreams would ever come true – and then, finally, the test showed what they had been hoping and praying for! They wanted to have these photos of Shekinah as a newborn to remind them how much she was worth the wait.
Your first trip out of the house with a new baby is pretty daunting. Getting this tiny bundle strapped safely into a car seat; rounding up nappies and wipes and bottles and dummies and an insanely large assortment of other necessities for such a tiny little person; trying to juggle nappy changes and feeds so that you all have a comfortable car trip but still arrive on time; and leaving the comfort of your own home when all you really want to do is sleep. Combine all this with a fog of tiredness like you’ve never even imagined could exist, and this whole new world of responsibility and care seems pretty overwhelming.
“What if my baby won’t sleep?!”
Parents often ask me what will happen if their baby won’t sleep during their photography session. Some babies fall asleep so easily and others fight sleep with their whole being, even during their first few days. (My son was one of those – I can relate very well!!)
This blog post is dedicated to those parents!
I wanted to donate a newborn photography session to someone who was deserving of it – someone who had been through struggles or hardships or someone who was always thinking about others and deserved something in return. There were so many nominations that it made me want to give away more than one session, but the beautiful tribute written by Isabella’s grandma was the deciding factor.
We clamber over boxes and bags and squeeze our way through to the surfboard racks on my garage wall. Levi’s dad is far taller than me, so he gets the job of grappling the surfboard down. Back inside again, we discover that the board was last used on a baking hot day – its cover has completely melted onto the wax and we can’t get the board out! Finally, with the help of some crafty broomstick wielding, we manage to free the board ready for our studio photo shoot with little baby Levi.
The wallpaper backdrop was hanging perfectly; the wooden floor drop smoothed out; fluffy white towels folded neatly and stacked in a soft pile; and baby Quinn was tucked up on his tummy, dummy in his mouth and his blankie wrapped around him, drifting off to sleep. We had been working towards this for about 15 minutes, Quinn’s mum helping to settle him while I got his tiny bottom and toes and fingers placed exactly how I wanted. A sneak peek under his blanket showed that he had finally settled into the perfect pose. We removed his blanket. I stepped back with my camera, and his mum sat just off to the side, ready to remove his dummy at the right moment and to spot him if he moved.
And then…. Quinn startled, as tiny babies do. His legs shot out behind him, his arms flailed, and he jerked to wide awake. We were right back to square one, and Quinn decided that it was time to snuggle in with mum for a feed instead of getting this shot.
I just love doing newborn photography, and this newborn photo shoot with baby Lincoln in my Te Awamutu studio was one of my all time favourites. He was just the sweetest, most perfect little boy you could imagine! Throw in a stunning mummy and a handsome big brother, and this session was every photographer's dream!
Some babies just love to tuck up with their legs underneath them as if they were still in the womb. Others love to curl sideways. And some just like to stretch out as far as they can.
During this newborn photography session at my studio in Te Awamutu, sweet little Caleb left us in no doubt of his preference. He didn’t have the longest legs around, but he was very clear that he wanted them stretched out as much as possible! According to his mum, he did a lot of this in her tummy too – ouch!
