Tag Archives: baby photos

Studio Sessions – Babies Charlotte and Lyla

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Girls Girls Girls!

“Happy girls are the prettiest.” – Audrey Hepburn

This weekend my studio was full of baby girls, proud parents, fiercely protective big brothers and smitten sisters and I loved every fricken minute of it.

Saturday Girl

On Saturday my studio was full to the brim with Miss Charlotte’s entourage. At just over two weeks new she bought with her mum and dad and three big brothers. That’s right three!

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It was hard to tell who was more smitten from Harley, Hayden and Calvin. They all jumped at the chance to hold Charlotte and her youngest brother couldn’t stop kissing her. All the heart eyes!

I said to dad, ‘what’s it going to be like when Charlotte brings home her first boyfriend and you and her three brothers are sitting on the sofa ready to meet him?’. Dad said his little Princess wasn’t going to date until she was at least thirty!

Floral but not too floral

Whilst a girl in the house was a chance for mum to finally break out the pink I wanted to pick some setups that were girly but would still fit in with all the testosterone in the house.

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I got this gorgeous black and white floral fabric ages ago and hadn’t had the chance to use before. I knew it would be perfect for this session. Miss Charlotte rocked it with a cute velvet bow headband and a racy peak of her toes! Isn’t she a doll?

Okay, I went full out floral

I had settled Charlotte in my posing aid for some images with her family. Whilst she was very content in there I took some images of just her that I knew I could use with a digital composite in the editing process.

Baby photography by JB Moments Photography

It’s full-on floral but doesn’t she look comfortable on her bed of roses?

I loved every minute of photographing this little lady.

Sunday Girl

Normally I only take one newborn at the weekend as they are quite the workout on my elderly knees. And with extra C-19 precautions in place like face masks, I am even more of a  sweaty mess at the end of the session than normal!

Miss Lyla, however, had other ideas! She was booked into the studio for the following weekend but she was impatient to start her modelling career and arrived more than three weeks early. Because babies rarely arrive on schedule I am always flexible with the booking dates 🙂

The best things come in tiny packages

Miss Lyla was only 5lb 15oz when she was born. She was small but absolutely beautiful. To be honest I knew she would be as I’d met her big sister Lacie before for an Easter mini shoot and I knew the pretty gene ran in the family!

Lacie adored her new little sister and posed very carefully with her for their sibling shots.

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Bucket list

I’m sure it is every newborns dream to be placed in a bucket!! With dad very close by so there was absolutely no danger of her falling I put Lyla in the bucket and she just chilled.

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I wonder what she is thinking here? Probably, ‘what the heck? I’ve only been on this planet for 3 weeks and they’ve stuck me in a bucket’!

She was absolutely perfect.

Up Up and Away

So much so I had to put her in one of my hot air balloons when I was editing.

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Well, I mean you would, wouldn’t you?

As I sat drinking a well-earned glass of wine on Sunday evening enjoying the unexpected sunshine in the back garden I thought back on the two gorgeous baby girls that had visited my studio this weekend and couldn’t help thinking about Queen Bey…

“Who run the world? Girls!” – Beyonce

 

Studio Session – Baby Stella

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Baby Stella

The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.

Newborn baby?

In the day’s BC (before Coronavirus) most photographers agreed that a ‘newborn’ baby is up to 2 months old and some photographers prefer to only photograph newborns up to 2 weeks old to capture them at their squishy, sleepiest best.

Stella’s parents had booked her in for a newborn shoot shortly after she was born but then C-19 happened! She was born mid-April and the first time I could reopen was end-July so she was the most geriatric newborn I’ve ever photographed!!

Worth the wait

She was totally worth the wait though.

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I had ordered this fabric (called Stella) in especially for her so I was delighted to be finally using it. Miss Stella gave me lots of lovely eye contact with those baby blues of hers. And her skin was practically perfect all peaches and cream.

Stella has a big sister Fern who had her first birthday cake smash with me. Her pictures remind me of erm me in lockdown. All the cake and no bra!!

Mum really wanted a picture of the two sisters together but Miss Fern really didn’t want to play ball so I had to composite a shot of the two of them together afterwards. Next time!

Another good thing about an older baby

Is that they can hold their heads up with less support which makes getting images like this much easier.

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Look at those cheeks, isn’t she adorable? I was absolutely smitten.

Smiles for miles

Usually, when I take my ‘mugshot’ images of the baby I get all manner of annoyed and grumpy expressions from them which can be super cute. Miss Stella though was all about the smiles.

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I love her cheeky look in this image.

A star has been born

It was wonderful to have a baby back in the studio again. And even though her big sister didn’t want in on the action she did bring me back doughnuts (I suspect with Dad’s help) when they went out on a little break. You all know by now I’m an absolute sucker for doughnuts!

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Look at this little lady, super chilled, super happy…a superstar!

Studio Session – Millie’s 8 Month Grow with Me

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Grow with Me – 8 months

I’m back!

Studio steam cleaned within an inch of its life – check. Post lockdown guidelines issued to clients – check. Masks and gloves available – check. Own mask fitted – check. Hand sanitizer ready to greet clients – check. I was good to go and couldn’t wait to get started again.

My first client back through the door was the gorgeous Miss Millie. After her newborn session, mum and dad took advantage of my Grow with Me package to capture Millie at 4 months, 8 months and 1 year with an A4 Photobook of their first year 🙂

Cake

Millie’s big sister Hailey made me a cake and bought it to the session. How lovely is that?

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My clients are the best!

It was delicious too!

Look at you grow!

Millie’s mum always picks the best outfits for her. At her 4 month Grow with Me session Millie was the cutest (and grumpiest) ladybug you ever did see! This time she went totally tropical…

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Come on, have you ever seen a cuter, happier pineapple? I don’t think so and that little pineapple turban, too cute!

Grow milestones

At 4 months it is all about tummy time, by 8 months baby can usually sit up by themselves. Millie was no exception.

I also had the chance to try out a new set up I added to the studio in lockdown. Sheer curtains that look like gorgeous window light when my studio lights are positioned behind them.

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Even better, it gives the littles something to interact with. Luckily for Mr JB’s DIY skills it stayed up!

Classic

Now I love a good outfit along with the next person and I can imagine how much fun Millie’s parents will have showing her these images when she is older!! But I also like to provide some timeless images that will never date and for that, you can’t beat a deceptively simple black and white.

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Of course, Mille made this series of images her own by giving me some glorious facial expressions! This one is my particular favourite.

Look how you’ve grown

At each Grow with Me session I try to incorporate one of the props I used at their Newborn session so you can really see how much they grow and change during the year. With Millie, it was a bucket.

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What a difference a few months make? How quickly they change in their first year! I can’t wait to incorporate somehow into her 1-year session.

Why am I a Photographer?

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Why am I a Photographer?

Today, I’m sharing with you a photograph that was taken 46 years ago, of me.baby photographer, Falkirk - JB Moments Photography

Yup, those double chins and flappy ears belong to yours truly.

Visual History

I keep this photograph hanging in my studio to show how newborn images have changed but also to keep it safe as it is one of the only pictures there is of me as a baby. I have written often about my lack of visual history that makes me cherish printed images.

Got me thinking..

Whilst cleaning the studio for the umpteenth time as I prepare to re-open it got me thinking about all the babies I have photographed in the last three years as a professional photographer. And many years before that.

What do the parents see when they look at those photos years later?

What will the kids in those photos think when they are older? When they become teenagers will they laugh at how they are posed? Will they wonder why they are in a bowl or bucket? Or have a giant headband on their head? Or a bonnet with teddy bear ears?

Mum?

So I messaged my mum and asked her if she remembered the photo? Her response was,

It was at home. I couldn’t afford to go to a studio. So we put a white blanket on my bed and it was taken by one of your god parents who was into photography.

I guess that explains the slightly odd pose and the fact that it is kind of shot up my nose! Baby photography has come on a long way since then!

I asked her to tell me what she sees now, looking at that photo 46 years on. This is what she sent me,

My special first born girl. I see my baby girl that I knew would grow up into a wonderful woman.

Awww shucks! I decided to ask my Dad as well and he said,

A beautiful baby

How sweet is that!

Me

When I look at this photo I see a smiley, chubby baby with mahoosive ears! I am clearly engaged and probably looking at my mum. I love how simple it is. It’s just me, no props or giant headbands in sight.  My mum and my dad just see me, nothing else when I showed it to them all these years later. Well, just me and those massive lugs!!

As a photographer, I need to remember that it’s not all about how many different elements I can add to an image or how I pose a baby to fit in the latest prop. Yes, I know I sometimes get asked for those photos by parents. Or I get caught up in the latest trends. I’m not saying those photos should stop but I am saying I need to remember what the purpose of a photograph is.

They capture life moments. Moments of happiness that we’d love to last, to remember them ad to share them with our friends and family. They tell our stories.

This is the reason I am a photographer.

Studio Session – Baby Lachlan

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Baby, it’s weird outside

Before the UK closed down completely due to the COVID-19 virus my last wonderful client for the foreseeable braved their session.

I met the family at the door with a bottle of hand sanitiser instead of hugs and handshakes. They were welcomed into my studio that has never had so much Dettol sprayed in it. I found it really hard not to touch them as I posed them and when I did the hand sanitiser got squirted liberally again (and again).

The session was for baby Lachlan  (pronounced Lock Lan) a handsome dude at just under a month new who didn’t want to sleep at all! Under normal circumstances, I would spend more time rocking and shushing him. But I was observing as minimal touch as possible. Gah! It killed me not to be able to sniff and kiss his little head when no one was looking. But his safety was more important than my baby fix!

What the heck are you doing?

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I love, love, love this image! Lachlan was so intent on watching everything I was doing he went cross-eyed with concentration. Look at that fluffy hair and little pixie ears. Absolutely delicious!

Bear with me

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Lachlan’s mummy and daddy bought his favourite teddy that he had been gifted. I included it in quite a few of his images and it looked great in this setup. As you can see this baby was wide awake and keen to see everything that was going on. He was pretty chilled out just hanging in the bucket!

Some bunny loves you

Who knows what the situation will be like at Easter. So I had to get my fix with this baby. I’m not ashamed to admit I broke out the bunny bonnet!

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I’m not sure how Lachlan felt about it. I think he looked pretty stinking cute!

Mugshots

I am still enjoying baby mugshots and Lachlan being super awake made it easy. The hardest part was narrowing down the hundreds I took into his gallery.

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Being a model is so exhausting

Guess what? Right at the end of the session as I was getting the family images, Lachlan finally decided to crash out!

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Such a gorgeous family.

Closed…for now

It’s funny to think that when Lachlan looks back at his baby photos all he will see is a beautiful moment in time. He will comment on how young his mum and dad look and laugh at how cute he is. He will see love and joy in his images. He won’t remember the crazy, unprecedented times that came directly after his studio session. We may be on lockdown right now but we will get through this. I am using this time constructively to clear out my prop cupboards in the studio and taking the opportunity to do on-line training. I am also reviewing my website, customer literature and workflows. So once the world gets healthy again JB Moments Photography will be back better than ever and ready to capture your moments in a way that will make you smile.

 

Studio Session – Baby Oliver

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Baby Photography

A baby boy may leave smudges in your house and also on your heart.

Oh Baby

Oh boy! Baby Oliver came into my studio at 11 days new and totally rocked his newborn photoshoot.

Mum had bought with her the pram shawl that her gran had knitted when she was a baby. We absolutely had to use that. I love it when clients bring in something personal to them. It makes the final images that much more personal and unique to them.

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As you can see Master Oliver is super chill about it all.

Baby Bear

Oliver wasn’t much for sleeping (apart from when we wanted him awake – typical boy!). But when I put him in my beanbag that is designed specifically for posing babies for composite photographs, he got comfy. He did have a little power nap.

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I am beary tired.

I chose the image where he is having the cutest little yawn to use in the final composite. I’m in love with how it turned out.

Wide Awake Club

Even when Oliver was awake, he was quite happy to look about with his big beautiful eyes. As long as he got his milk on tap whenever it was required!

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He was perfectly content laying in this pose just surveying his surroundings. I absolutely adore his hair. He also had the longest eyelashes 🙂

Heart and Sole

Talking of things that make me go all gooey inside. I simply cannot resist pictures of baby feet. It’s not like I have a foot fetish per se. I can take or leave adult feet (unless they are in heels on a boudoir shoot – okay maybe I am more into feet than I first thought!). But newborn feet, toes, the soles of their feet with their flakey skin that disappears so quickly. Well, it’s like crack for me!

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Oliver’s feet lovingly cradled in mum’s hand were no exception. Surely it’s not just me; they are delicious, right?

Don’t Mug Me Off

I introduced baby Mugshots in Miss Harley’s blog, and Master Oliver did a great job as well.

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Don’t you think he looks like he is squaring up for a fight here? I think this would look amazing as a large canvas on a wall.

As always the time I had with Oliver seemed to be over in a flash, and off he went in his hot air balloon.

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Well, not really, off he went in his car seat with mum and dad. But wouldn’t it be cool if he had!

 

 

 

Studio Session – Baby Harley

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Baby Photography

Thank heavens for little girls

It’s a baby girl!

It feels like an age since I had a baby girl in the studio so when Miss Harley came in at 15 days new it was love at first sight – well for me anyway 🙂

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Look at those cheeks and those rosebud lips. Absolute perfection!

Flower Power

Mum had mentioned in the pre-shoot questionnaire that she loved flowers and fairies but was happy to be guided by me. I didn’t have anything fairy related for a baby but flowers, flowers I could do.

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I had been wanting to use this sunflower composite for ages and this was just the excuse I needed (just in case you’d thought I’d somehow shrunk the baby or found a humungous sunflower!!).

She looks very peaceful in her sunflower slumber but soon she was wide awake and looking straight at me!

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This wasn’t what I meant when I said ‘bucket list’!

Baby Mugshots

So I used the fact that she was awake to my advantage to try out my new mugshot style. These are simple black and white images that focus on expressions. My plan is to also offer them at my 4, 8 and 12 month grow with me sessions and I think it will be cool to see how their little personalities develop over the year.

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In terms of wall art, black and white images are timeless classics.

When two become three

Miss Harley’s parents weren’t sure they were up for being in the images at first but they soon came around, especially for a silhouette image that focuses purely on their connection and love as a new family unit.

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I just adore these images so much 🙂

Up, up and away

Harley was a total dreamboat to work with. Even when she decided that she was done with sleeping she just watched me with her big blue eyes, quite content. Our session was over far too quickly. I made good use of the time mum and dad needed to put on their coats to get as many snuggles with Harley as possible. And yes if I’m honest there may have been some head sniffing going on as well!

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Dream big, little one.

Studio Session – Baby Sebastian

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Family Photography

First we had each other then we had you now we have everything.

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First baby of 2020

Baby Sebastian was 19 days new when he came into the studio on the 2nd day of 2020 and completely stole my heart.

Years ago I worked with his mum’s bestie (if by work you mean meeting for copious cups of tea and bitching about the place we worked at – then we worked hard!). She got in touch to buy a newborn photoshoot as a baby gift. That’s the perfect BFF right there!

Wide awake club

I’d established with mum that Sebastian was most sleepy in the afternoon so that’s when we booked the session. However, as I always tell parents their baby will always choose the day of their photoshoot to change their routine. Sebastian was no exception! But that’s okay because I get beautiful wide awake images for their gallery as well as sleepy ones. Plus it means I get more time snuggling with the baby as I attempt to get them to nod off. Win-win!

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Nope, counting sheep isn’t going to send me to sleep!

What the heck are you doing to me?

I thought with one of the backdrops I was using my mohair teddy bonnet would look super cute on Sebastian.

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And it did, but I also love his angry expression in this image. It’s like he is totally mad at me for daring to put him in the hat!

Being a model is exhausting

Eventually being fed and swaddled started to work its magic.

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I’m so tired of being admired.

Master Sebastian decided my bucket prop was the perfect place to take a little power nap.

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Look at those pouty lips and perfectly kissable cheeks. Baby perfection right there!

Family is a beautiful word

I always ask mum and dad at the beginning of the session if they want pictures of them with their new bundle of joy. A lot of parents are self-conscious and not sure if they want to be in front of the camera. Being parents is all-new, as is not getting much sleep. Sebastian’s parents were no exception. I always say the same thing. These images are not for you, they are for your baby when they get old enough to understand – you want them to see how loved they were as soon as they were born. I ease them into it with a silhouette image like the one at the beginning of this blog and then if they want to stop there it’s fine. But I’m delighted that Sebastian’s parents then choose to have images taken with him individually and together as a family unit. I think Sebastian is going to adore these images when he is older and be in absolutely no doubt about how utterly loved he is.

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Studio Session – Baby Callum

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Baby Photography

GRRRRRRRRR!

It is not like me to start a baby post with an angry rant, but please bear with me. Mums, especially brand new mums are made to feel guilty about everything. Are they breastfeeding? Is the baby eating enough, sleeping enough, going to the toilet enough? Have they got them too warm, too cold? Are they stimulated enough, too much? it goes on and on. What they absolutely do not need is baby photographers telling them their new bundle of joy is too old for newborn photos!!!

Guilt-free zone

Imagine being made to feel like you’d ‘missed’ an important milestone in your new babies life because you didn’t get them photographed as soon as you come out of hospital? I know that newborn babies can be easier to photograph in their first two weeks of life and as professional photographers we all love that. But, if mum has had a difficult labour or has lots of stitches she may not be ready to leave the house right away. Add to that being parents for the first time doesn’t come with an instruction manual. That first couple of weeks whizz by.

So when Callum’s mum came to me asking for newborn shoots for her baby who was 3 weeks old, after being told he was too old. I was more than happy to help. Because making sure my clients get a great experience and memories to treasure is the most important thing. ***Climbs off soapbox – rant over***.

Meet baby perfection

Introducing Master Callum.

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Look at all that hair! Those pouty lips. Kissable cheeks. Button nose and eyelashes. Utter perfection! Mum and Dad had waited a very long time for this little dude to come into their lives. He was absolutely worth the wait and you could see they were utterly besotted with him. As was Gran who came along to watch this first milestone as well.

Look into my eyes

Callum was a very good boy sleeping between feeds. But he also treated us to some time awake. I love capturing your baby both awake and asleep. Callum’s facial expressions were hilarious and I had great fun capturing as many of them as possible.

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Who are you and why are you pointing that camera at me?

Just hanging around

To be fair, he was pulling the cutest faces when he was sleeping as well.

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He looks very pleased with himself in this one!

Christmas cheer

With his photography shoot being right at the end of November I had to introduce a little Christmas magic into Callum’s session.

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Luckily he had fallen into a deep sleep so he couldn’t object to me turning him into the cutest little elf you ever did see!

Baby Boy - JB Moments Photography

Have your ELF a Merry Christmas Callum (sorry, not sorry!).

Studio Session – Baby Millie

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Baby Photography

Sweet Baby Girl

Second baby girl in a sea of boys, break out the tutus!! I was very excited to meet little Miss Millie when she came to my studio last week at just 8-days-new. She was utter perfection and clearly I wasn’t the only one to think that. Mum, Dad and big sister Hailey were all totally smitten with the new arrival into their family and into their hearts.

She sleeps all the time

If I had a pound for every time I heard that I would be rich! Very often coming into the studio is the first big change in routine the new baby has and they don’t always settle at first. Despite the warm temperature and good feed on arrival ( I do love it when mum’s read the prep guide I send out 🙂 ).

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I don’t mind though. I think it’s nice to capture a gallery of images for parents with both wide awake and asleep images. Meet Millie – isn’t she beautiful?

A Swaddled Baby is a Sleepy Baby

Once I get them all swaddled up like a little burrito they usually nod off and Miss Millie was no exception.

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Going, going, gone!

Big sister Hailey was super helpful during the session. She picked out outfits for me and kept checking that I was looking after her little sister. She even picked out the lovey for Millie to cuddle in the next image.

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Excellent choice Hailey!

Sisterly Love

Mum had organised big sister and little sister t-shirts for Hailey and Millie to wear and they were so cute. At age 7 Hailey was brilliant to work with for the sibling poses and took great care of her little sister.

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There is no better friend than a sister. And there is no better sister than you.

Prop Time!

Hailey also picked the prop I was going to use for Millie. She had the choice of a tin bucket or wooden bowl and I think she made a great choice with the bucket. Miss Millie was super content to be in there wrapped up in wool. She was deep in the land of nod just giving us the occasional sleepy smile.

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Family is everything

I captured some lovely images of the whole family together but this is my absolute favourite. Whilst it might not be the most technically perfect I love the expressions on everybody’s faces. They are all utterly in love with the newest addition to their family.

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Being able to capture moments like these is the greatest honour of all.