by Alana | Aug 27, 2018 | Newborn - Lifestyle
I met little Zoey and her big sister Adalyn in July for their Lifestyle Newborn session. Zoey was awake playing with her Daddy when I arrived, and stayed awake until she fell asleep peacefully in her Mummy’s arms at the end of the session. I was lucky enough to get some sleepy cuddles, and I have to admit, it took A LOT for me to give her back! That feeling of a little baby nuzzling into my neck as they sleep is a very familiar one to me. It also made me think about how quickly that time passes. Just the year before, my days were consumed with holding my youngest for his day sleeps. Every single day. Fast forward a year, and that never happens at all. Not even once. He’s moved on. Life has changed. There are new routines and yet another new ‘normal’ for our family. That’s why capturing these sessions is so important to me. I LOVE that the memories are captured in your own home – that the whole family can be a part of it and that the images become a story of your whole life at that point in time. You’ll remember that house, that couch, that bedspread, the way you used to bath your baby on the kitchen bench…all of those things are so important to the story of your family. In this session, their gorgeous dog Fudge joined us right at the end and I love that too – he is such a special part of their family.
If there are special moments in your own family you’d like to capture, Contact me. If you’d like to learn more about lifestyle sessions, click here and if you’d like to view more Newborn Lifestyle images, view my Lifestyle Newborn Portfolio.
by Alana | Jul 25, 2018 | Newborn - Lifestyle, Uncategorized
I met little Eve and her family at their home on July 25th. Eve has a big sister Ruby, and mum Amanda had warned me that she took awhile to get warmed up to new people. She had told me this information through a pre-session questionnaire that I send out, which is a great way to get an understanding of the family I’m due to meet and what they want to capture. It was interesting watching Ruby – she would act somewhat shy, and yet in the next moment she’d be sneaking in the photos! It was obvious that she actually did want to be involved, but just needed a little warming up to the idea. By the end she was dancing and spinning all over the place! With toddlers, it’s always good to get them engaged in an activity that they enjoy to help them warm up. In Ruby’s case (as seems to be true for many of the toddlers I photograph), this involved reading books. She was so happy to read book after book on the bed with her family, and would run excitedly to get a new one. These every day moments are important to me to capture, as well as being a good distraction for the kids. It’s a win-win situation!
Meanwhile, little Eve was one of those ‘go with the flow babies’. She was asleep on the bed when I arrived, so I took advantage of capturing some images of her straight away. Unfortunately moving her woke her, but for the most part she was happy enough, although by the end I knew she was due for a lovely long sleep (probably being held by her mum which was where she liked to sleep the best). Amanda had mentioned that they had trouble getting photos of the two girls together, so as Ruby became tired towards the end of the session and climbed into her mum and dad’s bed with some milk, we took advantage of the situation and placed little Eve right beside her. That’s the beauty of lifestyle sessions – instead of forcing them together, we just followed what was naturally happening in front of us – this usually results in much less stress for everyone! I absolutely loved capturing images for this family.
If you’d like to capture some memories for yourself, or provide a gift to someone you love, Contact me. You can view more beautiful newborn lifestyle images in my Lifestyle Newborn Portfolio. You can also learn more about what a lifestyle session is here.
by Alana | Jul 24, 2018 | Newborn - Lifestyle
Hugo’s Mummy Paula had contacted me to do her maternity session. We booked it in, however the day before she began getting contractions and was admitted to hospital for the next week to try to delay delivery. Little Hugo obviously wanted all the attention on himself and was very eager to enter the world! She contacted me again once she was home, and we organised a Lifestyle Newborn session for the day before her mum was due to fly back to Brazil. Her husband was unfortunately away for work, but it was lovely to be able to have her mum involved, who had also gifted the shoot to her.
When I arrived, her mum was in pyjamas as she insisted that she didn’t want to be in any photos. Throughout the session though, it was obvious how much love she had for her daughter and grandson, and she couldn’t stop herself from jumping in some photos. I’m so glad she did, because they’re some of my favourite images. Both women showed such natural emotion when hugging and kissing Hugo. Their passion and adoration for him just bounced through the photos and made my heart sing. These are the types of images I just LOVE to capture. Hugo was so happy and awake during his session. Paula insisted that he could be grumpy, however I saw no evidence of that at all! He was just perfect!
If you’d like to view more beautiful newborn lifestyle images, check out my Lifestyle Newborn Portfolio and learn more about lifestyle sessions here. If you’d like to book a session for yourself or as a gift for someone else, Contact me here.
by Alana | Jul 15, 2018 | Newborn - Lifestyle
Every time I look at the images of the gorgeous Jude, my heart does a little flutter. Those big brown eyes and perfect features…it’s just too much! I love Newborn Lifestyle Sessions – they have to be one of my favourite sessions to do. The newborn stage can be such a blur for us as mums, and yet also something that we look back on and wish we could revisit for just a moment. As cliché as it is, they really do grow so fast. I love capturing memories for families in their own environments. I love knowing that when they look back on their precious babies, they’ll also be able to look back on what life was really like at that time. That couch they spent so much time cuddling their baby on; the nursery they spent all the time decorating; the way their older child would smother the baby with love; the beauty and chaos all rolled into one.
The other reason that Newborn Lifestyle sessions are so amazing, is that the kids don’t need to be on their perfect behaviour. Little Jude was unsettled for some of the time, but that’s all part of the story. It’s a perfect time to preserve those daily memories we have of settling our babies and helping them through their sleepiness and tummy troubles. His big brother Xander was also gorgeous, and full of toddler energy! Being in his own environment allowed him to come in and out of the areas we were taking photos in – shower some energetic love on his baby brother – and then go back to entertaining himself, without the need to sit still and smile at the camera. Newborn lifestyle sessions are a beautiful way to preserve the memories of the most special times in our life – it can be challenging, beautiful, exhausting and peaceful all at once.
If you’re interested in booking a Newborn Lifestyle session, Contact Me and we can discuss capturing some beautiful memories for you too! View more beautiful Newborn Lifestyle images in my Lifestyle Newborn Portfolio. You can also learn more about Lifestyle sessions here.
by Alana | Jul 3, 2018 | Newborn - Lifestyle
It was well worth the drive to Byford to meet the gorgeous little Phoebe and her family, including her Mummy and Daddy, her big brother Ollie, and her Aunty Kayleigh. Kayleigh had gifted the session to her sister Alana, so she could celebrate the early days at home with her new family. Alana asked if Kayleigh could also be a part of the photo session, as she was so appreciative of the gift, and also wanted to celebrate the fact that Kayleigh is such an important part of their everyday life – and has the well-earned title of Favourite Aunty. I was more than happy to include Kayleigh in our morning, and it was obvious whilst there just how close they all are, and how important they all are to each other.
Alana and Corey had chosen to dress Phoebe in a gorgeous pink knitted cardigan, and matching pink booties. Whilst cradling Phoebe in his arms, Corey explained to me how his Grandmother had knitted them long before Phoebe was even born. She had knitted in pinks and blues, so that she had something to give to her future Great Grandchildren when they were eventually born. I thought this was truly beautiful. His Grandmother has since passed, but she is still an important part of his new family, and Phoebe is able to wear something her Great Grandmother made for her, which is like getting a nice warm hug from her. I thought this was such a perfect outfit choice for her Lifestyle session, as it’s these special things that I love to capture.
Alana and Corey decided to upgrade to the full album once viewing their gallery, and with that they’re also receiving a beautiful linen photo book to display their beautiful images and keep them special forever. Learn more about Why I love photo books.
If you’d like to book a Newborn Lifestyle session, Contact Me for further information. For more beautiful newborn images, look at my Lifestyle Newborn Portfolio. You can also learn more about Lifestyle Sessions Here.
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by Alana | Jun 15, 2018 | Newborn - Lifestyle
I first met Crystal and Luke during Crystal’s Maternity Session. I was so excited to meet their little girl Tallulah in a Newborn Lifestyle Session – it makes me so happy when I get to meet the babies I’ve photographed in their Mummy’s tummies! Tallulah was such a peaceful baby – she was so content to just feed, look around, cuddle with her Mummy and Daddy, and eventually fall asleep. Her Daddy held her and did this magical breathing thing – apparently if you slow your breathing down, the baby’s breathing also slows and helps them relax to fall asleep. It worked! In no time, she was sleeping – there was no crying beforehand, no fussing – just gently fell asleep. In so many of my sessions I seem to leave with the baby asleep. Newborn Lifestyle sessions generally last for 1.5 hours, so it all works out with their feed and sleep rhythm. I love leaving with the house quiet and peaceful and baby asleep. It seems like the perfect way to end my time in their home. Throughout their home, I could also see framed images from our Maternity session – that makes me so happy! I love images being displayed. For this session, I gave them a slideshow of their images. For me, this brings the images to life. It gives them movement and adds to the emotion. I’ve included slideshows in my top packages, but they’re included with all Birth sessions as well.
If you’d like to book a Lifestyle Newborn Session, Contact Me. You can view more Lifestyle Newborn images in my Lifestyle Newborn Portfolio. If you’d like to learn more about lifestyle sessions, you can do so here What is a Lifestyle Session?
by Alana | Jun 6, 2018 | Newborn - Lifestyle
The minute I entered the home to capture newborn images of little Iris, I was greeted by her laying peacefully on the floor while her two older brothers hovering over her with love and kisses. I began shooting immediately – her brothers were obviously super proud of their baby sister, and she was just lapping it up. The beauty of lifestyle sessions with older siblings, is that the whole session is ‘go with the flow’. There are no expectations on them to behave or be still. In this shoot, I took advantage of the gorgeous play room so the boys could play and I could just get some shots of their interaction together. I also guided them all on the bed together, and then watched what unfolded before me. The resulting image is one of my favourites – it shows what life is like with kids – a life filled with fun, chaos and love. There were certain images I wanted to capture – such as Iris’s beautiful nursery, her gorgeous bassinet (check it out in the images!), and the carrier she spent a lot of time sleeping in. Iris was so peaceful for the entire shoot – I don’t think I even heard her cry once in the almost 2 hours I was there! She was bright eyed and interested in the camera – looking straight into my lens and following me around. At the very end she fell asleep in her carrier on her mum. Just peacefully and quietly fell asleep.
If you’d like to book a Lifestyle Newborn session for yourself, Contact Me. You can also view more beautiful lifestyle images in my Lifestyle Newborn Portfolio. You can learn more about Lifestyle sessions here.
