It was a day of monumental flooding for much of the UK and especially here in the Midlands, but near biblical rain didn’t stop play for our most recent newborn baby who visited us from Leicester yesterday. We welcomed gorgeous 2 week old baby Thomas and his big sis to the studio, along with mum and super proud aunty who’d flown half way around the world to celebrate his arrival.
Our understated approach to black and white newborn photography has developed into a pretty unique style over recent years, in fact we’ve become a bit obsessed with stripping things back as much as possible and really focussing on the purity of natural expression.
We love this shot of Thomas smiling in his sleep, simplicity in itself and it’s definitely not just a touch of wind!? Our prop free approach allows our newborns to take the spotlight and shine in their own right, all children are beautiful and we see it as our job to accentuate this, not distract. We love the minute details, the subtle nuances of skin tone and texture which is then accentuated further through black and white editing.
At 2 weeks old, most babies are still very foetal and sleepy which is perfect for a classic newborn shoot. Thomas was an absolute dream, content to sleep, feed and sleep some more. However, he was all eyes for his big sister Lucy who joined us towards the end of the photoshoot to capture a handful of beautiful sibling portraits.
(Please click on an image to see it bigger)
This little man knew what felt comfortable as we worked and, although we may have a specific pose in mind, we roll with each individual baby’s range of comfort and movement, letting him settle into a pose along the lines of what we set out to achieve! He demonstrated great strength in readjusting himself out of the classic head in hands shot back to what he preferred, using his arm as a pillow (very cute) which is why he looks so casual. We could have corrected this and gone for a more textbook look but, like our photography, we like to keep our posing simple and natural too. We like our newborns safe, comfy and at ease.
Full of respect for our little people, we know that our photography will be enjoyed over their lifetime and its important to us that we produce images that are beautiful, honest and will last the test of time, hence no props with the exception of a teddy bear of course….. babies and teddy bears are the perfect partnership after all!
Big sister Lucy was a credit to her family, it’s a long wait for a young sibling during a newborn shoot, especially when they’re just getting used to sharing the limelight. Good old fashioned bribery always works a treat when boredom sets in, and despite her misgivings Lucy was a natural when it came to her turn. She looks stunning in her images and is pleased to show off her big brother. Gently placing her hand on Thomas suggests tenderness which makes for a gorgeous photograph, showing a genuine and growing sibling connection.
We were flattered to have been sought out and booked from overseas. Thanks to mum, aunty, Thomas and Lucy for sharing this precious time with us.