What being a newborn photographer means to me

As we start 2025, it’s a great time for reflection. Personally I’m not a fan of new year resolutions; what I do love though is the feeling of starting a new year afresh, with the opportunity to reflect on the previous year and determine what I want to focus on in the coming year.

Reflecting on 2024, I realised that I’d met lots of parents, created lots of images that my clients loved and achieved my first awarded images with The Guild of Photographers. What I hadn’t done was share why I do newborn photography. Why, with all the genres of photography and a busy work and home life, would I choose newborn photography, a genre that requires time to plan, prepare and a great deal of calm patience to achieve the beautifully serene images that clients love.

In asking myself this question, I realised that it had something to do with my own experience of being a Mum. Having had my daughter during Covid lockdown, I literally sat and watched as my little girl went through the newborn phase, with only a phone to document her weekly development. I would have loved a newborn photoshoot but it was not to be and my daughter was 12 weeks old by the time that we were able to have a professional photoshoot. With the newborn phase lost to lockdown, I felt a profound sense of loss and it propelled me to learning professional photography.

That sense of loss is also one of the main reasons I love doing newborn photography; I understand that newborn photography isn’t a vanity project or a fashion. It has genuine meaning and purpose. It evokes powerful emotions and memories. That’s why I love offering newborn photography and being a specialist in newborn sessions; so I can help other parents experience joy by capturing beautiful images of their baby whilst they are still in that brief, fleeting newborn stage.

The comfort and relaxation I can offer through in home sessions is another reason I do newborn photography. I think if you were to ask any of my clients, they would say I’m relaxed, structured and baby led. The safety, comfort and wellbeing of my newborn clients is always my first and primary focus. That’s why you’ll find me taking time to settle and wrap baby, making sure the props are set up with the right support for the baby’s head, neck and body, constantly wearing a camera hand strap so my camera is secure at all times and I can put it down quickly if baby starts to become unsettled in any way.

I also love the creativity involved in planning newborn photoshoots. In the same way that every baby is unique, every newborn session is bespoke and tailored to both the baby’s needs on the day and the parent’s requests. Whether it’s a seasonal theme, favourite colour theme or family memory theme, I love coming up with new ideas that will showcase the beautiful tiny features of the baby whilst also creating a stunning backdrop that will make the image memorable and treasured for years to come.

Ultimately, I really enjoy creating images that parents love. There’s nothing better for me than receiving a message from a client telling me that their images are beautiful. More than any other praise or competition feedback, this is what matters most. Because it’s a parent seeing images of their beloved baby, falling in love all over again knowing that they have a keepsake that will help them to remember the newborn stage forever. Because in the words of Beth Neilsen Chapman, “in the end, all that matters is how we love.”