Newborn – Nest & Fable

It’s okay to still be in your jammies!

Usually, when we arrive at a home for a newborn session, at least one person isn’t quite ready and because she’s usually the one washing, dressing and fussing over everyone else, it’s mum. We met Maura yesterday, wearing some very fetching jammies when she answered the door, matched with a beautiful smile and a tiny baby Rian in her arms.

She soon disappeared down the hall to get ready while we were entertained by the very clever and engaging Dylan and given a fresh brew of coffee by dad who also topped Rian up with a quick feed to get him all sleepy for his session.

Dylan showed us his creations, his clay monsters and even wandered around making sure we had biccies to go with our coffee and I even saw him, out of the corner of my eye, pick up a baby vest, fold it and tidy it away! Where can we get one of these 8 (nearly 9) year olds?

We hung out with this family in their living room for a bit, taking photographs of them together, along with a few in front of the Christmas tree and some of the two little miracle men on their own.

I whisked mum and baby away to Dylan’s room and we set up on his bed with some blankets and our comfy doughnut beanbag so we could take some photographs of Rian by himself, he is after all, the little king of the hour!

He was a little unsettled at first, but a few comforting cuddles later and he settled right into his solo session and we quickly got what we needed so he could spend the rest of the morning being cuddled.

While we were doing that, Andy and Dylan stayed in the living room and Dylan got a guitar lesson from Andy! He’s a quick learner and a good student, who knows, one day we could be buying his album!

It was such a pleasure working with this family and we wish them the very best – Rian has the best of big brothers to grow up with and we’re sure that they’ll have lots of adventures together over the years.

If a laid back newborn session sounds like something you want for your family when your little one arrives, then tap the button below to visit our newborn photography pricing and information.

Newborn Photography Sessions

How to Choose a Family Photographer

in Family, Maternity, Newborn

4 Tips for Choosing the Right Family Photographer for You

1. Lifestyle vs. Studio Portrait Photographer

Lifestyle and Studio Portrait photography are two very different things. Studio work is usually centered on posing, lighting and editing and is beautiful in its own right. A lifestyle or natural light photographer specialises in capturing connection and moments that happen organically in your own space or an outdoor space. We always recommend Lifestyle for little wrigglers and children who love to be free spirited and families who love to be on the move.

2. Photography Editing Style

When you look through a photographer’s body of work on their website or socials, you shouldn’t be thinking “oh I wish that was darker” or “I’d love that if it was brighter”. Their style should speak to you and should be what you’d like to have hanging on your own wall. Are they a light and airy photographer or are their tones earthy, warm and colourful? Is their art going to work well in your space and does it fit with your family.

3. Human Connection

When you’ve first enquired and chatted with your photographer, do you feel an instant connection, like you can get on with them for an hour and feel comfortable hanging out? Did your chat flow well? If you’re choosing a photographer, how well you get on with them really matters!

4. Budget

There’s no getting around this one. Is the photographer within budget for you? Is their pricing transparent and easy to understand? Photographers all price differently and it depends on whether or not they offer products such as prints and albums. Some, like us, include all of your edited digital images from a family session, others offer a certain amount and it costs extra to purchase additional images or products from them, so make sure that your budget aligns with their pricing before you commit.

How to Make a Final Decision

Research! Once you’ve shortlisted your photographers, check out the following tips to help you to make a decision:

Referrals – word of mouth! Have any of your friends or family used them, ask what they were like to work with.
Reviews – check out their reviews on their socials, Google and even Trustpilot. Remember that one or two poor reviews are not always a reflection of who your photographer is, be sure to get a balanced overview.
Quality – are the images in focus? Photographs with accidental motion blur and missed focus shouldn’t see the light of day, so have a good look at the photographer’s work.
Consistency – does this photographer regularly share similar work and is it always something you’d be pleased with yourself?
Answerability – are they visible? Do they regularly update with new work? Does your photographer have a website and multiple points of contact i.e. email, WhatsApp/Phone, Website, Social Media.
Communication – do you usually receive a reply to all of your questions relatively promptly i.e. within 2-3 business days max.?
Insurance – you might be surprised to learn that some photographers are not insured and this isn’t just important for them, it’s important for you, for peace of mind. It’s also important if you and your photographer intend to work on public property, so please check with your photographer that their insurance is up to date, showing their commitment and accountability to your well being. Public Liability Insurance is a must!

We hope that this information has helped to make the process of choosing a photographer a little easier and we also hope of course, that you might consider us if you are inside our catchment area! Why not email or WhatsApp us, give us a call or pop over to our Socials to have a look at what we do and see if we might be the photographers for you.

Is it Your Fault?

in Family

It might be (it also might not be!).

The truth you might need to hear, but don’t want to acknowledge.

“I hate having my photo taken”
“Ew delete that I look awful”
“Can you slim me down so I don’t look fat”
“Don’t take my photo, I hate how I look”
“Can you take one where you can’t see my teeth”

These are all things that we’ve heard you say. More worryingly, these are things that we have heard people say around their children.

Then they ask us to photograph their children, who in turn don’t want to be photographed.

Are you seeing a connection? We are.

More and more, we are seeing children who don’t want to be photographed and often, it’s down to one of two things. Before you go any further, this isn’t always the case and this isn’t a case of blame – we’re letting you in on our observations as professionals, and as friends, we’re hoping that you can see this and use the tools available to you to protect your children from the self loathing they could potentially be developing.

One

The old adage “monkey see, monkey do”. You can be guaranteed that if you swear in front of your child, they’re going to come out with the odd word or two. You can also be guaranteed that if your children hear that you don’t like having your photograph taken, they’re going to parrot that until they believe that they hate it too. If they hear you say that you’re fat and hate how you look, what are you teaching them?

Two

Over-photographing. You love your children, you want to document every moment, every event, every expression. We get it. You want the photos you take of your little angels to look how you perceive them – smiling and perfect, so you force them to stand there, force them to put an arm around their sibling or hold their hand and instruct them in no uncertain terms to look at the camera/phone and smile or say “cheese”. It’s a lot. Try to change the narrative. Photograph them as they are, doing what they’re doing, looking at whatever they’re looking at and if you need them to smile, give them cause to laugh! Give them a reason to smile! Fart jingle bells, do a silly fake sneeze or bop yourself on the head with an empty kitchen roll tube. A little bit of comedy goes a long way.

Now, the problems that you have getting photographs of your children may be down to other factors and not down to either of these things, but pause for a moment and think about whether or not these might be the issue and if they are, you’ve got the power to change that.

Be who your children already believe you to be – the perfect parent, who loves them and who they will always want to look back on photographs of. Don’t be the one missing from the photos, one day those photographs will be all that they have and being present in family photographs is the best future gift that you can give to them.

Chat with us now about making those memories, tap here.

5 Tips to Help You to Relax in Front of the Camera

in Business, Family, Maternity, Newborn

It’s inevitable, you know it, a camera will appear and you’ll have your photo taken and you’re absolutely dreading it. Why? Look, it’s easier to accept it – honestly. If you’re trying to hide, shy away, keep your mouth closed or give out, you’ll still end up with a photograph but it’s not going to be pretty. Let’s talk about making this whole thing easier for you.

2. Dress for You

What? Well, it’s easy for us to give you guidance on what to wear for your photographs, but the most important thing is that you feel comfortable. Don’t just wear what you think you should for the photos, if you’re going to spend all day tugging at a low cut top to make sure it sits right or twisting the cuff on a sleeve so that it stays in line. Don’t wear something that makes you go ‘ew’ when you look in the mirror because you can change your clothes, but not a photograph.

3. Have a Coffee with your Photographer

Take 15 at the start of your session to sit down and have a cuppa with your photographer. Get to know them a little and let them get to know you! If you’ve got some nervous babbling to get out of the way, then now’s the time to do it. Your photographer will appreciate the chance to get to know you and to make you feel comfortable in their company so that when they’re pointing their camera at you, everyone’s a little less weird about it.

4. Move, Move and Move

This isn’t the early 1900s. The days of standing stock still, unsmiling and fearful are long gone. Unless your photographer is asking you to stay still for something specific, just keep moving! Have something in your hands, move it around, switch hands. Is it coffee? Drink it, cup it, keep your hands warm. Fix your hair. Look up, look down, look over there. Fix that vase of flowers, turn the pages of that book. Whatever you do, just move. Is this a family session? Interact! Cuddle, tickle, play, straighten their clothes, play peekaboo, run, dance – the list of movements is endless. Movement distracts you and the bonus is that it makes for great photographs!

5. Finally, Ask

If you’ve got questions, concerns or ideas, pause for a moment and talk to your photographer. If you think you’ve had a smashing idea, there’s no point emailing your photographer about it later, talk to them during the shoot and see what they think. If you’re unsure of what your photographer wants you to do during the session, talk to them and ask them what they would like you to do. Photographers are strange, chatty creatures (at least, we are…), so conversation is always welcome!

Contact us to have a chat, see if we’re the right fit!

Dressing Your Newborn for Photos

in Newborn

A large part of the aesthetic of your newborn photographs depend on how you dress your baby. This is a simple guide on how to dress your baby for their session.

We have a wardrobe full of items for babies that are comfortable and photograph well. We will ask you, before your session, to send us on some photographs of what you as a family intend to wear, we will then bring a couple of outfits with us for baby that tie into your colour palette and some blankets and muslins too.

Take a look below at just some of the items that we have and keep this type of style in mind for baby if you are dressing them yourself. We are also just after adding a selection of knits that we’ve knitted up ourselves and a few purchased ones as well, which I’ll photograph soon and add to this post.

Dos and Don’ts for Dressing Baby

Do

Temperature appropriate clothing. Avoid shorts and vests in the depth of winter, keep baby cosy.
Comfortable clothing, avoiding tight or stiff material.
Toes out! We want to see baby’s feet, so a onesie with built in feet isn’t ideal.
Neutral, pastel, earthy colours.

Don’t

Dungarees. Please avoid them. They photograph so badly, despite being cute.
Skirts/Dresses. These will travel upward and won’t stay put, they do not photograph well.
Tight headbands. If you want to pop a headband on baby towards the end of the session, this is perfectly okay, but if you have it on at the beginning and want some photos without, it’ll have left a mark!
Neon colours or solid black. Neon reflects off baby’s skin to give them an odd glow. Black isn’t your friend for this style of photograph for a few reasons, please avoid.

Dress Yourself First

Most important of all… Ask. Before your session, we’ll ask you to WhatsApp us a photo of everyone’s clothes laid out so that we can help you to make sure that everything works. It’s all part of the process and all part of the service – we’re here for you.

Put a Pause on Parenting

in Family

You’ve found your ideal photographer, you’ve booked a session and now you’re nervous. After all of this, you want to make sure that your little ones behave perfectly for the session so that you get the perfect photographs of your angels because you’ve paid your hard earned money for the privilege.

We understand. We hear the threats, the bribes and the undertones in your voice. We’re here to tell you that the best way to get what you want from your children is neither to ask for it, nor tell them to do it!

Yes, you read correctly. You know yourself, when you ask a child to do something and they sense how much it means to you, more often than not, you’re going to get a little push back. They’re children, they’re testing boundaries and they’re certainly going to test your limits.

In our preparation guide, we specifically ask parents not to warn, coach, threaten or bribe their children in advance of the session. We’ve been doing this for a few years and we promise, we know what we’re doing when we ask you to put a pause on parenting and just let them be themselves for a while.

What to you looks like your child misbehaving lets us capture their cheeky smile. Jumping on the bed is fun, we all know it is and oh boy do we get some super photos when this turns into a free for all.

Now, we’re not saying that you should let the children eat all the ice cream, throw their coat off and into a muddy puddle and light a few candles with a blow torch. We’re also not telling you that they should be allowed to cross any lines. We just want you to let them do their thing, within reason. The instruction at the beginning of every session is:

“Ease off on parenting as much as you can for the session. Obviously don’t let them do anything dangerous or anything that’s really not allowed, but don’t force them into a square box of ‘normal’ for a while. Please don’t ask them to look at the camera, listen to “the man” (ugh, we hate that one) or smile and say cheese. None of these things will get you this:

Trust the process and enjoy the experience. Trust that we know how to get the best out of your children, most of the time. Let them learn to trust us and have fun having their photos taken so that every time is the best time and every photo is actually of your child, not a brow beaten toddler baring their teeth on command in return for a treat.

Interested in the sorcery that is a fun and genuinely easy family photo session with us? Then check out our information and pricing and book yourself in.

… Tap Here… Family Session Info & Pricing

Posts

It’s okay to still be in your jammies!

How to Choose a Family Photographer

4 Tips for Choosing the Right Family Photographer for You