This was a newborn photo shoot with a distinctly New Zealand feel as, whilst mum was born in the UK, dad is a New Zealand guy.  They brought along lots of great props to work with this theme, actually they brought along lots of great props but I’ve just noticed that the three I picked to share from the session all have a Kiwi feel to them.  Only just noticed this when I started writing this, perhaps I am dreaming of a holiday in a far flung land.

Anyway, props aside, Tilly was a lovely little model.  Content to sleep and pose in any number of positions and against all the backdrops and props, not to mention completely adorable with that crop of dark hair.  She delighted dad by proving that she is already an All Blacks fan.  Honestly the biggest smile as soon as I wrapped her in the rugby top – pretty sure she will have her daddy wrapped around her little finger already!

She was also happy to cuddle with her stuffed kiwi although honestly, that toy was my nemesis that session. Try as I might, I just couldn’t get him to a. sit right for the photo, or b.  make it not look as if it was a photo of a stuffed kiwi with a baby in the background (which is hardly the point).  Anyway, after trying him in pretty much every set up, I finally found something that worked.  I actually had a similar situation with a hockey stick earlier in the year but I usually get there in the end.  So if you have props that you would like to bring along to personalise your session, then I’d definitely encourage you to – I’ll find a way to make it work, apparently not the first time I try but in the end (Unless you’re planning on bringing along a giant plastic duck, I failed there and that still makes me sad)

I love the photo of Tilly sleeping in her dad’s arms which shows off how tiny she still is and also the fern element of his tattoo.  You’ll see quite a lot of photos of babies sleeping in their dad’s arms if you Google newborn photography and it’s a lovely way to capture that new relationship but generally speaking, it’s not a very popular pose with our tiny models.  Babies are born with only two fears, loud noises and falling and although they are in fact perfectly safe (I would never work with anything in the studio that wasn’t), they can feel a little unsupported in this position which will trigger this primal reflex.  So actually the photo that I’m sharing today is a fake out.  Tilly is sleeping on my giant beanbag covered in a black cloth and we simply slide dad’s arms in underneath her.  I think you can probably tell she isn’t genuinely suspended if you care to look but it’s a great way of getting the look of the photo in an easier way.  Mum and dad specifically requested this picture and so actually, we took this shot as insurance before trying the real life version and Tilly hated it and started crying so I’m glad we did.  Still  love the result, showed off the tattoo and daddy’s little girl but we kept a settled baby. Winning all round.

Anyway, a lovely session with a beautiful little girl and I can’t wait for the rest of the year to see them again.

A newborn photo shoot is best when your baby is between 5 and 10 days old as this is when they are at their maximum sleepiness and poseability to capture those dreamy shots.  For this reason, I definitely recommend that you book when you are pregnant as this is one less thing to worry about scheduling when you’ve just got home from the hospital.   We make an appointment for your due date plus 7 days and then adjust it as needed.

My newborn shoots include your three favourite digital images which you select from your online gallery a few weeks after your photo shoot – I don’t make you attend a sales or viewing session.  Sessions take place in my warm and cosy studio in Crawley Down and cost £95.