Family and Maternity Shoot in the Lavender Fields

Nadia is expecting her second child. She wanted to capture the magic of pregnancy plus the anticipation of becoming a family of four, all in an unusual and beautiful location.

We met on a beautiful summer evening at a picturesque lavender field. The rows of blue-purple flowers hummed with happy bees as they buzzed from stalk to stalk. The air was scented with the soothing aroma of full-bloom lavender. It was perfect.

I spent a few minutes interacting with Louie so he would feel comfortable having me around, then we headed straight into the lavender.

I used a series of mini-games to guide Louie into what I needed him to do. Here, he’s running towards me, eyes straight into the camera, while mum and dad smile behind him. I love the bunch of lavender clutched in his hand, and the slightly exotic shape of the tipi in the background.

I cropped in a little closer for this next shot, with Louie still holding on to his bunch of lavender. I love how sparkly his eyes are, and how the out-of-focus shapes of the lavender in the background echo the flowers in Louie’s hand.

As well as capturing the family together, I also wanted to have shots with all the focus on Nadia, and a few with just her and her partner:

To keep everyone relaxed and occupied, we walked a loop through the lavender fields, stopping here and there for the portraits. When we came across this patch of sun slicing through the shade of the trees, I knew it was the perfect spot for a shot of Nadia on her own:

I love how the light draws your eye straight to Nadia. She looks absolutely stunning in this full-length maternity dress, which complements the lavender flowers perfectly.

Next it was time for just the boys, having fun and being silly together:

I love how the rows of lavender pull your eye into the centre of the frame, and how Louie is suspended in midair due to the timing of the shot. Every time I look at this, I remember him laughing with delight as his dad threw him up again!

I love this next shot of Louie amongst the lavender for several reasons. Firstly, there’s his intense and serious gaze, which connects with you when you look at him. Secondly, there’s the volume of luscious lavender surrounding him on all sides. Thirdly, it’s the sense of scale the image provides. The lavender rows are only a couple of feet tall, and here Louie just rises above them. Louie is such a bright, article and characterful young chap that it’s easy to forget he’s only two years’ old! Seeing him just above the height of these lavender rows reminds me that he’s still so young (and all the more impressive for it!):

The sun was starting to head towards the horizon as our shoot came to an end. It gave us the perfect opportunity to finish off with a final family portrait amongst the lavender, with the soft evening sun filling the frame with warmth and atmosphere:

Afterwards, Nadia said:

“We had the best time with Sarah and would recommend her to everyone! We booked in for a maternity shoot for my second pregnancy and the results were more than we could have hoped for. Not only was Sarah super helpful during the planning stages, she was amazing on the shoot too. My little boy had the best time, especially with it being outdoors and shot in the evening! Sarah made us all feel so relaxed and we had an awesome time! There are no ends to her talents… if you are thinking of getting in touch do it now! Looking forward to when my little one makes their appearance for our newborn shoot with her too!”

Nadia Watts, Maternity Photography and Newborn Photography client from Bedfordshire

If you’re interested in maternity photography or family photography and would like to find out more, please get in contact. You can email me via [email protected] or submit the form below:

Sarah Plater is a maternity and family photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

(c) Sarah Plater Photography