FAQs

All our photoshoots take place at our cosy studio here in Northampton. We much prefer a controlled studio environment where we know exactly what we’re getting… plus you won’t need to worry about how your home looks, or if our bulky equipment will fit in your room!

We have a comfortable seating area for you to relax plus copious amounts of tea, coffee, water, and biscuits!

Wedding photography isn’t something we offer. After 14 years specialising purely in families and newborns, it’s a niche we know inside out and love too much to leave!

Yes, absolutely! Gift vouchers make the most wonderful and personal gifts… and they make the most thoughtful baby shower gift going. A newborn session is something new parents would never think to book for themselves but absolutely love when someone does it for them. Please get in touch to find out more.

Read our post on why newborn baby photography makes The Perfect Baby Shower Gift in Northampton

We are 100% baby-led, with your little one’s care always our top priority. Your baby’s safety and comfort are carefully prioritised to create the calm, nurturing environment needed for a successful photoshoot.

Every baby is different—some arrive wonderfully sleepy and barely open their eyes throughout the session, while others are wide-eyed and curious about their new world.

We ask that you allow 2–3 hours for your session, and possibly a little longer if your baby is a light sleeper or if a sibling will be joining us for a few intimate family portraits.

Yes absolutely, as long as it’s carried by fully trained and experienced baby photographers… like us! This is something we’re passionate about and would always encourage you to “grill” any baby photographer on their credentials before booking them.

We’ve been photographing newborn babies together for nearly 12 years and, in this time, safely photographed over 800 precious babies. Your newborn’s safety is our No.1 concern and since Debbie has a professional nursing background, we’re uncompromising on this.

When working with your baby we will always stay by their side as their reflexes can often cause them to fling their arms or kick out. We will watch their positioning for pressure points, their expression for comfort and a host of other factors to ensure they are comfortable and safe.

Equally we understand that your baby cannot support the weight of their own head, this being the vulnerable part of their body. It must always be supported and protected from sudden impact or shock.

We respect our tiny visitors in all that we do, which is why all of our baby photoshoots are baby-led. When we handle your baby, we’ll show them the same care and sensitivity as if they were our own. We use a lot of gentle hand placement to reassure your baby that they are safe as they are being gently posed. Babies often shuffle themselves into positions that naturally feel comfortable, and we’ll try and work with this. Some babies love being swaddled, whilst others dislike being naked. These tiny people already have preferences!

Every pose takes time to perfect, some more than others and sensitive babies take even longer! Usually, we will spend 5 to 15 minutes perfecting each pose before even taking a single photograph. This is why your newborn session will typically take around 2-3 hours and your gallery averages between 15 and 30 final images. We aim for quality not quantity.

Our approach to newborn portraits is refreshingly yet deceptively simply. We won’t do anything that either looks unsafe, uncomfortable, disrespectful, or just downright wrong. If your baby looks safe, happy, content and perfectly relaxed then that’s because they really are, simple!

Here’s a few hot tips to consider before attending your newborn photoshoot at our Northampton studio…

Milk, milk, milk… and even more milk.
We’ll need your baby super sleepy and that usually happens right after a full belly… milk drunk! Think of it as a post Sunday roast nap snoozing on a comfy sofa.

Enjoy the experience!
This might sound a bit obvious, but worth a mention. It’s all too easy to forget to grab the opportunity to observe and enjoy the shoot. Make the most of your ‘down’ time while we work with your little one, have a hot cuppa and grab a few hands-free minutes while you can! Even unsettled babies sleep eventually, alternatively awake newborn shots are also striking. Parents often tell us they worry their baby will be restless etc but we’re so used to working with newborns it’s really not an issue for us.

PLEASE consider a dummy, just for the shoot.
We appreciate that not everyone likes them, but they’re a fantastic soothing aid for an unsettled baby. It can really reduce the settling time and allow more time for newborn photography.

Poonami’s happen!
Your baby won’t be entirely naked, as we use cute, knitted shorts to hide ugly nappies, but even the best nappies leak round the sides. Having had two children of our own, we’re a 100% used to poo, so pleased don’t be embarrassed.

Your Clothes.
If you’d like to be included in some intimate family portraits with your newborn, then please make sure you both bring a set of clothes that you’re happy to be photographed in. Try to match or at least compliment each others colours/tone. Simple, neutral colours work best from experience. Try to avoid heavy pattern or logos that may be distracting in the final images.

Although we love animals, we have a crazy Spring Spaniel and a mildly feral tabby cat ourselves, we cannot have animals in the studio… mainly for hygiene and potential allergy reasons.

Although we’d love to photograph larger family groups, unfortunately we’re limited by the physical size of our studio… we simply can’t fit any more than 2 adults and 3 children comfortably.

Wear Comfortable Clothes

Suited and booted children rarely feel comfy, and we’re looking to capture the most natural photographs. In the same way, please resist giving them a ‘special’ hairstyle just for the photoshoot – you’re going to want to look back at the photographs and remember them how they were day-to-day.

Please try to avoid heavily branded clothing or anything super stylish as these items will date your photos much quicker. Likewise, please avoid dressing one child in stripes and one in spots.

If you’re having some family portraits with your children then exactly the same principles apply to you guys. All wear similar tones that compliment each other. For example, neutral colours work very well, as do all dark tones.

Babies/toddlers: vests often peek out and create distraction around the neckline, so if your toddler can manage without a vest then your images will benefit. Also, please try to choose round neck tops as shirts with collars/pinafore straps/dungaree straps might be cute, but have a habit of riding up and obscuring a young child’s lower face. Please feel free to bring a change of clothes or two along to the shoot.

Don’t Over Prepare Them

The most successful photoshoots are the ones where parents haven’t discussed it too much beforehand. Try not to make a huge deal out of it and resist telling your children to be on their best behaviour – it leads to a more natural shoot when things are a bit more off-the-cuff. Let them relax and even be a little bit cheeky.

Bin the Cheese Face

This is a big one. Portrait photography is all about capturing your child in their most natural, happy state – a forced smile looks false and certainly isn’t going to result in the best portrait! Instead, let’s make them laugh and smile together.

Get Involved & Enjoy

The number one most important factors in determining the success of a family portrait session is the attitude of the parents. Those that turn up, hand their kids over and then sit on their phone for the rest of the session will rarely get great results. You don’t need to be in front of the camera but you do need to be engaged and involved… no-one knows how to make your children laugh like you do!

Please don’t worry, we’ve 2 kids of our own so have pretty much seen it all… from the super shy trouser hugger to the full on climbing the wall Tasmanian devil. We’ve been photographing family portraiture professionally everyday for the past 14 years so have become a Jedi master at dealing with, or often ignoring, all sorts of challenging behaviour.

All we ask, is that you prevent your children from causing any damage, either to themselves or our very expensive camera equipment, our livelihood!