#suffolkbabyphotos
Believe it or not this photograph was two years in the making. As so frequently happens in my head, I envision a photograph, (there are some amazing ones to come as yet too) and then I won't do the shoot until it's come together in real life as it is in my head, I know there are countless Elf on the Shelf pictures, I wanted to put my own stamp on it and create something timeless and classical - that night time sitting up feeling of when you are a child and waiting for Santa to come. I know babies don't sit up waiting they are usually up most of the night anyway but you get the gist. I couldn't find the "right" shelf, and when I did, after 8 long hours at an auction it was finally time to put the pieces together. The wonderful Lianne at Fairy tale photography props, had already made me a larger sized Elf set for toddlers, but I particularly wanted a darker toned image hence me picking the green elfsuit, again as in all the things I use for my shoots, the suit is made of the most beautiful soft yarn. The teddy bear is a silver tag bear. And the tree I collected about 3 years ago. Something about the sparkle and glow from the lantern on the gold just worked so well. The backdrop is by the very awesome Props for Togs. And I think it all came together to match my vision. It may have seemed a bit odd in October making this image but what a timeless image for the parents of this gorgeous little girl.
Here are the before shots, I haven't edited these in any way at all, as I think it's good for people to see what they first looked like, how to be safe, and the transformation and magic that takes place in both Lightroom and Photoshop!
I didn't put the shelf under baby, the reasons being that unless it's screwed into the floor it could tip towards baby, my shelf is a beautifully vintage piece of Oak that has been turned into a shelf, I needed babies legs against something though for the look to work, so this is a baby bed that I use lots by a brilliant maker in Europe Pedzlem Malowane newborn and child props it's a solid bed that couldn't tip and gave me the shadowing as it was dark wood to blend into the shelf. The hardest bit was blending the bear as for some reason my select and mask is playing up in Photoshop since the last update and so this image actually ended up taking me over 5 hours to perfect until I was happy with it. I shot the tree, background and shelf separately without baby in the picture, as baby was laying on her back her little arm was resting on the floor and so it created the illusion she was holding the lantern up.
This is now one of my most requested images at Christmas. I do like to mix things up a bit and so will use something slightly differently, and have this outfit in a different colour too.
People often think newborn photography is expensive, but when you realise just how much work and expense goes into just one photograph to create that unique image that will wow your family for generations then maybe you start to realise why photographers do in fact charge a reasonable amount for their time and talent.
This is my series from last year and we had an older child being held in place he really wasn't high at all, and Mum had a good grip on him up against a wall. We transformed this cheeky little elf into a photograph with his sister, and the sharpie marker was photoshopped in afterwards, it's one of my favourite pictures from last year.
Another Props for Togs background, I wasn't happy with my shelf last year, but it worked for this image.
So when you see these type of images where baby is perched, there is actually a hand in place holding baby in place and the magic is done afterwards. At no time should a baby ever be perched on something their safety should never be compromised. This Mad Hatter hat is by the awesomely talented Puddy Pad Designs - such a creative soul I love her work, the talent of all the makers I use is immense and helps bring that something special to my ideas. It really is a huge collaboration of minds that make shoots like this work. I certainly wouldn't have the patience to knit or felt or make wooden props.
Just in case you can't get enough of the cuteness overload! Here are some more cheeky little Elves. Not all Elves like their hats!
This image the hand was photoshopped out holding this little one on.
And yes seriously this photo was this dark it was towards the end of the session and I just whipped this last shot off, no idea what I was going to do with it and the lighting wasn't great. Next up to the blog will be my fairy sessions, and I'm equally as excited about them. They've been so magical for the children.
I believe in magic, I see it all the time in the wonder and the faces of all the children that I photograph. I just love this time of year.
Check out my portfolio here.
Truly blessed at the moment, I've been photographing a lot more creatively and making some very special and unique images for my clients walls! This sweet little girl just had to be a sunflower, links to the hat and backdrop are on the portfolio link above.
Lots of things in the pipeline at the moment, including the amazing snow fairy mini sessions in half term. And beautiful family sessions. I just need to freeze time to try and get everything I want in and done! Lovely to be so busy though!
This little Halstead baby came to see me last week, she also got to be a unicorn. And a fairy in her shoot. Such a stunning gallery of images for her family.
I was delighted to travel to Bury St Edmunds to meet this gorgeous little family. Mum and Dad consider them brother and sister, their pets are very much their family. Of course safety is always a priority with newborns and so Adeline was photographed separately to Gary, and then the photograph was merged. As with all newborn shoots a hand is always on baby when baby is in a prop and then photoshopped out.
To see more of my newborn work and style please click HERE!
This pink flokati with the dreamcatcher from Kittys Boutique who make the vast majority of my headbands and newborn outfits and sitter sets and of course their incredible tulle skirts and tops. Baby is photographed on a huge beanbag covered in blankets or flokatis and is always perfectly safe, again if a baby is propped up in any way then a hand will be in place and there will be posing pads rolled up underneath to support babies head, feet or back to ensure they won't suddenly roll backwards.
And as always baby cuddled up with a tiny teddy bear is a very firm favourite with my newborn clients. Occasionally we use a different animal and some parents have themed their sitter session and then cake smash to include rabbits or bears. Each shoot is different whether I'm photographing a child or baby or family. The sessions are carefully planned with the families tastes in mind and their opinions on poses and colours. This shoot lasted just over 2 hours, I always find if the parents are chilled and happy to sit back and enjoy the beauty of their newborn then it makes a very smooth session, and most families are very at ease by the time of their shoot as I address their concerns beforehand. Parents can often get quite emotional watching the session and seeing just how tiny their perfect little person is that they have nurtured and grown over the months, it's a whirlwind after you give birth, emotions on a rollercoaster, a constant stream of well wishers and this new little person dependant on your for their safety and wellbeing. A newborn shoot is a wonderful time to kick back and sip your tea or coffee and let someone safely handle your child and create beautiful images to remember for life, it really is no lie how quickly they change. It literally seems like a blink and it's gone. I always feel so incredibly honoured to capture families precious memories. I am drifting a little more into more lifestyle shoots with my sessions now if I go to a families home, and am very lucky my years of experience give me so much versatility at being able to switch from documentary photography, to lifestyle and the more posed newborn images of this session. It also helps me stop from getting bored! I would hate to do the same thing day in and day out like a production line, I think that's why I'm so keen to listen to clients and what they would like from their photography session.
I love creating unique art pieces for families and as you can see from my guestbook and feedback on my Facebook page . Families really enjoy the session and just catching their breath to drink in the beauty of this little piece of perfection. One thing for sure is life will never ever be the same!
And what did Gary think of it all? I'll leave you with his thoughts on his photoshoot!
I was delighted to travel to Bury St Edmunds to meet this gorgeous little family. Mum and Dad consider them brother and sister, their pets are very much their family. Of course safety is always a priority with newborns and so Adeline was photographed separately to Gary, and then the photograph was merged. As with all newborn shoots a hand is always on baby when baby is in a prop and then photoshopped out.
To see more of my newborn work and style please click HERE!
This pink flokati with the dreamcatcher from Kittys Boutique who make the vast majority of my headbands and newborn outfits and sitter sets and of course their incredible tulle skirts and tops. Baby is photographed on a huge beanbag covered in blankets or flokatis and is always perfectly safe, again if a baby is propped up in any way then a hand will be in place and there will be posing pads rolled up underneath to support babies head, feet or back to ensure they won't suddenly roll backwards.
And as always baby cuddled up with a tiny teddy bear is a very firm favourite with my newborn clients. Occasionally we use a different animal and some parents have themed their sitter session and then cake smash to include rabbits or bears. Each shoot is different whether I'm photographing a child or baby or family. The sessions are carefully planned with the families tastes in mind and their opinions on poses and colours. This shoot lasted just over 2 hours, I always find if the parents are chilled and happy to sit back and enjoy the beauty of their newborn then it makes a very smooth session, and most families are very at ease by the time of their shoot as I address their concerns beforehand. Parents can often get quite emotional watching the session and seeing just how tiny their perfect little person is that they have nurtured and grown over the months, it's a whirlwind after you give birth, emotions on a rollercoaster, a constant stream of well wishers and this new little person dependant on your for their safety and wellbeing. A newborn shoot is a wonderful time to kick back and sip your tea or coffee and let someone safely handle your child and create beautiful images to remember for life, it really is no lie how quickly they change. It literally seems like a blink and it's gone. I always feel so incredibly honoured to capture families precious memories. I am drifting a little more into more lifestyle shoots with my sessions now if I go to a families home, and am very lucky my years of experience give me so much versatility at being able to switch from documentary photography, to lifestyle and the more posed newborn images of this session. It also helps me stop from getting bored! I would hate to do the same thing day in and day out like a production line, I think that's why I'm so keen to listen to clients and what they would like from their photography session.
I love creating unique art pieces for families and as you can see from my guestbook and feedback on my Facebook page . Families really enjoy the session and just catching their breath to drink in the beauty of this little piece of perfection. One thing for sure is life will never ever be the same!
And what did Gary think of it all? I'll leave you with his thoughts on his photoshoot!
This isn't going to be the best tutorial as my imac suddenly decided to lose sound. I've uploaded the video to YouTube the link is HERE! It's not the best compositing tutorial as it seems to lose sound at the point where we go into layer mask but if you roughly know what you are doing you can follow along. I will redo the video at some point if there is interest. I have uploaded the file to dropbox for the basket with flowers. The link for the digital backdrop that is totally free is FREEBIES HERE! I will add the odd action and tutorial and digital drop to the Dropbox folder so it's worth bookmarking.
This shoot went like a dream, and Mum and Dad decided to add some more images in whilst they were here. The look they chose the basket was set up with a Christmas theme, so I reshot it, as baby was dressed in this gorgeous beige outfit from Kittys Boutique. Sadly it didn't match the theme, so I reshot the basket with some pink flowers and tied the colours in.
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