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They say never work with kids or animals…

Ha ha! Well, I’ve been doing both!

As you all know, I absolutely love my job photographing babies, children and families.  Some of you may also know that I could be described as a bit of an animal lover and have been known to dabble in pet photography, often with our family Pooch Scamp as the obliging subject.

So when I get asked by clients if they can bring their pets along to take part in a photo shoot, I see it as nothing other than a chance to combine these two loves of mine, and it’s always a lot of fun!

My studio in Poole has recently been visited by a whole host of animals. These have included Lucky the newborn duck who waddled in on a newborn photoshoot with its five-month old helper Edie. There has also been the lovely Lilia with her new puppy Belle, an American Cockerpoo (an American Cocker Spaniel and Toy Poodle cross, in case you were wondering!). There’s also been Lenny the Bassett Hound who took pride of place in the Pavey  family photoshoot, among lots of others.

Photographing animals certainly has its challenges though. Unlike newborn babies who can be lulled to sleep and manoeuvred into position, animals rarely follow directions and are pretty much always on the move!

As with people, getting a great portrait is always easier when the subject is relaxed, so if you’re planning on bringing your pet to my studio, make sure the animal comes fed and alert. If it’s a dog, I’ll encourage you to play with him as you would at home so bring along his favourite toy or treat. If it’s a duck like Lucky who is less likely to follow commands, well, I’ll setup the shot and then watch and simply wait for them to do their thing.

My job as a photographer, whether of people or pets, is to be ready at any moment to capture a certain look or fleeting movement that might just create the perfect portrait.

Children and pet photography is something that I hope to do more of. The love that kids often have for their pets is so endearing and can translate well into a photograph. And let’s face it, no family portrait can be truly complete without the animals of the household included too.

So to those who say ‘never work with children or animals’: Thanks for the advice, but I think you’re barking mad! Ha ha!

It perhaps doesn’t feel very long since you welcomed your baby into the world. Then, before you know it, they are six months old already and have changed beyond all recognition. Seem familiar?

Well, this is exactly why many parents choose to come to me for a studio portrait session with their six month old baby; to capture that adorable stage in their development that is unique to that half-year milestone.

A six month old is a joy to photograph. No longer a sleepy newborn bundle but a proper little person, with gorgeous squidgy bodies and eyes wide in wonder! I will present them with various toys in a ploy to capture their best smile and it’s a real joy to see their happy faces beam with delight.

For a six month photo shoot I would recommend bringing an outfit for your baby to wear (keep it simple, try to co-ordinate colours and avoid logos, character T-shirts etc. that may date the photographs), as well as any personal items that you may wish me to include, such as their favourite teddy bear.

I can provide a large selection of adorable hats, colourful blankets and props such as baskets, boxes, suitcases and I’ve even got an old Victorian-style miniature bath which they can be photographed in. Or we can keep it simple and just let baby dictate the pace and style of the shoot, and pick out props themselves!

Ultimately the best photos are those where baby is relaxed and happy.

If you are coming to me for a six month photo shoot sometime soon, I can’t wait to see you and your baby. In the photos, I will endeavour to let their unique personality shine through and capture them at their gorgeous half-year best!

What to expect at your newborn photo shoot

Ahead of your newborn photoshoot, you may have questions in your mind about the logistics of the day and I hope to answer these here so that you can be prepared and as relaxed on the day as possible. I hope this is useful to find out what to expect.

I operate from my private home-based studio in Poole and dedicate up to four hours for a newborn shoot to allow time for all eventualities – after all, when working with babies I fully understand the need to expect the unexpected!

Within those four hours there is very little for you to do; apart from any feeding or nappy changing that’s required, I will do the rest. I will calm your baby and encourage him or her to relax (I have been called ‘the baby whisperer’ before!), and then setup various poses. Most often I photograph the babies sleeping but not all babies are sleepy so I can also photograph them awake – it completely depends on what happens on the day!

I will take lots of photos and pose your baby in many different ways, with and without props, to ensure I capture a good range which you can choose from later. Parents and siblings can also be photographed with baby if you wish.

I have loads of adorable props such as hats and headbands as well as blankets, baskets and hat boxes which the baby can be positioned in, and I will pick a few to use throughout the shoot. You are also very welcome to bring along any personal items that you would like me to incorporate into the photos. In the past parents have brought in musical instruments and sporting equipment for example, and I always do my best to include these where possible.

At my studio I have tea/coffee facilities for the parents as well as a changing mat and breastfeeding pillow which you are welcome to use.

After the shoot I will create a private online gallery where you can preview the photographs and then select the images you would like to buy. You can choose either a digital package – the final edited photos are supplied to you on a CD – or you can choose from a range of canvas or framed prints (see my website for prices).

And then that’s it – you’ll be in possession of some gorgeous newborn photos which I hope you’ll be desperate to have up at home and to share with friends and family. Don’t forget that they also make great gifts too. Enjoy!

It’s not very often that you get asked to photograph such an amazing event as a Birth story , but to be perfectly honest when Samira and Chris asked me to be there to photograph the birth story of their second child I wasn’t keen, to put it mildly. I had visions of being in the way and not coping with the emotionally charged situation, basically, I was convinced I would be a blubbering reck the moment the pain started.

Well thankfully as D day approached I really came around to the idea and was pretty excited when I had a message on a Wednesday night at around 9 pm say….”oh having twinges” My camera was packed, batteries charged and I was on the edge of my seat…..Waiting! And Waiting,  then nothing.

Samira was waiting and waiting, I was annoying her with messages trying to plan where I was going, just in case I was called into action, and still nothing. That baby was just too comfortable in there!

At 13 days over his due date Jack decided it was his moment to arrive, was i ready ….errrrr nope! Tea time in a busy house with 2 kids and a hubby who had just popped out for a couple of hours, and now he decided to start to arrive. Samira was sure that this was it and it was going too fast so bless her she said” Bring the kids” , hmmm not sure my 7 & 10-year-old were ready for that so thankfully a very lovely, trusted friend looked after my pair whilst i dashed to the Home Birth.

Well, I knew Samira was chilled out about the Birth,but she was so chilled that she had laid on Party Food! Awesome Lady thinking of us, tea and cadburys mini eggs to while away the minutes before the big event…yes really just minutes! I got there about 7 pm and Jack was born at 8.06 pm on Sunday the 2nd March 2014

I hope the photographs give a sense of the overwhelming Joy in the room. I felt honoured and privileged to be present.

Thank you Samira and Chris xx

I’m guessing that most of you know me as a Newborn Photographer. So I often get asked, “do you photograph older children?”YES Of course, is the answer but perhaps I don’t show enough of my other types of work! I love learning so this training day with Kate Hopewell-Smith was just what I needed.

So I thought I would combine some Mummy time and Training and take my daughter Lizzie along as a model for the day. We had a lovely location just outside Swindon at the Guild of Photographers training center Blackthorne.  It was a beautiful sunny day which for a photographer is good and bad, we usually like to wait until the end of the day if it’s sunny. On a workshop like this you just have to work with what you had, and bright sun is what we had! The day was spent mostly training with one of the UK’s premier Lifestyle photographers Kate Hopewell-Smith, we also had some free time and business mentoring.

Lizzie and I thoroughly enjoyed the day, she posed for the camera, and me photographing her and two other children. It was a great start to spring and has given me the bug to step outside the studio into the fresh air.

Here’s some of the images from the day !

Over the years , completed many training days with national and international trainers in lots of genres from newborns to children and even weddings ( hate weddings I decided ). One of my favorite sessions was with the amazing Cass Vanhorn from Noelle Mirrabella We had a magical weekend in Devon at a place near Wistmans wood and I think I will always hold this workshop as my most favorite ever. It was truly a fantastic weekend of learning with a master!

Bye for now

Karen x

Three years ago on the 11th of Feb 2011, my part-time photography career made the leap to my full-time job. I was made redundant after 22 years with the same company, was I sad? No, i was delighted and KW Photography was no longer confined to the weekends, I could work every day!

I love what I do and in the past Three years have grown and evolved beyond all my expectations, newborns, babies and children are my absolute love so Thank you to all those lovely families for helping my business flourish, couldn’t do it without you.

Here are just a few of my recent favourite photographs, from Stunning Bumps to Cheeky grins I love them all.

Yey! I’m so excited to be sharing the news with you that last night The Guild of Photographers named me as their 2013 Photographer of the Year!

I went along to their awards ceremony in Crewe and met up with many of my friends who also work in the industry. It was a lovely evening; a chance to get my glad rags on, let my hair down and celebrate what has been an amazing year for KW Photography. In 2013 I was awarded a total of thirty-five awards from The Guild, including 3 ‘Gold Awards’, for my portrait photography and I knew that I was in the top ten for the Photographer of the Year award, so I went along to the ceremony with my fingers and toes crossed that I might win. And I did! I still can’t believe it!

At the event I was among many of the country’s very best photographers and it was extremely humbling to be recognised among such a talented bunch. The Guild’s annual awards are highly prized by photographers throughout the country and abroad, so to come away with the title of Photographer of the Year (and the trophy to prove it) is certainly one of my most proudest moments in my career. I absolutely love my job!

Those of you who have been following my Facebook page recently won’t have failed to notice that KW Photography has been getting a lot of media attention in the past few weeks! I’m thrilled to tell you that my newborn photographs have been featured in the news. A huge variety of newspapers, magazines and blogs; not only in the UK but also as far afield as America have picked up the story! Wow how amazing ,  Fame at last!

Locally I have had my pictures on the front cover of magazines such as 4Dorset and Families Dorset, and articles in my local paper, the Bournemouth Daily Echo, and in regional society magazines. This has been followed by huge articles – with many of my favourite newborn images – in the national papers, the Daily Mail, and the Express which have been the catalyst for my newfound international stardom!

I’ve since been featured in the uber-glamorous Grazia France magazine, on the Baby Centre UK blog which is followed by millions of mothers and mums-to-be, and in the Huffington Post, one of America’s most-read newspapers! I’ve also been inundated with requests from all over the world, the strangest by far has been a phone call from a Brazilian TV station wanting to film me working!

The plus side of all of this fame is that hits to my website and bookings for newborn photo shoots have skyrocketed in the past few weeks so I’m looking ahead to a busy 2014!  The power of publicity, hey?!

If you’d like more info on how to book then just contact me