Waiting

Counting the days until we meet.

Loving you all these months.

Starting our lives together, forever.

The wait is nearly over.

There is a certain stillness during our pregnancy, amongst the craziness, the worry, the endless appointments, (and for some the endless feeling sick, tired, and sore), that during those moments we can marvel at what our bodies can create, relish in the feeling of wonderment at this tiny human that will be a huge part of our lives and to imagine holding our baby after all those months.

No more so than this mother awaiting the birth of her new baby, she isn't new to this, as being a mother to a teenager she has been well versed in motherhood already. This birth however will almost be starting anew. Excited is an understatement.

Love Life

There is no wealth but life

~ John Ruskin

Evolving
Spiritual
All-encompassing
Emotional
Love
Life

The beginning of life, the meaning of life and the one that begins yours. Your life will never be the same again. And remember, take one day at a time, don't think about yesterday, live today and tomorrow will be another day.

Beautiful Miss V, 13 days new. Loving life with her loving family, she is one very lucky little girl.

Sunny D

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself

~ Joyce Maynard

Beautiful Diya came into the studio for her newborn photo session. So tiny, so perfect, so wonderfully loved by her parents. We were all feeling the heat that day however, as it was the hottest day so far, but little miss was very chilled out!

We all know as parents how in love we are with our children, but that instinctive, instant love as soon as you hold your newborn baby is just an amazing feeling.

 

Beau-tiful

Your sweet and beau-tiful soul
A heart full of love and warm cuddles
An inquisitive mind full of wonder

May your days be fun-filled and never dull
Enjoy all that you are and can become
Our little beau, may your life be full

Be Beau-tiful, Beau

Loving you

One became two and you became three.
Three wonderful children.

One day of you
Turned into One week, One month
Then became ONE year

Your days spent in my arms.
Eyes fixed on mine.
My heart is finally filled.

Those tiny hands (and feet) etched in my mind.
Grew into chubby fingers wrapped around mine.
My heart is finally filled.

My baby, my little one.

******

My gorgeous, cuddly little man turned a year old at the end of last month (he shares the same birthday as his older brother who turned 3 that day). Those days have been nothing short of memorable in so many ways. The days are long, but the years are very short, as I have come to realise over and over with my children. Most of all this time around. I am holding on to all that encompasses being a mother to a not-so-little baby. And taking in every little moment with all my children. Hug tightly, love completely and openly, laugh (until you cry at the good and the not so good times!), and enjoy the ride to wherever the journey to parenthood takes you.

Mama Love

Love.

The connection.
The simplicity.
The beauty.
The everlasting bond.

Between mother and child.
There is no other feeling.
Pure and simple.

Love.

The joys of pregnancy

Giving birth and being born brings us into the essence of creation, where the human spirit is courageous and bold and the body, a miracle of wisdom ~ Harriette Hartigan

9 months of nurturing, growing and loving your baby. The miracle of life taking hold and making itself right at home in your ever growing tummy.

9 months of enjoying, caressing, believing, imagining and dreaming.

9 months of becoming a mother.

Mothers-to-be. There is no greater force of nature. You are all amazing.

 

 

 

 





'Memories...'

'...light the corners of my mind.

Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were'

A great song from one of my favourite films 'The Way We Were' with Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford (who constantly reminds me of the similarities between Jennifer Aniston and Barbra Streisand and Brad Pitt looking like Robert Redford - or is just me?! ;)) ok, ok I'm going off on a tangent here!

This blog post is all about 'Memories' and I was inspired to write it after last weekend, when on an impromptu visit to my best friend's family home, for a long overdue catch-up to see her parents, (who practically adopted me from the age of 11!) her mother was sorting through a large box of loose photos. We all sat and went through them all, and looked at their wedding album. All the photographs were a treasure trove of great times, bad hairstyles, drunken nights, and great celebrations.

Times forgotten, the parties they hosted over the years, people that are sadly no longer with us, and the myriad of times gone by that were very enjoyable. They were there to reminisce over, to physically hold 'the past' in our hands, and in some ways reflect on how far we'd all come since those days.

There wasn't mobile phones back some 20+ years ago to take photographs with and instantly download to Facebook. We owned film cameras, with rolls of films that we gathered up over time and sent them all off in an envelope and waited on them to come back. There was none of the retaking of numerous photos in order to get the right angles - they were taken as is, bad angles and all, some out of focus and some we wondered how on earth did that get taken, who took it and what we were doing at the time.

Being in a very digital age, everything is uploaded and backed up on our computers, iPads, iPhones and media related sites. Every client wants the digital images, but then are just left on a disc or USB hidden in a drawer somewhere over time. We don't physically hold those memories. They are just on a flat screen at a flick of a button. I'm so encouraging of clients who come to me to own a print, a canvas, something physical to put on display, on a mantelpiece, on a chest drawer, on walls. To look up at from time to time. It's a conversation piece when people come round, it's a reminder of times gone by. Happy, wonderful moments, and some that we reflect on for different reasons.

Very philosophical thoughts, and so it should be. They are our little reminders of 'the way we were' (to quote the Barbra Streisand song). I love that certain aspects of our lives come to the fore every once in a while. Those photos we were looking through the other day was a classic example, and it's a very nostalgic feeling. Wedding albums are another heirloom piece, and one which I will be passing on to my children, and hopefully they will pass on to their future generations. They will get all the photos and the canvasses that we have taken over the years (and maybe they'll just be put away into a corner in their loft space) but over time they'll be reminded to take them down and look through them and remember their precious memories. It is all about making a personal timeline.

Because of this I thought of ways in which to get potential clients to realise that having something physical to hold on to is very important. So, I decided to introduce a hard cover, coffee table, bound book (10x10)* into the Full Newborn Photo Session Package (more details of the package can be found here). This sturdy, and very heavy book will be preserved in it's own box, and it will be a beautiful reminder of your precious baby**. Their very own first personal timeline.

*Other sizes are available at an additional cost, please enquire for more details and pricing.

**This coffee table book can also be purchased separately should you wish, for those of you who have had a newborn photo session with me previously, and/or for your baby, child or family session booked. Please enquire for more details.

Newborn Photography - Safety is Paramount

Newborn babies, aren't they precious, gorgeous and delightful. Yes, all of those things and more, and we'd like to keep it that way, thank you.

In our saturated world of photographers, newborn photography is growing, figuratively speaking, by the day. The rise in popularity of having your newborn photographed has come a very, very long way from the generic one-pose photo that was done at your general hospital, it has become more focussed (excuse the pun) for a host of different poses and set-ups. With this, it has become a situation whereby some babies are put in a very worrying situation.

Take for instance this pose here, known as the 'froggy' pose, or as I like to call it the 'burping' pose. Now I've seen babies being compromised just so that photographers can achieve this pose. In no circumstance should the baby be put into an unnatural position, whereby their safety isn't number one priority. And only then, with newborn photographers who have undergone extensive training and handling babies the correct way can we begin to achieve certain poses such as this, and this pose is a composite of two photographs stitched together. Don't EVER assume baby is left unattended to pose this way.

Educating potential clients is a must.

Two people are on hand on the baby at all times to ensure baby is comfortable and steady, with no pressure to their joints or being restricted. If baby is wholly uncomfortable with any aspects of posing no photographer should enforce it. Period.

I needed to say something on this matter, because for me, photographing newborns (your baby) is a very skilled, specialist field. It requires gentle handling, safety and great patience. Please do your research. BANPAS http://www.banpas.co.uk/ is an association that actively promotes baby safety, and one that I am a member of. Recommendation and feedback from others that have used certain newborn photographers is another source.

Your baby + our dedication to this profession = happy individuals.

Let's keep it that way.

A small window

Time. We are all consumed by it. We live by it. We set our clocks by it. And we all agree that time is so important.

We get up on time, we get the kids to school...on time. You're getting the gist.

Time as we know it, goes by so quickly. There is only a timeframe in which to do certain things. We wish we had more of it during the day, just to get those 'things' done! We lose time doing monotonous daily tasks, but for me personally time has one meaning for me. Existence.

The very existence of past, present and future, our TIME.

I wish I had my time again to relive special moments in my life. Moments with relatives that have now sadly passed over, or times with my first child, to enjoy those moments of him being a baby, and being so small, but then I am grateful that I got to relive it in other ways with DS2 and now DS3, but I don't have those wonderful, tiny details of my DS1, I never had any professional photos of him when he was a baby (I wasn't a photographer back then). Do I regret not having photos of him with a photographer? Of course I do, yes!

Having photos done of your newborn is the last thing you want to be thinking about, and wish to have done. That is why I always emphasise the importance of booking your chosen newborn photographer when you are at least 6 months pregnant to ensure that the photographer you would like has availability when you are due, as the newborn photos are done during the first 14 days of baby being born, to ensure those sleepy-womb-like poses that you have come to love.

So, on that note, don't waste time, book your newborn photo session now!

Hello, long time no post!

Yes, it has been a while since I have posted on my blog, but for good reasons as you know. I have been on maternity leave tending to my gorgeous newborn baby boy. He is now 16 weeks and I can't believe where that time has gone! Looking after 3 boys has been testing to begin with, but I think we're all finding our groove in a bustling household.

Without further ado, these are photographs of my baby boy from a few days old until now.

7 days new

3 months

With his big bro

I am officially back in the studio and will be posting up a couple of gorgeous newborns that I photographed this week and also why booking a newborn photographer is a wise investment.

If you go down to the woods today...

...remember to wear comfy, practical shoes.

The big kid and I ventured to Woburn woods during the Spring term break. There is something so magical, primitive and to be totally honest, quite scary about walking amongst the trees. It was quite busy however, with people casually wandering around (like us), walking their dogs, jogging and a few mountainous bikers on the trail that they have there.

Of course I took the opportunity to take some photographs whilst we were there, much to my son's delight! Not! I took most of the photos on my medium format, which I will need to have processed soon. The rest I took on my digital camera, one of which was this:

So, if you go down to the woods today, pack a camera, the light that comes through the trees is magical, oh, and yes, wear some comfy shoes! And you may just see the Easter Bunny!

Happy Easter everyone!

You are my sonshine

You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. 

And if you treat them like sons,

they'll turn out to be heroes,

even if it's just in your own eyes. 

~Walter M. Schirra, Sr.

 



Patience, patience

Patience is not the ability to wait

But how you act while you're waiting

~ Joyce Meyer

And I did act as calmly as possible to try and get a decent photograph of my two, it's an impossibility at times, and from experience I just bide my time and I do eventually get that shot. Here are some of the outtakes...

And here is one of the resulting shots that I manage to get when they managed to sit still for two seconds. Granted my youngest is 22 months, so this is a VERY difficult age to photograph, but my (nearly) 9 year old isn't that compliant either!



Mixed emotions

So...I'm currently 28 weeks pregnant, and counting!

I have my days when I'm tired, day's when I'm nervous (about the impending arrival), and days when I am so excited I can't contain myself. Hormones...aaaah such a wonderful thing.

[Today, if you're wondering, is a 'tired' day.]

The realisation of becoming a mum to three children is quite a thought, one that hasn't quite sunk in yet. I sometimes wonder how mum's of three or more do it? Three different personalities to contend with must be mind numbing at times, but hopefully joyful!?

And a question that has been going around in my head lately, when do you feel like you're done? I mean really done? I do have days when I think, love, you're in way over you're head looking after just two, what possessed you to have another? And then thoughts of how lovely having a large family would be. The chaos, the different personalities running ragged around our bustling home, and even now, being pregnant, whenever there's a newborn baby I'm just reduced to putty, so god knows what I'll be like again in a couple of years time. I can say this now, I know, but my thoughts may soon change on that one once baby number 3 comes along.

What it boils down to is that going from 3 to 4 means a much bigger car, making more room in your home, etc, etc. then it's more or less the deciding factor in knowing when to stop. It's just that it sounds so very final. I am blessed to have another child, the understanding that other's aren't so lucky, I have had the experience of losing a much wanted baby during the first trimester of my second pregnancy, and it is devastating, so it's not always been a bed of roses.

Maybe the deciding factor is how it affects the rest of the family, us mother's can at times (very rarely) think selfishly, more often for the right reasons, but we take into consideration every other family members point of view (whether we like it or not!) or maybe like most of us it boils down to finances, but that's another story.

All this thinking is taxing on my brain!

Blame it on my age...or hormones!

A Beautiful Life

I have been creating, nurturing, growing a beautiful new life...due May xoxo

How beautifully everything is arranged by Nature;

as soon as a child enters the world,

it finds a mother ready to take care of it. 

~Jules Michelet

 

 

My love for photography

Photography has long been a love of mine, it stems from childhood. Peering through my grandmother's albums of generations past. I was always intrigued and fascinated who they were, what they were wearing, and when it was taken. The black and white portraits were captivating, and I would look at these photographs time and time again, always seeing something new within the composed photos.

I never once assumed what camera did they take them with, but I get quite a few comments on 'what kind of camera do you have' with the assumption that said person was given my camera their photographs would undoubtedly come out the exact same. (Yes, people do assume this, believe me).

I once read in a blog post:
Once upon a time a photographer was invited to have dinner at the home of a nice couple. During dinner the wife comments to the photographer “Your pictures are beautiful. You must have a great camera.” The photographer nods politely. After finishing dinner the photographer comments to the wife “That was a fine meal. You must have some great pots!

And that resonated with me. I don't mind anyone asking what equipment I have. Do I shoot in natural light/studio light etc. I love talking about photography. But I do worry that people are duped into buying very expensive pieces of equipment, without fully understanding the mechanics of what a camera can do.

I'm a Nikon girl, always have been. It just 'feels' right in my petite hands. I started off with a second-hand Nikon D50, and used that for approximately 3 or 4 years, and was still my back-up camera when I upgraded to a Nikon D80, which I have had for 7 years (and still use to this day). It took me a loooong time to fully appreciate what both camera's can do. I studied the manual (yes, really), researched online, and took every aspect of learning about photography by the scruff of the neck, and still feel I have a lot to learn.

Last year I purchased a medium format camera with 120 film. I love the novelty of what film does, waiting for the negatives to be processed. Unlike the have it now world of digital (one click and voila it's there, I wait patiently for the lab to finish processing my endless reels of film to be send back from the lab).

Photography is an expensive hobby, so invest wisely and learn the basics of the craft. There are so many teaching tools online, forums and other photographers who are willing to share what they do. It's a learning curve, but an enjoyable one. Regardless if you have a very basic camera, keep practicing, take your camera everywhere with you.

Above all enjoy it, I never tire of using my camera, creatively it what drives me to try different things, learn more and more importantly learn my tool to the best of its ability. Above all it will be you who will make that everlasting image. Moments can't be replicated, make sure you document or capture those times.

And besides, who wants to be the same as everyone else? Find your style, for me, it's taken me a very long time to find mine, but I'm getting there!

My eldest boy taking with 120 medium format film:

Soft, sweet moments

I cherish those moments, of quiet, stillness and calm. Those moments are very few and far between in my life, and because of that they are so much sweeter.

The noise that encompasses my daily life are filled with chatter, laughter, ideas, gossip, play, story-telling, and so much more, this is a reminder of memories to be shared, moments to be realised and more importantly that life is full.

My loves, my life. Fills my heart with joy.

One step at a time...

My baby is gaining his confidence each and every day with taking a few more small steps at a time.

I look at how he's working his way around, trying to balance, tentatively getting to his destination with a few wobbles inbetween, but proudly displaying that he can do it!

Suddenly my boy isn't a baby anymore, but a growing, inquisitive, loud human being, exploring his world, one step at a time...

On another note - his sleeping pattern feels like its going back to the baby stages, another long-winded night of him crying on and off. I am mindful at the growing changes within him, coupled with his molars coming through and maybe more of an awareness of his surroundings. Whichever it is, it's wearing us all down with lack of sleep - zzzz!

My Movie from Sheree on Vimeo.

It's a new dawn, it's a new day...

So far my week has passed by quite quickly, the fact that it's already mid-week and two more days until the weekend pleases me somewhat.

The last 48-72 hours, has been filled with sleepless nights due to the 15mo incessantly waking up at an un-godly hour, and when he does fall asleep, I've gone past the tired stage and struggle to get back to slumber....but when I do eventually fall back to sleep, the baby awakes again and, well, rinse and repeat.

Sleepless nights is like water torture. I love my sleep, and when a new day starts I'm so over-tired or I get second wind that I feel ok - but by the late afternoon, my brain starts to hurt and the tiredness hits, big time.

This isn't new to me. Those sleepless night has played a part pretty much on and off now for the past 8½ years, so in a way I'm used to it (or rather you just grin and bear it). It's almost like gold-dust to get that 7-8 hours sleep, aaah the thought of EIGHT HOURS KIP! I can only dream (that is if I ever get to sleep to dream) and well what's the saying? 'Sleep is for wimps' oh yes, oh no.

Tomorrow's another day...

On a lighter, more brighter note (!) I had a fab weekend with meeting some amazing families. First up the A Team as I'll call them, they were very sweet, and I personally love this image of them all. Love the fact that Master H is pointing out.

And then I had the pleasure of photographing another family, consisting of some very cool adults and their cool mother (photos to follow), but for now you may recognise this beautiful young lady. I photographed her 4 years ago, and yes, bark seems to be the theme.

This was a photo session we did a few years ago, and I still to this day LOVE the lighting in this image.

 

To today, where she is looking so grown up, and I love her hair colour. (Miranda Kerr anyone?!)

And just because the next image is just personally what I like best, a natural 'out' there outtake...yup, that hair colour is amaze-balls isn't it?

Right, I'm tired. Off to bed methinks...