HORSHAM LIFESTYLE BABY & FAMILY PHOTOSHOOT
Amy’s family story continues……
After photographing Amy’s in her last weeks of pregnancy, her baby boy was born much sooner than expected and I was really excited to meet him and the growing family at their home in West Sussex.
Amy had booked me as her baby photographer, during her maternity session, and we arranged for the shoot to start at her house, so that I could capture some focused moments between her daughter and the new baby. We then planned to take the family to a nearby park for some relaxed and playful environmental shots, while they were all together in nature.
I spent a little time capturing some ‘lifestyle’ shots of her 3 year old daughter and the new baby cuddling together. The siblings weren’t posed but Amy sat her little boy carefully on the corner of the sofa and her daughter quickly snuggled up next to him. The little girl was full of life and enthusiasm and very excited to show off her new baby brother.
Amy’s daughter was totally in love with her little brother and insisted on showing just how much she was, with plenty of kisses!
Capturing these moments of the connection and love between the siblings was a lovely way to warm up for the family photos and I often start my baby or family shoots this way.
My in-home or environmental shoots are always shot with natural light and with a relaxed ‘lifestyle’ approach. I find that very few people feel comfortable posing in front of a camera, especially the dads!
Lifestyle newborn, baby or family photography is a wonderful way to capture memories from real life moments, as they happen. It falls in-between documentary and traditional photography, in that there is no posing but, unlike pure documentary photography, a little curation is involved. I always scope out the best light for the shoots and simply direct my parents to where it is best to let their natural family moments play out.
The weather was typically English and unpredictable! so we sought shelter under the trees, when the sun gave way to rain and, while the family were huddled together, I took the opportunity to capture their natural group pose! All I asked them to do was look towards me!
The light was still wonderful to work with and the shade of the trees provided a protection from the harsh sunlight, as it emerged from behind the clouds.
Fortunately Amy’s little girl had come prepared for all weather eventualities! Those beautiful eyes made her bubbly personality shine out on many of the family photos I captured.
We took an umbrella, as I always do on environmental shoots, which I hoped would be a colourful backdrop, if needed. It came in handy for lots of moments while we moved between locations. We ended up sheltering among the trees for only a little while, before re-emerging for some fun family chaos and group shots.
The family paused for a moment after leaving the woods and I kept everything relaxed while I moved around them with my camera, capturing this group moment candidly. Even in this picture, dad wasn’t asked to pose, so he felt much more comfortable in front of my camera.
I always take a little time to capture some pure motherhood moments with the new baby and mum on their own.
Again, these candid shots happened organically, as my only request was for Amy to look into my camera as she held her new baby. The emotion and connection between mother and baby was palpable and I think these photos were a beautiful capture of those real moments.
I hope this blog post has given you an idea of how I will work with you to document your real life stories as they unfold. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how you would like me to capture your newborn photos or growing family story, please don’t hesitate to get in touch below.
Julie
For your Horsham baby photography or to chat about any of my other portraits, please do get in touch below.. I look forward to hearing about your plans.