Those first few weeks with a new baby are a whirlwind. A beautiful, sleep-deprived haze where time seems to blur together into a series of new routines, gentle feedings and rocking them to sleep in the middle of the night.
Sometimes, however, that the only record many parents have of those precious moments are what I call ‘digital dust’: those phone snaps quickly captured in the dark of a nursery at three in the morning or while your baby is wriggling around too much to get a decent pic.
They’re important, they capture something real, but they don’t always do the magic of your baby’s first days justice. The delicate curve of a cheek, the way their tiny fingers curl around yours, the peaceful stillness of sleep. These are the moments that deserve more than a hurried photograph taken between nappy changes.
From pixels to portraits
In my studio, I love to capture the details, from their tiny feet to bright eyes and little lashes resting on their rosy cheeks. My goal is to create a physical time capsule that freezes this fleeting newborn stage for you to look back on. Picture that same child at ten years old, curled up beside you on the sofa, looking at those images or passing them on to their children. That’s the legacy I want to help you create.
The fragility of digital life
Your baby’s story deserves more than a thumbnail on a screen, buried in your camera roll among hundreds of other shots. When our memories stay digital, they’re at the mercy of lost passwords, corrupted hard drives, and damaged phones that mean entire libraries could be lost in the blink of an eye.
I’ve heard far too many sad stories of parents who lost years’ worth of memories when a phone accidentally fell in a bathtub, or a laptop simply wouldn’t turn on one morning. Moving those moments from a device to an heirloom you can hold, something tangible that can be enjoyed for decades, is something I can help you with.
The camera and tech trade-in
Having a baby is an expensive time, and budgets are stretched in every direction. Now can be a good time to free up some space and make some extra cash in the process with a nesting audit of your technology. New parents are often in a natural decluttering phase to make room for the nursery, so it’s the perfect moment to take a look around the home for gear that no longer serves your new lifestyle.
Take, for example, that old laptop from your professional life before your baby arrived, the one gathering dust since you switched to a lighter setup, or those compact point-and-shoot cameras you used on holidays before you started using your phone camera instead for convenience.
Maybe you have an old camera that you don’t reach for as much now that life is busier. Letting go of used cameras that are just sitting in a drawer can often cover a significant portion of the cost of a professional newborn photography session. It’s a simple trade: out with the old tech, in with the new heirlooms. By choosing to declutter sustainably, you’re also helping protect the planet your little one will inherit by exchanging unused gadgets for a gallery of art that only becomes more precious to your family as your baby grows, turning temporary technology into permanent memories.
Curating your pre-baby story
I always recommend a ‘memory migration’ before trading in old tech. This is your opportunity to gather the scattered pieces of your story and be intentional about how you preserve them. Take any old laptops or pre-baby phones that are tucked away in drawers and cupboards and consolidate any pictures on them. That might be candid snaps of your wedding day, spontaneous date nights or travel photos from your life before the little one arrived. These images can be moved to a dedicated hard drive, then organised into folders by year or event, so you can find them easily later on.
Also, don’t forget to check for SD cards in old digital cameras. You’d be surprised what forgotten memories are lingering in old cameras, from family gatherings that never made it onto social media to the holiday photos you forgot to upload. Once everything is saved to an external drive, carry out a factory reset on those devices to protect your privacy before selling or recycling them. It’s a small act of digital housekeeping that will give you peace of mind later.
It’s rude to write in all caps but I would do it here if I was going to do it anywhere – please back up your image library. Drives and USBs fail, phones and laptops can die and you don’t want to lose all of those precious memories. So consider this a (loving) all caps reminder to back it up once. And then once again.
Newborn Photography in East Grinstead
Newborn photo shoots are best when your baby is between 5 and 10 days old—this is when they’re at their sleepiest and curliest, perfect for capturing those beautifully serene images. To ensure you don’t miss out, I recommend booking while you’re still pregnant—we’ll set a provisional date for a week after your due date and adjust if needed once your baby arrives.
Your session takes place in my warm and cosy studio in Crawley Down, designed for your baby’s comfort. The shoot is relaxed, unrushed, and includes three digital images of your choice, all for £95. There’s no sales session—just a private online gallery where you can view and select your favourites at your own pace.
