Family photography with a young baby can be unpredictable, so I always reassure parents that they don’t need to worry about time. I always allow as long as is needed and don’t press for deadlines. It’s important as a baby photographer that I encourage the family to relax and enjoy the session. Not only is this more fun for them but also the results are much more natural. We plan for the things we can control and then let the session take its course.
It’s an exciting time when the first grandchild is born into a family. It’s also a lovely time to document the gathering of different generations celebrating the event. What is even more remarkable in this case is that the father’s parents had flown all the way from New Zealand! They wanted to enjoy this special time with the whole family, starting a new chapter in their lives.
Elizabeth got in touch with me several months before the arrival of her baby, to ensure she could book in a session to photograph all three generations together. So in August I visited them at their family home in Blackheath and met the beautiful one-month old baby Elsa.
Newborn photography in the comfort of your own home
We started off taking photos in the house. Families feel very comfortable there so I can try and blend into the background and just let them get on with doing whatever they normally do. It was lovely to photograph baby Elsa behaving perfectly as she was passed around all the different family members.
The sun shone for us in the afternoon so we decided to go for a stroll through Blackheath village. We ended up on the Common, where you get fantastic views of Canary Wharf. We spent some time getting some lovely shots outside before wandering back to their home again. Only at this point did Elsa decide she’d had enough, after being absolutely amazing all afternoon. It was a real pleasure creating some lasting family portrait photographs of all the generations together.
