Reflecting back on my first newborn photoshoots
With school having just finished for the summer, it struck me that the newborn pics I took of the babies I photographed in my first year as a professional photographer will have been among those finishing their first year of school recently. Wow!
I guess that would make sense. After all, I started my professional photography career six years ago and began to specialise in newborn photography very soon after that.
Which means that I have been photographing newborns for that long. How quickly time flies!
Where does the time go?
It’s unbelievable to think that those babies have now graduated from their first year at school. And come September, the babies I photographed in my second year as a newborn photographer will be starting school!
They were all just teeny tiny newborns when they came to me!
My first newborn photoshoots
So, because I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, I thought it would be nice to dig out some of the images from my earliest newborn photoshoots. I’ve included a small selection here and have included them alongside more recent pictures I’ve taken, as they’ve grown up.
It’s fascinating to see how they have grown into such lovely little people. Bless them!
Many of my client families do return to me for photo sessions as their children get older – whether it’s for a Watch Me Grow package of three sessions during the baby’s first year, or for a first birthday cake smash an annual child portrait or family portrait.
Case in point. Look at these two! I can’t believe they are ready to start school in September. I photographed them back in January 2013 and now they have a gorgeous baby brother as well.
Photographing children as they grow
Here’s Charlie. He was such a cute newborn and I loved his cake smash for his first birthday.
And here he is now. He loves cuddling his baby sister!
Here’s another example of Newborn Pics
A beautiful baby…
Wow! Look at her now. She’s a stunning and very grown up little princess!
Don’t miss your chance to capture precious newborn pics
My advice to you if you’re a parent-to-be or a new parent is to not risk forgetting these precious newborn pics! It will only be a short while before your own baby is grown and off to school too!
Capturing the precious and short-lived moments in your baby’s first weeks with professional newborn portraits is an investment you will never regret. Honestly!
To book a newborn photoshoot with me please contact me on 07749 270431 or you can email me at karenwiltshire@me.com or complete this contact form.
And before I go, parents of these children featured, if you’re reading this – I’d love to know if you feel like me; that the past five or six years has just flown? And what do you remember of their newborn photoshoot? I’d love to know!
Karen x
Cake smash portraits and a celebration of all things cake!
Today I’d like to share with you some of my favourite cake smash portraits from recent sessions.
First birthday cake smash
As you probably know if you follow my Facebook page, my cake smash portrait sessions for one-year-olds are extremely popular. Particularly since this video of mine went viral last year and was watched by over 5.6 million people!
There is usually not one single week in a typical month when I am not doing at least one cake smash. And very often I can be busy doing several in a week. I love them and it’s great that my clients do too.
Celebrating a baby’s first year
Cake smash portraits are certainly becoming the popular way to celebrate a baby hitting that first-year milestone. And as a result, I buy a LOT of cake!
Themed cake smash photoshoots
Each child, as part of my cake smash photoshoot, gets their very own professionally made, giant cupcake to devour during their session.
Yes, some are reluctant at first. But most really go for it after a while, and the parents and I are usually laughing throughout the entire session! It’s such fun to watch!
My shoots are fully themed; mummy and daddy choose from a selection of colours and themes in advance. I provide the cake and the themed outfit, I setup a themed backdrop and we start the messy play.
I capture all the fun as your baby squeals with delight, smashing up and eating the cake. Then afterwards, I get them all squeaky clean again (you’ll be pleased to hear)!
They have a splash around in my miniature roll-top bath, and that’s also another opportunity for me to capture some great photographs to finish the session.
Baby becomes a toddler
A first birthday cake smash is a fantastic way to celebrate your child turning one and officially transitioning from a baby into a toddler.
At this age, they are growing in confidence by the minute and their personality shines through the in the adorable photos.
To view more examples from my cake smash portrait portfolio, visit my gallery here. And to book a cake smash for your child, call me on 07749 270431 or contact me via my website to book your preferred date.
Before I go, I’ll leave you with one final tip for parents coming to a cake smash session …prepare to get messy!
Karen x
Christmas baby portraits: How I created these ‘Elf on the shelf’ images
Christmas baby portraits
With Christmas coming up, naturally, I have been taking lots of themed Christmas baby portraits these past few weeks. I just adore them, and every one goes crazy for the elf on the shelf!
Parents do too! And, why not?! There’s so much to love! They can be used on personalised Christmas cards. And they make great Christmas presents for family and friends when printed and framed, or used in photo gifts.
Christmas baby portraits are lovely both to give, and to receive.
Elf on the Shelf inspired portraits
I have particularly enjoyed working on a new concept this year. A creative setup, inspired by the ‘Elf on the Shelf’ craze.
Elf on the Shelf has increased in popularity, here in the UK, over the past few years. So I thought it would be fun to transform a few gorgeous newborns into little elves and capture them sleeping on their very own ‘shelf’.
I say ‘shelf’ in adverted commas since they were not perched on a shelf, of course. It’s simply a clever optical illusion. If you’d like to know how I safely created these Elf on the Shelf-inspired portraits, read on!
Newborn photography: Tricks of the trade
Now, it’s important for you to realize that I would never balance a baby on a shelf or hang them from a height.
Nor would I position them in a basket that was at risk of toppling over. Or in a way that they were required to support their own head in their hands.
That just wouldn’t be safe.
Composite newborn images
All my portraits are taken in the safe, warm environment of my photography studio and the baby’s parents are always close by as well.
‘Composite’ newborn baby portraits like the one above are actually created after the photoshoot. They are essentially one or more photographs combined together using digital editing techniques.
Although the majority of the work is done in the photography studio, editing is an essential element in the success of this kind of image.
How I created the sleeping ‘Elf on the Shelf’ portrait
For the photo above, I setup the shot of the baby resting her head on the teddy bear, while laying on the shelf. The shelf was balanced and securely positioned on a chair, and the baby was held safely in position by the parent at all times.
The final image was achieved when I combined several photographs together. I removed the parents’ hand and the chair from the photographs during the digital editing process. Clever huh?
(For more of an insight into this process, take a look at how composite newborn images are created here).
Clever Christmas baby portraits
Here’s another Elf on the Shelf portrait. This one was tricky to setup, but was worth it!
Although the baby appears to be sitting on the shelf, he was actually lying, safely and comfortably, on his back on the floor.
I deliberately chose the rustic wooden backdrop which looked like the interior wall of a winter log cabin, and then propped the shelf up against his legs and bottom.
To complete the illusion, the props were also carefully positioned alongside him, and stuck down with tape to stop them from falling to the side. Then I photographed the whole setup from above, with my camera looking directly down to the floor.
Ensuring baby’s safety at all times
Of course, I wanted it to appear as though these babies were really positioned on the shelf.
But, as with any other portraits that I create that appear to put the baby in a position of potential danger, I can assure you that these are all created 100% safely.
Book your photoshoot today!
These are just a couple of examples of creative portraits that I produce for my clients within my signature newborn photography experience.
If you’d like something similar with your newborn baby, whatever the time of year, please contact me today.
Karen x
Amazing Birth photography
Birth photography: A birth story in photographs.
Photography for me has always been about capturing the moment; that special smile, the cutest look, or the best pout ever. I get plenty of opportunities with all the babies, toddlers, and children that pass through my photography studio in Poole.
Once in a while, you get the chance to be a witness to something truly magical and special. On Friday 30th September, I was asked to photograph a birth.
Now, this was not really how I’d planned to spend my Friday. In fact, I was due to photograph a beautiful seven-day-old baby girl in the studio. However, I was a stand-in photographer for another local photographer who was due to cover a birth. Yup, you guessed it, I got lucky and the call came to me!
So I got the first message the night before. Labour was starting so I jumped into action, packed my camera, made sure my batteries were charged, and formatted my memory cards. I was so excited I could barely sleep! I kept waiting for the text to arrive during the night, but the baby was having other ideas and keeping us waiting.
Morning arrived and, with it, all the usual rush to get the kids to school, bags packed, school lunches made and rush hour traffic. So the imminent birth was pushed to the back of my mind.
Perfect timing, 9.30 I was called into action; “Come now, the baby is on its way.”
I dashed to Lilliput, near Sandbanks in Poole, found the house and let myself in.
The scene was so calm, candles flickering and gentle music playing. I slipped quietly in, set my camera to silent and got to work.
My aim was to document this amazing day for the parents, not get in the way nor intrude their intimate, precious time. As a Mum myself, I know how “in the zone” you are giving birth. The mix of emotions is immense. From total panic and fear to a sense of calm and, finally, elation when your baby is born.
The labour progressed pretty quickly and I was sure delivery was going to happen soon. This was the second birth I’ve photographed and both have been at home with no pain relief; what amazing strong mothers they are!
At 13.11pm on Friday 30th September Carrie gave birth. I’m in total awe of her will and strength of character managing to give birth exactly how she had planned, at home in the birthing pool.
I couldn’t wait to see if it was a boy or girl. Daddy announced a healthy baby boy!
Congratulations Carrie and Patrick on the birth of your gorgeous new baby boy! I really enjoyed the opportunity to try out birth photography again and I can’t wait to see you all in the studio for a newborn session soon.
Much love, and bye for now,
Karen x
Maternity portraits: Exciting collaboration with European maternity fashion designer
Maternity Portraits
I don’t get a lot of spare time, particularly during the summer holidays when I have been juggling the care of my two children with a busy photography business, but last week I did get a day off!
I used it wisely. I escaped the studio and got out and about to do some experimental maternity portraits, along with my friend and fellow photographer, Gary Hill.
As you may know, maternity portrait photography is one of my core services and I love taking photos of gorgeous mummies-to-be.
Photographing a woman in her final stages of pregnancy is truly special.
The pregnancy ‘glow’ and the fully rounded tummy make for stunning portraits.
My maternity clients tell me that they love looking back on their pregnancy photos, long after their babies have been born.
Developing my portfolio of maternity portraits
So, in a bid to continue developing my portfolio of maternity portraits I took a day out recently with some beautiful pregnant ladies.
I recently collaborated with the amazing European maternity fashion designer, Mii-Estilo, and I had some of her gorgeous gowns for my maternity models to wear.
Designer maternity dresses
Based in the Netherlands, Ingrid of Mii-Estilo creates the most stunning maternity dresses. They accentuate every gorgeous baby bump and curve and come in the most flattering colours and designs.
I literally have fallen in love with her dresses, and so was thrilled to be able to use a number of them for my test shoots. I even got to use some of the dresses from her latest collection!
The gowns I used came in the most striking colours, for example, this rich red wine hue of this ‘Bordeaux Red Bellis’ Dress. It had an extra-long train – which I just loved too!
Experimenting with light and working in all weathers!
I took photos of my models in the forest and at the beach, to get a variety of shots.
The weather and the lighting were certainly a challenge! I battled strong winds and bright sunshine to get these great maternity portraits.
But that was the whole point of the day really. I had wanted to try photographing the ladies in difficult circumstances; at the times of the day when the natural light was harsh and therefore most challenging to work with, and in all weathers.
In this lovely beach shot, it was dark and spitting with rain so I think Beth did an amazing job!
In this one, this beautiful lady braved the gorse which was super prickly too!
And in this one, the sun was really bright but this portrait worked out brilliantly.
I’m thrilled to share the results of those test shoots with you here. I thoroughly enjoyed the day (big thanks to my lovely models Lindsey, Sarah, Beth and Kimberley), and I am absolutely delighted with the maternity portraits I took.
Which is your favourite? Do let me know in the comments!
