Finlay Family - North Brisbane Family Photographer

After I scheduled this gorgeous family photography session for our studio gardens, I had an email come through from one of the members asking if their little fur baby could be included.

I figured since the other sibling had their special baby included, why not include puppy Charlie as well?   And gosh it made for some fun!

One of the unique things about the studio is that we have these beautiful, colourful private gardens right on site. Literally this photo is taken as I am standing almost inside the studio looking out to the group.

Little Ellie was holding on tight to all her smiles at this point of the session, not giving any away just yet, while Charlie was so well behaved in his mums arms!

A short step away is the "fairy garden steps" as my children call them - beautiful natural stone steps that lead down to the front lawns. I love this spot particularly for black and white images with the lush hibiscus framing the family.

We have quite an eclectic mix of plans on the grounds and since the jacarandas had just started blooming it was only natural to incorporate those into the gallery also.

Wandering back through the garden we stopped at a few different spots along the way, playing with the different light falling through the trees as we went. Some glowing golden images and some soft warm images, but all just divine!

When we reached the lawns at the front of the gardens I sent the family for a walking photo, and they decided to do one without Charlie.

But it seems that nobody told Charlie and so it happened that I captured quite a funny outtake as he rushed back into shot!

Little Ellie had a moment on her own and this time, with some help from her Dad (because Dads always get the best smiles) we captured some very sweet little giggles from her.

To finish the day I brought the family back to the studio where they enjoyed refreshments while I prepared their big screen viewing of the photos. We had a great time looking through the gallery right away and designing three beautiful framed pictures for their walls.

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Declan Sitter - Brisbane Family Photographer

Declan and his family returned to the studio for his sitter session and my gosh he has grown a lot since I last saw him as a sweet little newborn!

So happy and full of smiles, he loved giggling at his mum and snuggling into his dad during his photoshoot.

I always prioritise family photos in my sessions because they will remain some of the most special images you will ever have. Photos are like a time capsule, where by simply viewing them your mind fills in all the blanks and takes you back to that time in your life.  The baby years are really so short, it is so important to document them.

So with the super cute family photos done, Declan took centre stage in his sweet little suit with tie and suspenders  and oh my gosh, can you even handle this much cute?

My wooden bed prop was next up and at first Declan wasn't too sure about it, which made for this incredibly sweet pout!

Before you could blink he was happy again and cackling away at his dad over my shoulder!

Since the warm brown tones were so lovely for Declan, I quickly laid him on a curly layer and gave him a teddy bear to cuddle, he was barely interested in the teddy bear but very intrigued by my camera hovering over his face! I just love how he looks so inquisitive in this photo, taking in the sounds the camera is making and sharing a soft smile.

For a bit of fun I love to finish the session with the Superman game! Most babies love this game where their dad will swing them through the air, almost like they are flying. And of course it does make for an awesome photo!

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Bryce First Birthday

This was our third session for Bryce, and after watching her grow from a tiny newborn to a sitting baby and now a giggly wriggly near-toddler, it has been an absolute pleasure to photograph her and her family the past year.

We were in luck to schedule her session while her Nanna was visiting from the UK, which makes these images even more special for them both.  I just love the beautiful connection that family have, and to have images like this in your home makes family feel so close even if they are half a world away. 

At Bryce's newborn and sitter session we had photographed some soft toys that her parents had collected in their travels, so it was only fitting that we did update photos with them this time around too! Since she had been tucked in at the newborn session and sitting in the sitter session it made sense to be standing at the birthday session. 

Her parents had brought along a really cute tutu in rainbow colours, which we thought would also look great in a standing up image. Bryce thought otherwise, and despite our best encouragement she was determined to stay seated for the rest of her shoot, and it still looks super cute anyway! 

With Christmas just around the corner, we also included a couple of Christmas themed images into the gallery. These are a lovey sweet addition to photoshoots at this time of year! 

I love documenting how much babies grow during their first year. Seriously, babies grow so SO fast. It feels like a long time while you are in those sleep-deprived years but looking back, it always goes way too quick. Im so honoured to be able to capture this very special time for families and to help keep those memories fresh and alive for years to come. 

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Tigerlily Wilson - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

So often when babies arrive at the studio with their older siblings I find myself deep in conversation with the siblings before I even meet their new little brother or sister.

Sure enough this is exactly what happened when Tallulah arrived with her new baby sister Tigerlily! She's such an energetic little girl, not shy at all and within moments she was right in amongst all the toys in the play area!

So now it was time to meet the new addition to the family, Tigerlily. Oh the cheeks on her! She was so snuggly and content!

I always start with family photos but Tallulah was very taken with all the toys, she eventually agreed to come in for a moment and their family photo is such a stunner!

The next set is usually sibling photos, but with the toy room pulling Tallulah back we moved on to some gorgeous images of Tigerlily on her own.

With her middle name being Rainbow, it was only fitting that we created a rainbow themed photo in her session as well, and doesn't she look divine all nestled into the fluffy cloud there?

Tallulah came back in to see what the fuss was and I managed a few images of her by herself, but before we knew it she was off again into the playroom!

Then I had a brainwave. We could bring the playroom to her.

I got my pram prop and made it all soft for Tigerlily to lay in and photographed this image. Then we took Tigerlily out of the pram and called Tallulah into the room to show her the pram, and BOOM! Gorgeous sibling photo achieved!  For baby safety I always capture this image in two steps, one with baby in the pram and no toddler in the room, then remove baby and it doesn't matter if the sibling moves the pram since baby is safely in moms arms again. I can then use Photoshop to seamlessly stitch the two photos together - wins all round!

We captured lots of lovely soft colours for this session, pastel pinks and soft yellows, and then a fun flower set with Tigerlily nestled into a bright pink flower!

The last images of a session I always capture are the "sleeping unwrapped" photos, because more often than not babies wake up when we unwrap them and may not re-settle. This was not a problem for Tigerlily, she dropped back to sleep quite soundly just long enough for us to photograph the first two poses, "bottoms up" and "facing forward".

My sessions are always baby led and it turned out that this was as much as Tigerlily wanted to do on the day, she quickly woke up so we rolled her safely on her back and captured a gorgeous open-eye photo!

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Baby Sienna - Brisbane newborn Photographer

Sienna arrived at the studio in the cutest little hand knitted outfit, made just for her by her Great Grandma. So of course the first thing we did was to photograph the adorable jumper, beanie and bootie set! She was a picture in pink and so content while all rugged up.

When we changed her from clothes to the wraps, Sienna woke up and wasn't too sure about what was going on, but with the heat, white noise and a snuggly wrap around her she was soon back to a lovely deep sleep while we photographed the family photos.

With her parents now able to relax we moved on to photographing he single portraits, and I love starting with a classic closeup of her all wrapped up in a snuggly bundle.

Part of the inclusions in a newborn session is some digital composite images, where we photograph intricate setups separately and then add the baby into the image. It means we can create more variety in the gallery and also capture stunning, time consuming setups without using session time to do so.

We also captured some lovely earthy neutral images of Sienna, I just love the natural tones in this set. The vine baskets from David Lam Designs are just gorgeous and we used two different ones in this session. This is my nest prop, a large nest that lays flat on the ground.

We also used another of Davids creations in this session, the hamper basket which I had some help from Siennna's dad Robbie to select the flowers and help arrange them down the handle. The resulting image is just beautiful, sweet baby Sienna snoozing soundly in there.

But the sleeping was all about to end.

As we progressed through the session, it was now time to get unwrapped and move onto the nakey baby workflow. Sienna was not impressed with this idea however.

Often babies will wake when we undress them but quickly settle into the flow posing on the beanbag, but Sienna had other ideas.

Once we had her unwrapped, she was not taking her eyes off us!

Content and happy, but WIIIIDE awake.

We captured the beautiful "simba" photo in her dads hands, as well as an adorable one with her mums hands as well. The smiles she was having, it was just amazing!

But not sleep.

We continued with some more photos in her dads arms next, and I just love these moody dark images as they go so well with her super dark hair.

With no sign of sleep making its way to her we jumped to the last set of the day, my signature setup of neutral tones and a gorgeous photo of her time feet in her mums hands. Sienna must have been happy now because she gave me more sweet smiles for the last shots of the day.

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Emily - North Brisbane Baby Photographer

Last time she was here, Emily was just days old and brought her Grandad Alistair with her.

This time, Emily returned to the studio for her sitter session and this time she brought 3 of her grandparents along!

We started the session with her single portraits in the studio as it was such a windy day we did as much inside as we could before heading out into the gardens for the big family photos.

She had the sweetest little navy and floral jumpsuit for her photos, so the first call of the day was to capture that outfit, although she was concentrating so hard on sitting up that she didnt have much space for smiles just yet.

We moved quickly on to some of the other milestone session photos such as laying on her tummy, which most babies take as a cue to roll over by this stage! Emily was great at rolling, I can tell you!

We sat her up again and added a floral bonnet and the cuteness levels went through the roof. I just absolutely adore the floral bonnets, it always makes babies eyes look so large and striking in colour and their cheeks look extra full too.

And then it was time to head out to the garden for the family photos. Thankfully we had some spare hands to help hold up the light diffuser for me while we made the most of some of the sweet little wildflowers that have recently bloomed around the garden.

One spot in particular that I love has fragrant jasmine vine growing over the rocks and a pile of wood and bricks stacked up in front of it, which made for the most perfect little outdoor "set".

Everyone had turns snuggling and cuddling with Emily and she just loved being outside, in fact despite how tiring the photoshoot can be for little ones, and despite the gusty wind throwing some extra spark into everyone, she was still giggling and smiling at everyone.

She had just learned to make clicking sounds and that was her favourite thing to do to communicate, her grandparents would click their tongues to her and she would click back with a giggle or a coo. It was just delightful to see and photograph such special little moments like these.

Next time she comes will be for her first birthday and we have some plans already taking place for that special session too!

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Madelyn - North Brisbane Newborn PHotographer

After photographing her parents a few weeks ago as they waited to meet her, I was so excited to see everyone again and of course to meet little Madelyn myself!

She came to the studio with quite the entourage, her parents, grandparents, Nanny who is visiting from Ireland and her Aunty! I think we can safely say she is one lucky little girl with so much love already flowing around her. They say it takes a village and Madelyn certainly has one!

We quickly got into photographing everyone with her, a group photo before smaller groups and singles. Everyone had a snuggle and a little chat to her, whispering sweet secrets and chatting and giggling at the sweet little sounds she was making.

Soon enough the family photos were finished and it was time for Madelyn to take the main stage.

Since she was four weeks old but three weeks early, it was a lot like photographing a curly, sleepy newborn. She was amazing!

We snuggled a cute pink bunny in with her, a gift from a family member.

And then I photographed her dad's receiving blanket from his childhood and placed her in a circular basket in the middle. I love incorporating personal items like this, it really makes the gallery of images that much more special and iconic for families.

She had been knitted a cute pink and grey blanket so we created a cute bed setup to photograph that with, and because it was os cute I included the little bunny rabbit again.

We also created a sweet dandelion image with the fluffy white felt and a lovely floral backdrop.

Once all the wrapped images were done we moved on to the unwrapped ones. And this is the point that tall babies wake up. And Madelyn was no exception.

But with a little feed, white noise and heat she was soon asleep again and snoring her way through the last images of the day.

And that was a wrap! I had even managed to sneak a few little snuggles in my self which was no small feat given all the hands on deck to snuggle her this day!

www.familyphotographybynatartshamarch.com.au

Baby Harry - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

I need to warn you before we get into this too far. Baby Harry and his big sister Lily are outrageously cute.

Harry has the BEST chubby newborn cheeks and Lily's soft blonde curls and bright blue eyes are enough to have an artist in a tizz. 

As Harry's mum liked greys and blues, and since he had arrived at hte studio in a cute little jumpsuit, I quickly laid him on the beanbag and photographed his curliness, little fingers and toes and delightful flaking skin.  I will remove this on request but as it is part of a new baby's newness, I do like to leave it most of the time. Within a matter of days the flaky skin is all gone, never to return. 

Also, these two are both what we newborn photographers call "Unicorn Children". That is when children are so co-operative that they just listen and do as we ask, without too much bribery or co-ersion.  Yes, these children really do exist, and Harry and Lily are living proof. 

As I had just received a new backdrop, I was really hoping the family would like it so I could photograph it, and thankfully they did! So this ornate bed is actually a fake, but doesn't it look gorgeous? 

Yes I realise you probably hadn't even noticed anything beyond the two beautiful children at the centre of the frame, because they are just divine. 

With all her photos clicked off, Lily was released back to the toy room and Harry took centre stage for his part in the shoot.  His mum particularly liked deep colours like navy and dark green, so we styled some simple sets for him in those colours. He really does suit the dark tones, and while I don't photograph too much in the deeper end of colours I am considering getting more dark toned blankets for sets like this. 

Harry has the most gorgeous cheeks and lips, a perfect newborn pout if ever you saw one. As a standard inclusion at my newborn sessions I always use my special macro lens to capture extreme closeups of all the delicious details such as eye lashes, milk spots on the nose, fingernails and pouty lips like these.  

To keep Harry's session short, we photographed almost the entire shoot with him wrapped. I find that this helps to keep the babies more settled which means that we can get through the photos quicker. We still had loads of variety in images and kept the session time to around two hours instead of three hours, which is the usual duration when including naked poses. 

Before we knew it, the session was all done and the family were on their way out the door, their two gorgeous unicorn children in tow, Lily giving me a solid high five and inviting me over for a playdate sometime soon! 

I can't wait Lily! #popthekettleon 

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au 

Baby Vincent - North Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Vincent snuck into the studio a quiet little man, his full head of beautiful dark hair instantly catching my eye!

As a newborn photographer I am blessed to meet hundreds of babies every year but it is always a special moment to meet a new baby for the first time.  Even at just a week or two old I find all babies have strong personalities already developing!

Vincents personality is really chilled out!

He was awake for a long time at his photography shoot, wide awake but peaceful and content.  He even gave me some awesome smiles like this one in their family photo - isn't this just amazing!?

He also sent through some great expressions when he was wrapped up tight on the blanket, tucked in with teddy bears and bonnets.

Next we moved to some basket sets and since he was still awake I kept him wrapped up for the first one, a neutral tone.

By this stage most babies are asleep, but Vincent is not most babies.

To change things up a little we put some pants on and tried a blue set, but he was not having a bar of it, preferring instead to be upright in a snuggle than laid down in a soft fluffy nest.

Eventually, with a lot of heat, white noise, a full tummy and some extra work on our behalf patting and vibrating the beanbag, Vincent did drift off into a delightful sleep and we were able to capture a full sleepy workflow.

And after all that time keeping tabs on us, he was finally asleep. Just in time to head home.

I can only hope that his parents enjoyed a lovely afternoon snooze with him!

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Masefield Family - North Brisbane Family Photographer

This was such a special family photography shoot for me, I hadn't seen little Evie since she looked like this at her newborn photoshoot:

Now, I know some time has passed but can you believe how quickly she grew into this adorable little munchkin!


We met at one of my favourite North Brisbane spots, Bunya Crossing Reserve. The plan for this shoot was to include Dad in just about every photo. See Evies dad is a photographer himself and so has loads of images of Evie and her Mum, but not a whole lot of them as a family, or him with his baby girl.

So we set to it!

And within moments I had strayed from instruction and was capturing photos of Evie and her mum. But that is always my plan. During a photoshoot I am constantly thinking of how it would look on your walls, or in an album layout. You cant do a lovely three piece canvas collection if you dont have the option to choose from in the gallery.

So even though the main focus was all on dad, I still took some singles of mum and Evie and Evie on her own as well.

We wandered around the parkland, the trees making for a lovely shady spot before the sun dropped behind them further and we ventured out to the boardwalk.

I love photographing along here, the way that they lines all draw your eye into the family in the centre, its just gorgeous!

Evie loved looking for the birds and the turtles, she was so interested in the wildlife!

Considering our shoot was right at the time of day that young children struggle a bit, she was amazing. We let her run and play as much as she wanted, which is just how a photoshoot should be! FUN!

This would have to be one of my favourite images in their gallery, look at that cheeky grin! Its almost like she knows her parents are being super cute behind her and got the giggles <3

We played swing-a-longs on the way back to the car, Evie kicking her feet high into the air almost reaching over her own head!

As we finished our shoot near the waters edge, she found a big seed pod that she picked up and took to the water to float like a little boat. It was beautiful, watching her play with a toy she had made using her own imagination.

She loved it so much, they took it home to put in the bath, because she was adamant that she wasn't leaving the park without it!

www.familyphotograpphybynatarshamarch.com.au

Davey Triplets 1 Year Old - Brisbane Baby Photographer

I was prepared for chaos.

Three crawling babies in the studio at once.

I had plans and backup plans and backup plans for the backup plans.

And I didnt need any backup plans - the shoot went so perfectly, Aiden, Elaina and Clay were absolute rockstars!

The first set we had ready was the updated version of one of their newborn photos.  This was a story image that documented their 72 day stay in hospital before they came home.

For the updated version we used the same pallet of colours and each of the triplets wore the same colour as their newborn photo, but this time we used a bed prop instead of the nest and we tallied their weeks at home instead of days in hospital.

I always love a single photo and so we laid each out on the curly felt for a single portrait, first Elaina, then as she was finished Clay came crawling up to the beanbag ready for his turn, then as he finished, Aiden came crawling in for his turn. It was like they knew what we were doing and were totally on board with it!

The next set of photos we did was a simple white set in their jump-suits. Again they were all so compliant, until I got my phone out to do a behind the scenes video and then it went a little hectic!

Their mum had brought along images from the day they were born at 32 weeks gestation. It would have been a scary time for this family having three beautiful babies born before they were ready.  We captured an image of each of the babies, now one year old and healthy and strong holding their photo from their most vulnerable start to life.  This is an image of hope, strength and happiness.

To finish the shoot we did some family photos, first in studio and then out in the studio gardens. It was a beautiful winters day and they all had matching flannos which looked so good in the lush greenery outdoors.

And just like that we were all done! The family all filed back into the car and headed for a birthday party, which sounds like a great way to end a weekend!

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Johnson Family Photos - North Brisbane Family Photographer

The Johnson family were such great fun to photograph at one of my favourite North Brisbane locations!

This little spot has the best of both worlds with lovely low trees and parkland and a beach where the sun sets over the water,  a rare thing on the East coast of Australia!

It was a little breezy and being by the ocean meant that the breeze had a bit of freshness to it as well.  Teenagers Tenesha and Jordan were not a fan of the wind, rubbing their shoulders and jumping on the spot to keep warm while we got the formalities out of the way and headed into the park.

To be fair, they have only recently moved to Brisbane from Cairns, so even though we have sub tropical weather here and this particular day was 26 degrees, the wind and the evening sun weren't doing them any favours.

Mum Michelle had come barefoot, which I loved! Soon everyone had joined her and the wind and cool evening temperature was forgotten about as we headed in to the sun drenched parkland.

The girls had brought their A game for the photos, every click was a stunner! They ribbed each other on who did the best pose and who took more selfies, sisters are the actual best.

Their Dad works in the Australian Defence Force and was currently on a posting, meaning he hadn't been home in months. He had a one week visit before heading off again, and this was the tiny window that we had scheduled their family session into.  It had been touch and go as our original date was rained out with a storm, but thankfully the good weather returned the next day and we held the session without an issue.

It was so beautiful to see how bubbling and excited the whole family were to be together. Thats what I love so much about family photoshoots, its a time to put the screens away and just be really present with each other. We play goofy games or take a moment for family to really talk to each other and share some of the things you wouldn't normally say, such as things you love most about each other, or in their case, what you missed most about each other.

I could tell they were all happy to be a bit goofy, so we did a jokey photo of  Lance and Dani kissing while the girls make puking and embarrassed gestures. It was gold!

In the last light of day we headed to the mudflats where we created some more beautiful silhouettes, family images and then had an all in water fight!

Thankfully they had expected to get a bit messy and had towels and more in the car ready to tidy up for the drive home.

It was so much fun, I had an absolutely ball and I got the impression the Johnson family all did too!

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Cullen Family - North Brisbane Family Photographer

I could not contain my excitement when this gorgeous family got in touch to book some updated family photos. The last time I saw them they looked like this:

Flash-forward two years and Rose and Claire are bundles of energy, giving their now 6 year old brother Jackson a real run for his money! 

Can we take a moment to really appreciate the awesome clothing choices here? I was so excited when I first saw them, such warm and classic colours that worked so well in both the park setting and the golden sunset photos too. 

With twin two year olds I always knew this would be a fast paced shoot - and it certainly was! 

Thankfully their awesome parents were fully loaded with energy also and we spent a lot of the shoot running around with the kids! 

I always get the expected "formal" photo out of the way first and it was lucky we did because the kids all took turns being hungry or upset after this photo was in the bag. Totally normal by the way, no matter the age of the kids they always get tired of being told what to do pretty quickly. Go figure right? 

So. We do formal photos first and then hte session descends into an hour of mucking around, climbing trees, dancing in the dust, piggy back rides, and more. 

I love this spot because there are so many options for the photos. We start in the parkland and then as the sun gets lower we head out to the beach, and if the tide permits we ca run riot on the mudflats as well. 

This regular change of scenery is also a great trick to keep the kids on side with new things to find and new games to play each time we move to a new spot. 

By the time we were heading to the mudflats it was getting a bit cool, but thankfully not breezy. The water on the other hand was.... arctic.  Ok, ok I know we live in Queensland so it was probably just "Cold" to most people, but no matter which way you cut it, getting your feet out of toasty winter shoes and walking into icy winter sea water is always a bit of a shock. 

Dad had one twin under each arm as we made out way through the first little rivulets and out to the sandy flats. Once we were out there the kids were in their element, racing off in all directions! 

Looking for the sand worms and splashing in the little puddles kept everyone happy, so much so that we photographed right up to sunset. 5.30pm just in case you are worried that the kids were up too late. This is one of the reasons that I love winter sessions! 

Emma and Adam had a quiet moment while Jackson took the twins hands and headed them back to the car, and this would be one of my personal favourite photos from their whole shoot. So obviously still very in love and with a clear adoration of their beautiful children. 

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au 

Baby Ari - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

It isn't often that families with newborn babies and a toddler are early for something, but this family was in fine form!

Hugh jumped out of the car and gave me a quick high five before heading inside the studio to hunt out the best toys he could find to keep himself entertained.

Little Ari was still fast asleep, although getting out of hte car did wake him a little and so he started our shoot with a feed while I photographed Hugh.

This kid has quite possibly the brightest blue eyes I have seen. So happy and sparkly too, it was so much fun to play games like "round the garden" and when he giggled and squealed his eyes would light up even further.

Family photos were next and both Hugh and Ari were really great, although just as we were getting to the sibling photos, Hugh was done.

We moved on to some lovely single photos of Ari, then invited Hugh back.

It was a no.

I created a lovely navy setup using some soft tones and contrasting colours. I always tweak the setups a little as I go and take an extra option that we can include as a digital image using some of hte digital drops I have in my collection. I love playing around with these kind of ideas and extending the final gallery with some simple, clever processes.

By this stage Hugh was back again and this time he was looking to have a photo with little Ari. No, this next part should come with a warning because it is off the charts cute.

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Argh!! So cuuuute!! Both the boys were just amazing together!

It was finally time to finish off the shoot on the beanbag.  I always warn families that with this part of the session, each time we move Ari, he could wake and not settle, in which case we call an end to the session.

Well Ari nailed hte first photo, and just about made it through the second photo but then he woke up and realised he was hungry and so we called it stumps for the day.

They are such lovely boys, it was such a pleasure to spend the morning with this gorgeous family.



www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Scarlett - North Brisbane Newborn Photographer

It all started innocently enough. Scarlett emerged from the car sleepy and calm.

Little did we know.

She slept peacefully through the meet and greet, unsettled a little as I wrapped her for the first round of photos but we made it through those mostly well.

Her parents hadn't been sure about taking family photos but thankfully I talked them round. I always say "You don't have to select the images in your gallery but lets just take hem today and then you will know that i have them if you ever change your mind. "

They said that she had just that morning started taking a dummy, and my gosh I am glad for that dummy! It became our greatest ally during the session, Scarlett not sure about sleeping but very sure about sucking. I have packets of dummies in the studio for emergency situations, sometimes it is the first time that baby has decided they want to suck so I found it good to have some on hand should we need them.

Scarlett certainly lived up to her name, a fiery little girl with a very strong will!  She's awesome!

I tried to settle her into a curly snuggled up shape but she kicked her legs out straight with her knees locked tight. It became her signature pose.

Even with the heat up high and the white noise cranking and the three of us adults all starting to wilt, Scarlett was wide eyed and interested.

With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck we managed to photograph her through the entire workflow, clicking photos milliseconds after her dummy was removed, then replacing the dummy and moving on to the next pose. It was intense and incredible at the same time, her eye contact was so strong.

And just like that the session was finished, she was still sucking her dummy (despite a solid feed and a fully tummy) and keeping an eye on us, making sure no one was up to anything. They headed home for lunch and hopefully a nap for the whole family.

Baby Sarah - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Baby Sarah arrived with her big sister Emily, who bounded out of hte car and told me she was here to have photos done.

And now she is all grown up and a little pocket rocket!  She quickly found a mini camera and started taking photos of me, and then I asked if I could take photos of her.

While Sarah had a feed before we got underway, Emily took centre stage in the studio giggling and playing games with me while we captured her hilarious personality. She loved the little pram I have and so it was only fitting that we captured some photos of her pushing the pram, then later in the session photographed baby Sarah in the pram to create a beautiful sister photo.


Sarah was ready for her shoot so family photos were quickly underway, a very cute moment happened when Mum and Dad were having a little snuggle with their new baby girl and Emily wanted in, her little hand just reaching into the photo from below.

Then it was Emily's turn for a cuddle with her baby sister. Oh holy sweetness, these two girls!! Emily was so tender and sweet snuggling and gently kissing her baby sister on the head. Sarah was wide awake and looking around at all the fuss we were making over the two girls.

With the sibling photos clicked off,  Emily was free to run and play with the toys in the main room while we finished off Sarah's session in the studio.

The family had brought along a sweet pink doll to include in the session and so we created a cute wrapped set looking like the girls were tucked in bed together.

Flowers and headbands were all called to action and we created a beautiful soft toned setup that looked like a dandelion, little Sarah nestled in the centre. Then a pink lacey setup which she was quite happily snuggled into.

Last set of hte day is hte "sleeping on beanbag" flow posing, and for this to work, babies need to be in a deep sleep so they stay put in each pose and don't startle and hurt themselves.

Sarah was not asleep. She was wide awake still, keeping an eye on everything we were doing.

It took a big milky feed, some heat, white noise and a lot of snuggles and swaying to get her to drop off, but eventually she did, and into such a lovely deep sleep that we made it through the entire flow posing set!

Emily was first back in the studio asking if we were done "for real this time?" (I think she misunderstood when we said "you are done" after her photos were finished!) and then said how much she loved playing with the kids kitchen toy and that I needed to tell her parents which shop to buy one from. This kid is gold.

We waved our goodbyes and just like that the girls were gone, very likely for a nice snooze in the car on the ride home.

Margaux - Brisbane Family Photographer

Margaux is an awesome two year old with an enormous personality. When we met at the beach she was toddling around after her pink ball, saying hello to everyone that came by with a smile or a dog. She hid behind her Mum's legs and then raced away from us looking back cheekily over her shoulder to see if we were chasing.

Seriously, she's the best.

Margaux probably knows this already, but her parents are the best too.

Her Dad bought a photography voucher for their family a bit over a year ago, and as happens life got busy and they never got to scheduling their session.

By the time they did schedule their session, Margaux's parents were separated.  But that didn't stop us from having an awesome afternoon out at the beach getting blown about by the sea breeze at low tide.

Margaux had fun playing picnic with her mum and shoulder rides with her dad.  They walked the beach together, Margaux trying her best to play in the small streams of sea water left as the tide receded.

And sure enough, before long....


INSERT PHOTO HERE


When something like this happens at a photoshoot, things can go one of two ways. Either she gets up screaming with fright and sad that she has sand all over her, or...

She jumps up laughing and throws herself into the puddle again!

Before long her Dad was splashing with her and sweeping water splashes to her, then trying to copy her dad, Margaux scooped up handfuls of the black Sandgate beach sand and flung it back at him.

It was the best fun they had the whole shoot, splashing and playing in the shallow water, the late summer evening balmy enough to be fun and not cold.

With the sun dropping in the sky we headed back to the parkland where Marlin the dog was waiting patiently. Margaux fed him some of her afternoon snack and was soon scooped up by her mum who managed to keep clean and dry throughout the splash-fest.  Margaux was treated to a rinse off and a change of clothes for the ride home.

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Munro Family - North Brisbane Family Photographer

Ellie raced up to me and said "Tag you're it!" then bolted back to her Dad a few meters away before I could tag her back!

I could tell right away this was going to be a fun, energetic shoot on a gorgeous winter afternoon.

"Do you like to play games Ellie?" I asked.

"Yes! I like tag and hide and seek!" she says back in her high pitched sweet little 3 year old voice. As she says "hide and seek" she crouches down and hides behind her hands, peeking through her fingers at me. It was the cutest thing!

So to kick the shoot off she played chase with her parents, and of course when they caught her she was smothered with lots of snuggly, giggly kisses.

Next was a game of swing walking, always a hit with the little ones and big ones alike!

Swiping her hair from her flushed pink cheeks she slowed down a moment to enjoy the purple will flowers growing at the edge of the grassy field we were on. The lighting so perfect, her mum looking at the flowers with her, testing to see if they were scented. (they weren't but Ellie pretended they were)

Next thing we knew she was off charging again, with piggy backs on her dad and upside down tickles from her mum.

When she saw the beautiful natural archway of trees over the path we were heading down she gasped - "Its the Evergreen forest!" and immediately started looking in the treetops for fairies and pixies, even hiding behind some leaves to try and sneak up on them.

We walked through the "Evergreen Forest" and stopped for some more playtime on the grassy lawn by the pond, just as the sun was dipping into the trees behind us. The golden light was drenching us all, a beautiful evening for a family photoshoot.

Ellie was still charging around, loving hte game of running circles around her parents before racing in for a cuddle, but as it was getting late in the day she was showing signs of tiring and so we finished hte day with some silly family photos where mum and dad copied everything Eliie wanted to do, like lay on the grass and look for things in the clouds, or put their chins in their hands, Ellie took it one step further and put her fingers in her nose, but nobody copied that thankfully!

As we wandered back to the cars Ellie played with one of my toys, a ribbon on a stick that twirls and dances as you wave it about. A fun and beautiful way to end a gorgeous family photo shoot.

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Veda - Brisbane Baby Photographer

Veda arrived at the studio bleary eyed and disoriented as she was waking up from a nap in the car on her way here. This is exactly how I like to start a first birthday photo session!

With a full tummy, a good rest and a full bank of smiles to use during the shoot, I was so pumped to get started.

This family is particularly special for me to photograph as Veda's mum Nisha took both of my girls through their kindy journey as the lead carer in their room.  Nisha was such a wonderful influence on my girls and there have been many times I can hear her words coming out through my girls voices, from sweet manners "You're welcome!" to songs "I'm a little graduate, aren't you proud of me... "  and sayings "You get what you get and you don't get upset" haha.

So it felt so fitting that I was able to give something back to her family after so many years of her wonderful gifts to mine.

As we got the shoot underway, Veda was so interested in my camera, keeping her eyes on me the whole time and not entirely sure about it.

When I showed her a photo on the camera screen she had a massive smile and a little squeal seeing herself and after that she was away!

Nisha had brought her wedding sari to the session and it was gorgeous. I loved the intricate beading of gold and red, so we hung it as a backdrop and Veda in her gorgeous golden dress was super happy to sit in front of it and giggle away as we made silly sounds and sung songs for her.

Veda's favourite song was "round and round the garden" which brought out cackles and giggles from the first line! She knew the tickle was coming and was already laughing well before it got her.

She had the most beautiful fluffy curls that we pinned back with a clip or a headband, always keeping one soft curl to the front, and her eyelashes were just incredible, so long and full framing her gorgeous brown eyes.

For some variation in the session next we did some pink fluffy layers, and she must have felt happy then because her smiles were off the scale! Theres "big smiles" and then theres these ones!

Her dad got some awesome giggles from her when he tickled her with his whiskers, she really loved the sensation of that.

I quickly changed the colours and captured some lovely natural images before Veda was very much done with us.

With all the hard work taking its toll, Veda was ready for another snooze. We got her dressed to go home and she had a snack and a drink. Her going home outfit was a lovely purple dress, and since she was setting down wiht the snack I quickly threw some purple things onto a backdrop and an adorable floral bonnet onto her head and boom - may I present a cute flowery baby in a basket!

With some more cuddles and snuggles Veda was well ready for another snooze in the car on the trip home, I have no doubt  that she was asleep before they got to the end of the road!

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Martin Family - Brisbane Family Photographer

I love a winter sunset, and when we team it up with an awesome family like this one the result was always going to be epic!

That is the word I would use to describe this session - EPIC!

I loved so much about this family, 6 year old Ethan the pocket rocket who was itching to climb the trees and giggle, 10 year old Hannah who was scared of the sea worms in the mudflats and 11 year old Keenan who just went along with all my crazy ideas!

We met at Brighton beach, and it was so packed with cars! Being a beautiful winters evening with a low tide a lot of people had brought their dogs out for a run around on the mudflats. We kept away from them and headed to the parkland to start the session.

The family had a lovely wander through the golden lit trees, the kids enjoying the dancing and goofing around in the late afternoon sun. The way the dust was kicking up under their feet as they danced was just gorgeous and the kids certainly enjoyed making the most of that!

Next we headed to the beach and as we were walking in I noticed this awesome silhouetted archway in some trees. I sent the family in and captured the most amazing silhouette photo, I was literally on an adrenaline rush from how cool it came up right in camera! I raced over to them, bouncing and jumping with impatience to show off the awesome shot!

As we walked across the mudflats with the sun setting behind them Hannah started spotting the sea worms and trying to avoid them while her brothers were spotting sea worms and trying to pick them up!

We captured some stunning sunset photos, epic scenic shots and gorgeous loved up family photos too. It was such a perfect evening that the water was like a mirror so we used it to create some fun reflection shots, spelling out HAPPY and then relaxing into a more candid one looking to the sunset.

With the light dropped below he horizon and the air getting cool quickly, we headed back to the cars, sandy feet, exhilarated kids and their very sweet parents all buzzing about how much fun the photo shoot had been.

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Isabella - Brisbane Baby Photographer

As her parents arrived and got out of hte car,  little Isabella was sound asleep in the back seat. This is just the way I like to start a sitter session!

Fully rested, fully fed and the energy banks fully loaded for a great smiley morning!

Isabella giggled and smiled her way though all the formal stuff we do before we start taking photos, chewing on a piece of paper and having a great time listening intently to all the things we adults were talking about.

Before long it was time to start the photo-taking!

We settled on a lovely grey background for the family photos and while her Mum and Dad were bringing their A game and happy smiles, Isabella was still warming up to me.

As we looked back over some of the photos on the back of the camera she was right in there as interested as everyone else about how she looked the photos!

By the time we put a cute floral bonnet on her she was very happy, smiling away at me and enjoying the clicking sound my camera was making.  She even lay on her back and smiled up at me which her mum said is something she usually is not very keen on doing!

We moved back to the grey set with an outfit change and captured some lovely photos in her cute jumpsuit and pink hairband, and when the chair arrived for her to stand up with, she beamed the biggest smiles of the day, clearly very proud to be showing off her amazing new skill of standing up!

I love a bit of neutral tones in each session so that was up next, some sweet simple photos where Isabella's incredible eyes and beautiful expressions shone through.

Since she loves standing we did a cute photo in another brightly coloured dress where she is standing in between her parents, holding one hand each. I love how she is barely taller than their knees!

A lovely soft brown set with a pop of pastel pink was the last of the day and Isabella was still loaded with smiles by this stage. I could barely believe it, she was yawning and giggling at the same time.

Which is always a sign that the session is done, our lead model wearing out from all the fun and excitement of their photoshoot.

She was nearly asleep in her dads arms as they made their way back to the car, a lovely quiet family afternoon planned together.

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Baby Miranda - Brisbane Baby Photographer

Baby Miranda was in studio at just on 4 weeks old, a last minute booking to capture her photos at the same age as her hand and foot mouldings.

There was one image request for the entire session... laying on her tummy and looking to camera.

She had brought along her big sister 2 year old Helaina and since Miranda started the session with a drinks break I tried to capture some images of Helaina.

However the Peppa Pig toys in the studio were much more appealing as it turned out, and Helaina was not interested in leaving them just yet.

Soon enough Miranda was ready for her photos and so I wrapped her snugly into a rosy pink wrap and we started with some of the simple, classic portraits. Adding in a simple headband made her even sweeter, but when we put a delicate lace bonnet on, things got crazy cute!

Since Miranda was happy snuggled on the beanbag, we invited Helaina back to give her a kiss and a secret, and this tie Helaina was most happy to come play.  We were able to capture some beautiful images of the sisters together, bonding already. Helaina is very doting and excited about her little sister, and I expect she will be even more so when Miranda is old enough to run around with her!

Next we did a lovely purple set with a floral background. I tried a half wrap for her which allowed her hands and feet out of the snug wrap that she had been in up until now. Unfortunately as soon as she had a little room to stretch, Miranda kept stretching out straight and tipping her head back with a back arch, so in no time flat I had her re-wrapped into a snug little ball with a butterfly wrap this time around.

It was time for the big finale - the tummy photo!

We popped a cute pair of ruffle-bum nappy covers on her, her bearded dad laughing that he had never imagined the sentence "Yes I think the pink ruffle bums are cuter" would ever come out of his mouth.

With little babies like Miranda, so young that there is only a little strength in her neck, I only have a very short window to capture this photo. I had everything fully setup and a few light test shots clicked off before we lay her down on the blanket. Right away she lifted her head and looked around at us, even a little smile of pride on her face as she enjoyed a new perspective of view.

Sure enough, seconds later she was laying back down and relaxing again.

With the shot of the day in the bag, we wound the session up and waved our goodbyes, Helaina bribed away from the toys and Miranda sleeping soundly in her car seat after a long morning of modelling.

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Baby Jesse - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

The first thing I noticed about little Jesse was that, well, he wasn't that little! He has delightfully chubby cheeks and the softest tufts of hair, a sweet button nose and eyes that look like they are talking in everything around him.

His doting parents had driven from the central coast NSW for this session and I felt under a bit of pressure to deliver for them!

With Jesse just under 6 weeks new we had a session lined up to capture all his lovely smiles and inquisitive looks, with the chance of a sleepy photo if he happened to drift off during hte session.

We started with the family photos and they were so fun, little Jesse snuggling into his parents very happily.

I had just come back from a photography convention with some brand new props to try out and while some of hte newborn outfits were too small for Jesse I did get to use two of my new backdrops and a beautiful dress too. For his mum, not for Jesse!

They were so gracious to indulge me a test shoot on my new grey set, with mum wearing a pink dress that is not her colour of choice but trusting me when I promised that I could change it in photoshop to create the soft floaty blissful image I had envisioned for them.

I did a simple set of Jesse laid out on the beanbag, snuggled in with a couple of little teddy bears, and then amped the cuteness up by adding a little teddy bear bonnet to him as well!

The last set of hte day we did as an earthy toned one, some delicious chocolate browns that Jesse suited so well. It took a bit of work to get him into a soft sleep for this photo but it was all worth it when you see the finished result here.

With the session wrapped up and Jesse still sound asleep I put on some lunch for these travellers before they headed back to the city for the afternoon.

It was such an absolute honour to photograph this beautiful family and capture this very special time in their lives for them.

Congratulations again Suling and Ash on a delightful little boy and a very happy family. xx

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Reynolds Family - Brisbane Family Photographer

Winter had certainly arrived for this shoot! It was the first really cold day of the season with gusty winds to boot!

7 year old Isaac and his 5 year old sister Sylvie were both pumped about the photo shoot until I asked Isaac to take off his watch and his face fell into a panic. He was ok once he realised it was only for the photos and he could put it back on again soon.

Thankfully we had scheduled this session at the studio to make use of our expansive gardens where we are tucked away in a sheltered hillside with beautiful golden afternoon light filtering through the trees.

We started the shoot in one of my favourite spots, the stone steps just outside the studio door. Kids love these steps as they look like they lead to an adventure! Some kids think of fairy gardens and others think of bug hunting, but either way they are a popular spot for everyone.

Next we headed out to another spot nearby where we have some beautiful dark green shrubs growing and a big log which makes for the perfect little seat!  I love the deep velvety tones in this area, and they make for beautiful black and white photos here too.

We worked our way to the top of the hill and the sun was sparkling through the tree tops as Sylvie enjoyed a shoulder ride with her Dad. Isaac and his mum shared a nice little hug before we moved on down the slopey grounds to the spacious lawn at the bottom of the hill.

The kids were desperate to run down the hill but in the interest of keeping their clothes grass-stain-free we called in the fun police to make them walk. Once we were at the bottom however, it was a free for all!

Isaac and Sylvie loved racing around the grass, literally running circles around mum and dad before zooming in for a big squishy hug.

The light down here at this time of day is just divine, a golden glow enveloping the family in the last light of day.

With the kids breathless from running and the light dropping below the horizon we finished up the day just as the temperature was dropping to sub zero, or 7 degrees as non-queensladers would call it.

Isaac was stoked to get his watch back on his wrist so soon!

Baby Aiden - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

It was late afternoon when I got the phone call from this family that they were looking for a photographer for their two week old baby boy. Luckily for them, I keep wiggle room in my diary for early and late arrivals and just happened to have a session available the very next morning - so we booked it in!

Little Aiden was snuggled in his car seat as they arrived with his Nanna joining them. I quickly wrapped him up for family photos and we did a lovely generation photo too.

Next up was "classic portrait" a very simple, clear photo of Aiden laying on the beanbag, before adding in a few little things such as teddies and an adorable teddy bear bonnet. We all gushed at how sweet he looked in this photo, his Nan particularly taken with the cute little man.

For something different, we decided on an earthy brown image next. We discussed a few of the props and textures I had in studio, until Aiden's mum Grace requested some leaves and I said "Oh yes! I have loads of those!" So I quickly nipped out to our garden and collected a bag of leaves and twigs together, laid them out on a dark brown backdrop and designed this super adorable earthy autumn image.

For a change of colour we moved to silvery grey for the next set, and just check out this gorgeous big smile Aiden gave me!

I had a bit of fun in photoshop with this setup, creating the heart shaped background from my circular poser.

As we gently unwrapped him, Aiden started stirring and waking, so it was time for a drinks break and a change of set for the final one of the day.

Flow posing on the bean bag is fun, quick and timelessly beautiufl. When babies are asleep.

When they are awake, its a bit of a dud.

Aiden... was awake.

So we spent quite some time settling him back into a soft soothed sleep, white noise, heat, patting, stroking. and snuggling all coming in to play at this point. I always think how funny these moments are when we have 3 or 4 adults all standing around staring a newborn baby urging them to go to sleep!

Soon enough Aiden did drop off into a lovely deep sleep and we shot through he posing in no time flat. He managed to stay sleeping throughout every single pose, which meant we captured all the beautiful relaxed photos that his parents had hoped for.

With the photo session wrapped up Aiden snuggled into his car seat again ready for the ride home. His parents were so doting and wonderful with him, he is very clearly their absolute pride and joy.

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Jasper and Coraline - Brisbane Children's Photographer

I was so excited to meet two year old Jasper and his big sister Coraline, they were coming to the studio for portraits and I love working with children in my studio space.

We decided to do three sets of different colours for their gallery. First up was a brown set and I had a beautiufl fluffy brown flokati on the floor. Coraline was having her hair done and so Jasper was first up in front of hte camera.

As we sat him onto the little set, he immediately jumped back off again, it seemed he was not keen on the feel of the flokati.

So a quick set change by removing the rug and just going with wooden board, but he was too interested in everything in the room and wouldn't stay put.

So I pulled out my trump card and brought in my vintage trike for some photos and BINGO! He was quite happy sitting on the trike, playing with the handle bars and pedals, giggling and smiling his brilliant smile!

Coraline came in next, quiet and sweet as a princess. She was so good at posing and listening to my directions to capture some beautiful images and her photos were clicked off in no time.

Next we brought Jasper back for some sibling photos, but the wiggles were strong in him and it made it hard to capture a sweet image together. So in stead we lay the kids down for a snuggle and a tickle and just like that we had some very sweet sibling photos.

The white background was next, and with all the light flooding around Coraline had a lovely twirly dance in the studio, then Jasper joined her but instead of dancing he was strutting his stuff and it was glorious!

Lastly we headed to the garden, just outside the studio. We have a beautiful large estate of gardens with purpose designed spots specifically created for photos at any time of the day. This means I can offer the unique photographic experience of a studio and outdoor session in the one location.

The kids loved the garden and their photos were clicked and finished in no time then it was off to enjoy the rest of the lovely weekend ahead!

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Declan - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

As this family were unravelling from the car, I could hear a saxophone playing....




The saxophone followed us into the studio, it wasn't coming from the car at all.

It turned out it was on mum Denise's phone, and hold me so I dont swoon from nostalgia, it was Kenny G. I grew up in a house that played a lot of Kenny G and so I was instantly back in my youth, smelling the summer kiwi air with this music in the background.

Flash-forward  to today and baby Declan, the cutest little man in his navy striped jumpsuit was a massive fan too.

Seriously, as soon as we would fuss we would crank up that saxophone music and Declan would settle so quickly. It was like his special kind of white noise.

We captured some amazing imagery of Denise when she was pregnant with Declan, and so it was only fitting to update some of these images in a before/after kind of theme.

I actually love all of these, so in no particular order, here they are!

Firstly, the classic before and after baby photo of reflection and newborn baby:


Then, because my mind never stops thinking, I wanted to ramp it up a bit with a cool layered up graphical design type image from Denise's maternity shoot. While editing this piece I thought how cool it would be to incorporate baby Declan in there to, and so I present to you:


Denise had also brought along a cute little bow and bunny to her maternity session so we included them into a set at the newborn session as well.


And then, something I have never done before, we created a scrapbooking photo!  Using their original frame from their sonogram scan at 20 weeks we updated it with images and new letters documenting Declan at 1 week 6 days.  I absolutely love this one!


Now. Declan had been snoozing very happily most of the session. But..

It was time to unwrap him for some beanbag photos.

The room was hot.

Kenny G was pumping.

Declan was fast asleep with a full tummy.

Until.

Yep, we unwrapped him and it turned to custard. Luckily, with the help of my two amazing assistants (aka Declans parents) we were able to lull and shush and settle Declan into a sleep just long enough to capture the last few images for the his gallery and gosh they were worth it!

Jones Family - Brisbane Family Photographer

We met on one of the most idyllic afternoons Brisbane has ever offered up. A late autumn day with beautiful warm breeze still hanging around from summer, although just the lightest breath of it. The sun gently embracing us and the ocean still and calm, a beautiful peacefulness was all around us.

Enter 2 year old Audrey.

She's awesome by the way, her adorable bright bow on her head, she jumped out of hte car and told me she was pretty.

Her dad is also pretty, just so you know.

Thankfully, eventually, she announced that her mum is also pretty.

Then off she went to explore the parklands by the ocean.

We got off to a rocky start with the family photos, Audrey not really interested in anything we were suggesting. Not keen to snuggle into mum or dad, not keen to walk here and there, not keen to hold hands ore even climb a tree.

In fact, she was so disinterested at this point that she crossed her arms and walked directly away from me, looking back occasionally to throw some shade in the sweetest, sassiest way a two yearly can. It was truly very cute, and I could see that she was not really upset, she was having a bit of a game testing out who was in charge.

Its always the kids that are in charge at my shoots. They are the ones that determine how we go, because for me the most important thing at a session is that we have fun. And parents will always have fun if their children are happy. So keeping the kids happy is my top priority!

Once she had established she was in charge she was much more content to play along with us, showing her mum some shells and climbing trees with her dad.

We ventured further onto the beach and even though the water felt icy cold on our precious little toes, we all mucked into the stream and captured some truly stunning family photos giggling and playing in the last golden light of the day.

On the way back to the car we noticed a yellow flower in a tree and so Audrey picked it and gave it to her mum, it was the cutest little moment and one that I was so glad to be able to capture for this beautiful family.

Baby Samuel - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

It was mothers day when I got an email from a family who I have photographed before. They had just welcomed their new baby boy and although circumstances weren't perfect, they had decided to book in a photo shoot after all.

Baby Samuel was a surprise and a delight to have in the studio, but his big sister Isla stole the show!

She was a little pocket rocket, full of energy and strong will!  The sweetest little co-operative model one moment, then refusing to work with us the next.  She knew what she wanted and she was not compromising, and I really hope she keeps that fiery strength her whole life!

Baby Samuel, just over two weeks old was the opposite personality. Chilled out, sleepy and snoozy. The only time we heard a peep from him was when he was unwrapped, or when he was snoring!

We started with the family photos and they were giggling because the way I pose families feels so unnatural, so awkward and odd, but it looks awesome in the camera! I like to give a lot of direction when posing and I find most people are happy to trust me on it - especially when they look back at the photos and realise that they actually look really comfortable and relaxed in the image!

With family photos done, it was time for sibling photos, and Isla was happy to cuddle her baby brother, but not laying down, only sitting.

And it turned out that she was done with the sitting cuddling very quickly. So quickly that I didnt even get a chance to photograph her!

But not to worry, I have plenty more tricks up my photographer sleeve.

We sent Isla off for a play in the next room and moved on to the single portrait photos of Samuel. He was in such a snoozy state by now that I don't think he even knew he had moved. I have a sneaky trick where I wrap babies up twice, firstly in a constricting flesh coloured wrap, then in a pretty textured wrap. This way I can change the outer wrap without bothering the baby, and it works so well to keep the session flowing!

We called Isla back into the room to give her baby brother some kisses and she was more than happy to oblige. I was ready to capture this one, and they were such adorable little moments where she was staring at Samuel and then kissing him on the head.

She found my little prams and was happy pushing them around the studio so I captured a few quick images of that as well, then when Isla left we posed Samuel into the pram to create a cute sibling photo, keeping Samuel safe from harm at all times.

His mum asked for some deeper colours in the session next so we finished hte day with a really cute dark blue set and it was just gorgeous. The dark blues definitely suited Samuel so well.

And that was that! We waved our goodbyes as they headed off to buy Isla her Hash Brown for being such a great little model and I was left thinking how good that sounds and wondering if we had any hash browns in the freezer too....

Baby Samuel - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

I love when families return with new babies, and since I remember "baby" Isla's session as a favourite from the past I was extra excited to hear from this beautiful family that they had welcomed a new baby boy, Samuel.

This was a session all about the family connection. Lots of family photos and sibling photos with just a few on Samuel on his own.

Big sister Isla had brought her A game to the shoot, lots of sweet little smiles for me and adorable kisses for her new baby brother.

When her mum had the idea to create the pram photo Isla was so excited, until she realised that she didn't get to actually push him in the pram, for safety reasons.

I take this image in two steps, one with the toddler pushing an empty pram and then we send the sibling out and place the newborn baby into the prop with parent hands stabilising it the whole time, then I stitch the photos together in photoshop to create the final image.

Safety is such an important part of my workflow and the first thing I consider when working with babies and children.

So with safety in mind, Isla had her turn with the pram, then promptly wheeled it out of the room.

Thankfully, my mother in law has sent me two identical prams (my 2 girls each got one for their second birthday, and yes they are still toys when they are not props!) and so I can bring in the second pram for the second photo while toddlers wheel the first pram out to the play area and find a doll to put in it.

She is such a doting big sister and I have no doubt little Samuel will be her best friend and biggest ally in no time at all!

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Baby Mason - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Oh Baby Mason, with his thick hair and pouty lips, I was so excited about this session as soon as I met this gorgeous family!

Usually in newborn sessions we start with baby wrapped up, but as Mason is a little older at nearly 8 weeks, wide awake and looking around, we started this session with some unwrapped photos of him sitting so happily in his dads arms.

With the cute already hitting the high notes, but Mason getting a little over having his arms free to spring out and surprise him, it was time to wrap and snuggle. I did the wrapping and his parents did the snuggling.

Mason loved being wrapped so much that he soon dropped into a really deep sleep, even snoring a little bit!

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With the wraps it makes the session so easy to change colours and shapes without bothering our little model, so we were able to capture a lot of variety really quickly by simply changing the colour of the wrap and the curly felt behind him.

I got out the basket setups next and we did a lovely neutral tone, then after looking through some of my digital backdrops, his parents chose the blue flowery image and so we did that one.

While I was fussing over wraps and curly fluff layers, his parents were standing to one side, snuggling each other and just enjoying what a beautiful baby boy they had made, and those sweet little moments are some of my favourite in the studio, even though I don't photograph them.

With older babies, they tend to be more aware of what we are doing at the session, and although Mason was still sound asleep, it was no surprise that once I started unwrapping him for the next set he was soon awake and chatting to us.

With all the preferred colours ticked off the list, all that was left were some super close ups! Eyelashes, toes, curled up fists, its all so delightful to see up close, and Mason's tiny little features were some of the most delicious I have seen.

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au