Sessions for your growing baby

If I missed out on a newborn session, what comes next?

Not everyone has the time, energy or opportunity to get to a newborn session in the first two weeks of their baby’s life. Because of lockdown, more parents than ever have missed out on capturing those early days. As a photographer in Kent, I had to close my studio for a month in November as well as all the months of national lockdown. It makes me sad that I haven’t been able to help families create beautiful, lasting memories together for much of the last year. There’s no doubt that newborn sessions are amazing, they capture a precious moment in time that you can’t get back. However, it’s the first of so many moments and if you missed out on that one, fear not! My studio in Tonbridge is set up to cater for many different sessions for your growing baby.

4 months

By four months, babies have started to smile and make eye contact and their personalities are really starting to shine. They like to be on their backs, often grabbing their toes in an enviable show of flexibility. But they can also spend time on their tummies, so the variety of images I can take is much greater. Sessions can last up to an hour, making time to settle your little one and for them to get comfortable with me and the studio. Babies at this age won’t want to sit in front of my camera for a whole hour, so we follow your little one’s lead and finish the session when they’re ready.

6 months

At six months, or thereabouts, your baby will be sitting, either with some support, or independently. If they’re still a bit wobbly don’t worry, you’ll be sitting very close by and there are ways we can support your little one. They can also roll from the back to their tummy and back again – making this shot a bit more tricky to capture! It’s a good job I only need 1/125 of a second. We might even be able to get some supported standing shoots, with your baby using a chair or box for support. This is such a lovely age to photograph, 6 month olds are full of fun and giggles. As always, I encourage parents to bring along drinks and snacks for their little ones, being a supermodel is exhausting work.

12 months

By the time we get to twelve months, the possibilities for different shoots expands even further. Your baby will usually be crawling, bottom shuffling, walking or running full tilt at everything. They love to explore but can also be hesitant around strangers. Don’t be surprised if they don’t put on their cheesiest grin for the camera straight away, even the smiliest babies can become very earnest in front of the camera! You could choose a straight forward portrait session, with a change of outfit and props and lots of time for your little one’s personality to shine through.

Or you could go for a cake smash. These are great fun and give your one year old something to concentrate on while I’m taking photos. They’re around an hour long, great fun and full of energy. I provide backdrops, decorations, the cake and a choice of outfits. Some one year olds don’t want to eat the cake, just smash it and others will very delicately and politely chomp their way through a lot of it. Whatever happens, I can capture beautiful and fun images. I get my cakes from the talented Cakes Unlimited and everyone is delighted if there’s enough cake left to take home – assuming it hasn’t been smashed to pieces or rolled across the floor (true story).
After the smash, I like to calm things down with a bubble bath; simultaneously creating cute photos and cleaning your baby #genius.

18 months and older

I continue to offer older baby sessions after your little turns one. Often they are simple older baby sessions that last an hour but I also offer a particularly unique shoot that you won’t find anywhere else. Little Artist sessions are a wonderful chance for your loved one to show off their artistic skills, with a blank canvas and paints, while I capture it all on camera. The beauty is that any age will love painting something special. You get to take the canvas home too, as a wonderful momento of the shoot.

So, as you see, it’s never too late to start recording the important moments in your baby’s life. Images to look back on in amazement and love. As a Kent children’s photographer for over 13 years, I love helping families create and capture these moments.
To book sessions for your growing baby, a cake smash or a little artist session, get in touch on my Contact page here. I can’t wait to hear from you.