Baby Portraits of 7-Month-Old Mollie

Mollie recently turned seven months old, so mum Jasmine brought her into my studio for some portraits to show off her new ability to sit upright unaided.

We started off with a palette of neutral tones – Mollie in a beautiful cream dress, perfectly poised in front of a dark wood backdrop:

I love how regal Mollie looks here, with the fabric of her dress arranged around her, and a steady, confident gaze straight into the lens of the camera.

We captured a few portraits of Mollie laughing but I particularly like this one, with her animated hands and sparkling eyes.

After a few more minutes, Mollie indicated that she was tired. She would reach out while opening and closing her hands to communicate that she wanted a cuddle from her mum.

“She doesn’t normally need a nap at this time of day,” Jasmine said, apologetically.

I like my shoots to be nice, relaxed pressure-free environments, and one of the ways I achieve this is by allowing plenty of time, particularly for shoots involving young infants. This meant Mollie could catch some ZZZs while her mum and I had a chat.

Without the pressure of time, I can work alongside a child’s needs. Not much good comes from trying to force children through shoots when they are ill, tired or hungry – I’d much rather everyone is in good spirits so I can capture them at their best.

After almost precisely 20 minutes, Mollie woke up. We gave her a little longer to come to, then when she was nice and ready, Jasmine switched her into a soft-coloured cotton dress for some images on the white background.

Mollie is such a happy young thing, with big blue eyes and a superb smile. The best was yet to come, though, as you’ll see here:

2018 has not long started but I’ll be amazed if I capture an expression that beats this one before the year is out! I love how babies and children laugh with their whole bodies, not just their faces.

Did I say something incredibly funny, you may wonder? Did I make a silly noise or sing a beloved song? Not this time – Mollie’s dad was right next to me pulling funny faces when I captured this. Dad had popped out to work that morning but was able to join us at this time in the shoot, much to Mollie’s delight. Dad is clearly the entertainer of the family!

To finish off mum switched Mollie into a very cute red dress. I captured some gentle expressions like this one, as well as some bigger smiles (like the featured image on this post). I love the contrast of the bright colour against Mollie’s porcelain skin, plus her sparkling eyes and adorable cheeks.

Mollie is a real cutie and very sweet-natured. I look forward to welcoming her and her lovely family back into the studio again in the future.

Afterwards, Jasmine said, “Sarah was brilliant with both me and my partner and our baby. She was so welcoming and we instantly felt at ease. The photos she took were as amazing as our experience. Highly recommended.”

If you’re interested in portraits of your baby or family and would like to see my pricing guide, please get in contact by emailing [email protected] or by submitting the form below:

Sarah Plater is a child and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. She is also the co-author of Foundation Portrait Photography and Mastering Portrait Photography (both published by Ammonite Press). Her work has been featured in numerous photography magazines.

(c) Sarah Plater Photography