We had a fun family portrait shoot this morning with vibrant little James, one of our Rugby NCT runners up from the Cheeky Monkey’s Tea Party event in August. At 10 months old, he won a baby shoot which captures babies emerging character and unique mannerisms which look amazing in timeless black and white portrait photography.
Luckily for us, James wasn’t phased by being at the studio and seemed to take it all in his stride, despite having just woken from his sleep. In fact, he seemed fresh and raring to go, full of the energy you’d expect from a 10 month old baby. He soon set about exploring to check the studio out. With a very cheeky grin, he won us over instantly and despite being very curious, stopped for a moment to allow us to get a few sitting still shots on the beanbag, complete with squeals of excitement.
(Please click on an image to see it bigger)
Boredom soon set in, then he was off to satisfy his curiosity. Although not quite walking, he moved like a rocket on all fours to get around. Luckily the studio is fairly toddler proof, with lighting equipment safely mounted on the walls, probably to James’ disappointment!
We sat him on the floor next to his toys and he played briefly allowing us to get a few more action shots before he took off on his next circuit. He has a very playful character, and responded to a game of peekaboo with Andy as he worked which soon got him laughing and relaxed in front of the camera. All our inhibitions go out the window during these shoots, with peekaboo, puppets and general play to keep things nice and relaxed, which always brings out the best in children.
James tired towards the end of the shoot, so a cuddle with mum allowed us to get some more intimate mother and child shots towards the end which we think look amazing.
We’ve taken to shooting a few playtime shots with our older babies as we love the range of expressions this brings. Baby photography is not just about recording the smiles and giggles, but also the nuances that are unique and individual to each child. The concentration in a baby’s face during play creates very striking shots, and some of our favourite images are when candid moments are captured, and not necessarily smiling.
Thanks to mum and James for an enjoyable shoot today, and for prompting some fond reminders of our own son at this age!