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!

VIDEO

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

MacDonald Triplets - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

I was lining up for an ordinary week of business as usual when the email came through.

"I have just brought my newborn triplets home and was wondering about a photography session?"

We scheduled for a few days time as this incredible family were not only just-home-from-hospital with newborn triplets, but organising their move to New Zealand in a weeks time. Yes really.

The triplets are all girls - Sienna, Olivia and Amelia, with two identical and one fraternal. How incredible is that?!

To keep the day running as smoothly as possible I had discussed colours and ideas with Alana, the girls mum so that I could have some set-ups created and ready to go when they were here. She like pinks and purples, so naturally the first one I made was blue.

It was a beautiful soft pastel blue and mint tone that looked lovely and fresh and soft for the girls. Its is also a little unexpected colour set which I like too.

Of course once they saw the set both parents agreed that it was lovely and dad Chris was stoked to get a set that wasn't pink since their house has become overrun with hues of pink lately.

As I wrapped the girls one by one, they settled into their snuggly wraps peacefully, little "dolphin" sounds coming every now and then which their parents said was a sign they are happy.

Next we did family photos, which I feel so strongly about. Your babies only fit into your arms for such a short time and they really do grow so quickly,  it is just so important to be photographed with them as much as you can while they are still so little.

If you have ever held a baby in your arms you will know how full your arms are and how it can get heavy after a while.  So for Alana's sake we did her photos in the chair with the babies all snuggled in on her lap, then Chris came in for a photo with everyone too. Next, Chris steeled himself to hold all three at once while standing and did a stellar job of it!

One thing I make a point of capturing at multiples sessions is single photos of each baby as well. Twins and triplets, while being gorgeous together, are still individuals and I feel it is important to honour that with single photos of each one as well as group photos.

With the girls sleeping soundly we captured another set of pink, grey and white, each of the girls getting a single set of photos as well as a few versions of group photos.

We were ramping up for the grand finale - an ultra-flowery photo of the girls each in their own basket, photographed separately and stitched together in photoshop. This image took a total of 9 seperate captures to create, plus overlays and cleanup layers.

It was getting towards feeding time and since un-wrapped babies tend to be more alert and squiggly, we took this chance to feed the girls.  As I unwrapped each one gently, they would spring awake and start asking for milk, it was almost funny by the time we were through them all!

The girls were each so stunning on the curly wool layer that I photographed some closeups as well - and you wouldn't believe it but they all gave me a little smile on the closeups!

It really was the most enjoyable day in the studio, we all has such a peaceful and fun morning capturing life long memories of these beautiufl little girls and their first few weeks.

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Baby William - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

As you likely know by now, I love getting to know the families I photograph and working with them to design creative imagery that is personal to them.

Well, this particular family I could just about gush over all day long.

Everything they tell me, I think "Ooh I can see a photo in that!"

When Tash first contacted me about a newborn session she had no plans for a maternity shoot as well, but she took up my offer of a promotion I had running that included a free maternity session, and it was possibly the best decision she could have made. In her life. Ok probably marrying her gorgeous husband Chris was her best decision ever, but you get the idea.

So this all started a few months ago when they turned up for their maternity session, Tash holding her breath for about the first 20 minutes as we got to know each other.

After that, we were chatting and laughing and everything was so casual and easy.

During the maternity session Chris mentioned how he is in a tap dancing group called Those Tap Guys and so we started thinking of how to incorporate an image for that.

Turns out he is also part of the local volunteer fire brigade. So we talked about incorporating a photo for that.

During a maternity session I also love to create a before/after photo when possible, which Tash loved the idea of and so we got to work.


When they arrived a few weeks later for the newborn session I was buzzing with excitement to share the concept I had for the before/after photo, and of course to meet sweet little William!

He was a little poppet, only just clicking over 6lbs at birth, but so happy and content with his mum and dad.  He was so chilled out in fact that we captured sooo many cute photos, it was really hard to trim it down to a manageable newborn gallery of 55.

We started with the family photos, as I expected, they are stunning.

Then a photo with a Bronco's teddy that was a gift from his Aunty.

Then Chris' tap dancing photo.

Then the firefighting photo.

The before/after navy photos were next, followed by the beanbag sleepy photos. It was about this point that we all fell into a fit of giggles as Tash presented one animal outfit after the other, by the time we were photographing the fourth one we were all laughing pretty hard at how indignant William will likely be looking back on these photos as an adult.  I still think this is pretty funny, and so super cute!


He made it through all of this, and then some. Sleeping soundly, content as could be.

Then Tash mentioned how they have a 2m pet python at home and my eyes lit up "Theres a photo in that!" and I was a little bit gutted that she hadnt made the trip today but there are promises of the python joining us for a photoshoot in future. When I told my children about this they were literally fizzing that it might happen and I suspect they will not want to leave during that photoshoot!

It was a wonderful morning with this gorgeous family and I would certainly love to see them all return (with or without their python) because it was just like hanging out with friends, a couple that are so beautifully in love with each other, great sense of humour and totally doting parents.  You guys are my tribe. <3

Baby Savannah - Brisbane Newborn Baby Photographer

Little Savannah is very lucky to have two big brothers to keep her safe.

One is her two legged brother Mason and the other is her four legged brother Marlin.

The boys were so doting of their new little sister, snuggling her so gently with the most delicate little touches.

Marlin has been a big part of this family since he joined them, taking part in their wedding, featuring in Mason's newborn photos and so of course included in Savannah's session as well.

The focus of this shoot was family photos and sibling photos with both of her big brothers, so I changed my workflow a bit to ensure there were plenty of the images that they had requested and we didnt spend time on other styles of photo that were not requested. I like to ensure that families are recieving photos that they love and by talking through what they want from the session before the day, we are able to spend our time capturing personal images that are just what you want.

Of course I had to capture a few newborn portraits as well, so we did a lovely soft pink set for Savannah to really help her stand out from her brothers!

The family are so used to their life with boys that when they were given a cute pink outfit at her baby shower they were a little confused at first, until they remembered they were having a baby girl!

Savannah's dad is really tall and she was so tiny in his hands that we just had to do a few different styles of "baby in hands" photos for them.

We finished the day with the boys back in the studio, refreshed from playing with the toys and having a snack in the next room. Savannah had a photo in a basket, then we took her out for her safety and brought the boys in for a turn with the empty basket. The resulting sibling photo is just adorable with the two boys looking in on their sweet baby sister.



www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Siblings - Brisbane Family Photographer

Every so often I have a break from photographing young children and take a booking that is just full of adults.  These shoots excite me because it is a chance to work a little differently, and a challenge to entice natural, genuine smiles from people that wont just laugh because you say the word "Undies".

Ooh - did you smile then? I actually did as I wrote it! #bigkidatheart

So this session was booked with the plan to capture photos for Josephine and Billys' mother, a sibling session that Josephines partner Sam gatecrashed. In the nicest way possible though!

It was a balmy afternoon at Bunya Reserve, loads of families and dogs enjoying cooling off in the river.

We pushed a few of them out of the way as we took over a walking track for some beautiful   group photos to start the session.

With the reserve so busy it made sense to head to a quieter area for the next set, and this particular spot had a lovely dark background that looked amazing in black and white, helped as well by the fact that these three were wearing black and white too. I loved the smooth velvet feel of these images.

Josephine was in her element pirouetting in her very cute dress as Sam twirled her in a dance, it was really sweet!

With the light coming through the trees I had the idea to create a tall-ways panorama (I am sure there is a real term for this, possibly just.... panorama)  and to add a bit of fun at the bottom of the frame Josephine hopped up and held herself on the boys shoulders. I love this so much!

As we headed to the next spot I ran ahead to capture some candid walking photos, which the boys started having a laugh by skipping with jazz hands and silly faces.

We finished the session on the boardwalk and since they were in the mood to goof around a little we did some tuck jumps! Always a good laugh these shots!

It was such a great afternoon out and I know their mum will love her birthday surprise!

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Max Fraser - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Little Max arrived perfectly on time with his big brother Blake, Mum, Dad and Nanna with him. 

I had been given a heads up that Blake was not keen on having his photo taken so I steeled myself for some hard work engaging him. 

While Max started the session with a little feed, Blake came into the studio for some photos. With his wariness in mind we started with Dad in the photos too and Blake was so happy giggling away with his Dad that he barely noticed when he moved out and Blake was on his own.  

Well. 

Blake turned out to be the perfect little model! 

He was so great at playing the statue game and gave up his sweet little giggles pretty easily. It was great! 

Max was soon ready for his turn in the spotlight so Blake headed off to play with the toys with Nanna and Max moved into the studio. Rugged up and snuggly he settled into his cuddles with Mum and then Dad very quickly. Blake shot back in for a quick family photo - possibly the quickest I have ever taken - and then sibling photos, again super quick, and that was his job done for the day! 

With the tricky photos out of the way and Max in a lovely snoozy state we moved onto some more intricate setups. The request for hte day was mostly neutrals with some earthy tones included too. 

I popped out to the garden and collected some fresh branches from our trees, laid them out on my wooden drop and included the lovely nest from David Lam Designs. It was perfect! 

Little Max was like a "babe in the woods", a lovely deep serenity about the images. 

Back to the soft neutrals I tried a start type setup next and it was really sweet too. Keeping with neutrals we moved to the beanbag and added in a few pops of colour here and there to add a little interest. 

Last set of the day is always my signature setup, another neutral and one I personally made. I love these tones because they work well for all skin types and the babies are often really chilled out in the reclined position. When they are content we capture a few images of the set, and as Max was really content this was what we did, finishing with my signature "foot photo" in mums hands. I love how tiny the little feet are and how they make kind of a love heart shape in there. 

And since he was so chilled out and Blake was back in the studio looking at what was going on, of course I sent him over to give his baby brother a kiss and a secret, which he idd in the most adorable way possible and we all exploded with "awwww!" throughout the room. 

Argh, these boys <3  The best brothers ever, such sweet little boys and an absolute dream to photograph. 

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Elkins Family - Brisbane Family Photographer

You could not ask for a more perfect scenario for this family session. A gorgeous family, three beautiful children brimming with mischievous smiles and parents who are clearly Very Much In Love. Add in a stunning, balmy summer evening at a local reserve and it was a recipe for delight.

We started with some family photos and the Olivia, Jackson and Katelyn were so good at listening to instruction, 2 year old Katelyn bringing her most cheeky smiles out early on.

Then we shooed away mum and dad and had some photos with just the kids, and as if she knew it would make our hearts explode, Katelyn started tipping her pigtails to the side and giggling like crazy as her older siblings laughed along with her.

To bring some variety to the shoot we moved to a different part of the reserve where it is quite dark and comes up beautifully for black and white photos.

Since the light was dropping by this time we headed to one of my favourite parts of the reserve, the boardwalk!

The last golden light of the day was completely drenching us with warmth and I just love everything about this set of photos.  From the calm meandering river behind them to the rich golden glow around them, the sweet smile each of the children has, this was just divine in every way.

Ready to reload the energy again I sent the kids for a walk a little further up the boardwalk and have tickly, giggly fun moment together. While 7 year old Olivia and 5 year old Jackson were coping well for the end of a long day, little Katelyn was starting to fade. She was trying her best to keep her big smiles up but they were starting to look a little like a grimace, and as cute as she was we started back to the cars. She took her big sisters hand and they walked back to the carpark like best friends.

But when we got to the carpark there was a little river running under a footpath that they decided to have a look at, so we popped them all on there and as they dangled their legs and splashed their toes into the fresh running water I captured some of the sweetest moments of childhood that we have likely all experienced some time growing up.  I particularly love how you can see their reflections in these images too.

Then since the waters edge had emptied out the kids wanted to go have a look into the river, so I kept my camera in hand and captured some sweet little moments of them playing in the river and looking for koalas in the trees opposite.

The sun had well and truly set now and the kids were bundled into the car with a pre-made dinner ready to go for the drive home. The were so cute all buckled in with their lunchboxes out and enjoying a delicious dinner as they headed away.

It truly was a perfectly delightful afternoon.

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Salvadore Family

After being rained out twice, we finally got this family session in on the weekend that a Cyclone was passing by Brisbane!

You would never know it to look at these photos, it was one of the most perfect summer evenings you could ask for. A balmy breeze and golden light filtered delicately by the clouds on the horizon.

We met at Bunya Crossing Reserve on possibly the busiest day of the year. It was chaos! We were all lucky enough to jag a carpark by the river and set off on the tracks to find some quiet spots for the session.

Usually this is a quiet reserve, but on this particular afternoon it was so busy that we must have spent half the session waiting for people to walk by. Not that it affected the end results, these family photos are just stunning!

With the first set done, we found a quieter area of the park and did a few sets with Kookaburra's flying overhead and chattering loudly to each other.

As the main water entrance was super crowded we headed to another spot right on the waters edge for some family photos and some of the resident ducks even snuck into a couple of the shots, what a quack up!

I love photographing the boardwalk in this reserve so we headed there to finish the session with the diffused golden light just getting more divine each minute. I think the kids were getting a bit over my constant instruction by the end of the day but they kept their smiles up for me all the same.

Actually I should take a minute to mention just how lovely Serena and David are. Serena has the sweetest smile, and although I got the impression she was not totally comfortable with a camera pointed at her she was great at going along with my crazy ideas of dress swishing and strutting.

And David, well this guy is so polite he never even corrected me for calling him Daniel for the first half hour of the shoot!   He had an awesome smile that came all the way from his heart and out of his eyes with a warmth that you just feel when you look at his pictures.

Since we were cruising along in the shoot I decided to have a little go with a different technique I have been playing around with lately. It involves using a glass ball to photograph through and create a unique style of image where the centre of the ball is in focus.  I love how these came up, so fun!

With all the main photos and a few "crazy photographer" photos clicked through we were at the end of the shoot!

It had been a beautiful afternoon in the park with this lovely family.

www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Mia - Brisbane Newborn PHotographer

Little Mia was such a little delight, she snoozed her way into the studio, lounging comfortably in her dads arms as I talked through the start of the session. Most babies like to be swaddled for the first few weeks but Mia was so happy just lazing arms and legs out on her Dad.

In no time at all we had done their stunning family photos and it was on to Mia's big moment. The solo part of the shoot. Also known as "the moment parents relax because they are no longer in front of the camera"!  

I do parent photos up first to get the hard stuff out of the way and let parents relax for the rest of the shoot without the dread of being in front of a camera looming over them. I also find that family and sibling photos are a priority for families and by getting them up first it takes the pressure off the session that even if baby unsettles, we got the main photos in early. 

Not everyone likes being photographed (myself included actually!) but I always encourage families to have the photo taken on the day of the shoot because you don't have to select it in your final choices if you really don't want to. But the main reason to be photographed is for your children. Your children don't see all the niggly things you see when you look at a photo of yourself, they just see their mum or dad and how much they love them.  

Mia had been wrapped to this point in the shoot and it was now that we started to unravel her. This  is often when the shoot slows down a little because unwrapped babies are often less settled. But if you refer back up a couple of paragraphs, you will remember that Mia is totally relaxed anyway. 

And so it was that she took out the title of "Shortest Newborn Session I Have Held" coming in at just on two hours from arrival to departure.  Yep. She's a true professional model if ever there was one. 

We kept her gallery clean toned, simple, relaxed and neutral and all of those elements contributed to that short session time as I was able to capture loads of images very quickly as she snoozed. 

And that was it, she was done with a truly beautiful gallery of perfect images in record time. And she is welcome back any day she would like!! 

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Baby Caitlin - Brisbane Baby Photographer

Caitlin is ten months old and already been through more than most adults in her short life, but you would never know it. She's one of the most chilled out, happy little babies I have had in the studio!

Her two big brothers came along as well and right from the cracker of a high five I got from 7 year old Jonathan as he jumped out of the car I could tell they would be awesome.

Joseph was a little more cautious of me at first but it wasn't long before he was hitting the high fives as well, laughing and having a great time all morning.

Family photos are always up first and while Caitlin was a little thoughtful throughout, they were such stunning photos of everyone together.

The boys had turns on their own for some photos next and 4 year old Joseph was great at playing the "Mannequin Game" where I pose him into shape and he holds it still like a mannequin!

I think their favourite part was when I asked them to pull faces at each other, they really got into it!

Caitlin then took over the show starting with a beautiful Cinderella blue set to really show off her stunning eyes.

Since we did blue we then did pink and this was about when the smiles started coming out.

I absolutely love flowers with baby girls so before Caitlin could object I popped the white floral bonnet on her and her dad let out a little "Awww!" at how cute it was!

She had a lovely turquoise blue outfit with her so we matched it up with a backdrop I have in the same colour. Her mum was dissappointed she wasn't smiling much, so she called Joseph in to do his "silly laugh" behind me and sure enough Caitlin was giggling away in no time!

To wind the session up we finished with a Dad-Request.  Dad is a kiwi (Kia Ora Bro!) and had a choice-as outfit for his little girl - an All Blacks tutu dress! Caitlin obviously knows which team to back because she was bursting with more giggles in this cute little outfit!

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Baby Harrison - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Well this session started out very smoothly.  Harrison was lovely and sleepy in his Dads arms even after we undressed and wrapped him for hte family photos he was happy. 

Snuggled into his mum he had a few little smiles, he obviously knew where he was. Then when we brought his Dad in for some photos of the whole family it was nearly cuteness overload as they all cuddled into each other, the most beautiful new-family glow about all three of them!

While he was still wrapped we snuck in a few simple portrait photos of Harrison tucked up with some cute little teddy bears before he started to wake up for his mid morning feed. 

With a nice mix of some earthy toned sets and soft neutrals we soon had the session designed and laid out ready to go. 

It was around this time that Harrison decided it all looked really great too. 

So great, that he couldn't take his eyes off everything. 

Yep, he just calmly watched everything we did for the next two hours straight! It was magic actually, to capture so many gorgeous awake photos of a two week new baby boy. His eyes wouldn't have been able to register much, but that didnt stop him from looking around. 

In between sets I would try to get him to sleep again, we tried white noise, we tried swaying, we tried feeding him more, we tried patting, wrapping, unwrapping, jiggling, shushing, mum, dad and myself all had turns at our best setting methods. To no avail. 

Now dont get me wrong, he was totally content the whole time! He was just happy looking around and taking it all in. Perhaps he had a case of FOMO?  (thats Fear Of Missing Out by the way) 

Anywho, it didnt really matter because as  you can see from these gorgeous images, he was quite the little model for me with his rockstar hair and beautiful deep eyes. 

By the end of the session he finally gave in to sleep and had another short snooze in the last set of the day. It was just enough time for me to photograph his adorable toes before we called it a day and he headed home for (hopefully) a snoozy restful afternoon! 

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www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Brisbane Baby Photographer    |     Brisbane Family Photographer

Baby Annabelle - Brisbane Baby Photographer

One of the things I always encourage families to bring with them to their sessions are personal items.  Often this is a blanket or a cuddly toy or a special heirloom outfit. 

So when a stunning handmade cradle was brought to the studio I was so excited to see how we could incorporate it! Little Annabelle was so tiny in the cradle, it had to be photographed from the side to get the full beauty of this handcrafted piece her grandfather had made especially for her. 

Well, it didnt go quite to plan. We had the set-up ready, it was all styled in soft blue and teal tones to compliment the raw wood, a lovely floral backdrop behind her. We gently laid her into the cradle with her chin on her hands and.... it was a bust. 

Annabelle was not happy, even with some rocking (its a cradle after all - so handy!) and some soothing and patting she was not having it. 

So we went to Plan B. 

See these fancy sort of photos are always created with the help of photoshop in the interest of baby safety. She would never have been cradled off the ground, it would always have been two images stitched together, one of Annabelle in the cradle while it was safely on the ground, then another of the cradle dangling from its handles. 

This is where we need to give some serious props to Annabelles dad - he held that cradle out at arms length for a fair while as I photographed it at just the right height and angle. 

Then just as he thought I was done... I asked him to do it again from the other side! I didnt even need that shot! Just kidding, it was necessary for the other side of the backdrop. 

So here we have it, shot A + shot B + shot C (captured later in the session) equalls one quite stunning image of Annabelle in her very special cradle. 

So the other thing I just have to tell you about this amazing family is how gorgeous they are together.  These two were visibly glowing with love for each other and their new baby girl, it was so endearing to be around new parents with so much joy and love for each other and their new baby.  

They would sneak little kisses from each other while I was checking shots back on my camera, and had those awesome little cuddles where you squeeze a little harder for a moment because you suddenly realise how amazing the person you are snuggling is. 

I always love photographing new families, but experiencing such raw, honest love and joy like there was in the studio that morning is one of the best parts of this gig. 

Newborn Twins Kai and Luca - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Kai and Luca were born 4 weeks early, which is not uncommon for twins, but the cool thing was that they were in studio for their photos at 4 weeks old, the day before their due date!

The boys were just like sleepy newborns, although they had already done a lot of growing and were over 4kg each already. Their delightfully chubby cheeks had me melting from the moment they arrived!

Big brother Joshua was such a cute little character. He was not too sure about me, but obliged for the family photo before heading back out to play with the toys in the next room.  We could not encourage him back in for a photo by himself or with his baby brothers, so we left him to play while we continued the shoot with Kai and Luca who were both sleeping very soundly due to the hot humid summers day.

It was in fact one of the hottest summer days we have had in a long time, 38 degrees and so humid the air was thick. It was the first time I have ever wished to cool a room down for a newborn session. We kept the boys cool by keeping them well fed and cuddling them with their back to a pedestal fan in between shots.

When I photographed big brother Joshua two years ago (oh, and rearly two years because his birthday is only two weeks before the twins!) they loved the colours we used so much that we replicated a lot of the colours and setups into Kai and Luca's session.

As we were getting late in the morning, I had another idea to try and capture the elusive sibling photo of Josh with his brothers.

We realised that he was happy to be in the studio, so long as I wasn't.

Oh.

Luckily I have thick skin and no offence was taken!

So I set up a lovely spot for him to play with some toy cars, popped my zoom lens on the camera and sat outside the door, out of sight. I waited until he was happily playing and then started clicking away, capturing some lovely moments.  He would look up at me every now and then with a little smile almost acknowledging my trickery, a very cute and very smart little boy!

We did the same trick with his brothers, lay them on the beanbag, I stepped out of the room and left him to talk to them and give them kisses, and just like that we had a lovely photo of the boys all together and a great story to go along with it!

The session was soon over and we waved our goodbyes, the gorgeous family off to enjoy an afternoon in some strong air conditioning I expect!

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Baby Jett - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

I was so excited to hear from this gorgeous family. We first met three years ago when their son Caelan was born.  He has a really sweet older sister Grace and now a cute little brother called Jett.

And heres the cool thing about these siblings... Caelan and Jett share their birthday! It wasn't meant to work out that way but babies like to do things their own way and so it is that these boys are "birthday twins" born three years apart.

The day of Jett's shoot was hot - 38 degrees in fact, however it was cooler in the studio, around 30 degrees and that heat must have made 6 week old Jett extra sleepy because he slept nearly the whole time they were here.

There were some sweet little smiles throughout the session, and at six weeks old you know they are real smiles and not just "wind smiles". At one point I was talking away to him and tickled his toes and he cooed and grinned at me, obviously enjoying the game.

When it was Grace's turn in front of the camera she asked to wear a pretty dress for her photos. You should have seen her eyes light up with excitement when I showed her the lacy dress I had in her size! She looked so sweet in it, and as if it was second nature she naturally started posing for the camera, it was adorable.

Next we added in Caelan and then Jett, and oh my world. These three kids.  I had little squeals because they were so cute cuddling their new little brother, kissing him without being prompted, just kissing him because they wanted to.

At Caelans session three years ago we had done a photo on one of the family blankets, so this time we did the same photo for Jett, and just so she wasn't left out we did a photo of Grace as well.

It was time to bring in a splash of colour so a soft blue to match Jett's eyes and then a lovely earthy nest setup.

By this stage Jett had fallen into a deep sleep and I was able to pose him any way I liked, which is exactly how I like to work! So it was a snuggly neutral setup with his siblings again before we really pushed the boat out and tried some cool new images on a white background.  I had a really cool image that I have had in my mind all set up, everyone was in place and literally as I picked up my camera to click the photo Jett had a startle reflex, sprung out of position and started crying from the fright.

It was a case of "so close yet so far" of capturing the photo.

We packed everything down and they headed off for the day, probably to chill out somewhere with air conditioning!