Newborn photography of four-week-old Nia

New parents Rhian and Mark celebrated the arrival of their adorable baby girl with a newborn photography session.

September 2018 update: The above portrait of 4-week-old Nia has been awarded a Highly Commended by the Master Photographers Association. Chairman Ray Lowe FMPA said, “This is a really good newborn photograph because [Sarah has] done all the elements right… the differential focus… a very good quality composite, the lighting is good, the pose is good; it makes you want to look at it… Mums are going to look at this and say, ‘Awww, that’s so lovely.'”

Nia was born in Wales, weighing 5lb 10oz. After a couple of weeks surrounded by family, Rhian, Mark and Nia headed back home to Bicester, Oxfordshire to settle into life as a family of three.

Their first stop was their newborn shoot with me. Here are a handful of my favourites from the day:

Often, the simplest shots are the best. Here, there’s nothing to distract from Nia’s beautiful features. I love the way her hands are supporting her head, and how softly the light washes over her face.

Newborn toes are the cutest! I love to capture them separately, in this case wrapped in a swirl of grey mohair fabric. In our pre-shoot chat at Rhian and Mark’s house, I noticed their decor featured lots of soft greys. To make sure their portraits would look great displayed on their walls, I used lots of grey fabrics and textures during the shoot.

I love how simple the palette of colours is here: just pale, mid and dark greys. The different textures of each material brings visual interest and background detail, from the loose knit of the mohair wrap to the wild spirals of the wool curls and subtle grain of the wooden floor.

Before shoots, I always ask clients if they have any specific requests, such as heirlooms or props they’d like included in some of the pictures. Rhian’s mum had hand-knitted this blanket and these cuddly toys, so this image was created as a thank you for her. I love how Nia has her arms around the stuffed animals, and how their faces are slightly angled in towards her.

In this one, I think Nia looks like a tiny angel, with her head lightly resting on her hands and her face so serene. The white swoosh of fabric behind her adds to the feeling of weightlessness.

Nia has the most amazing lips, and this pose shows them off beautifully. Again, I love the simplicity of the shot, with just a dash of detail in the pearl headband. Please note that babies should always be supported in this pose. That’s why I’ve created it using two separate shots which are combined afterwards to remove the supporting hands. Please don’t try this at home!

We finished off with one of my favourite images: Nia nestled in her dad’s hands. I love the sense of scale that this image provides, as you can see how tiny Nia is, that she fits so easily in her father’s palms. Again, all is not quite as it seems, and Nia was safely lying down on a special background for this image. Please don’t try this at home either!

Afterwards, Rhian said:

“We absolutely love the photos that Sarah has taken of our beautiful baby girl. The first moment you meet Sarah you are met with a warm, great big smile that never fades throughout the whole process.

“Sarah’s professionalism and attention to detail is incredible which allows her to capture the most beautiful images. Her enthusiasm and passion for her work is clear to see!  On the day of our shoot, I took some sentimental belongings along hoping they could be used in some of the photos. What Sarah produced with them was perfect, and something I would never have thought about doing!

“We will cherish the photos for ever. We can not recommend Sarah highly enough. You will not be disappointed. Thank you.”

If you’re interested in newborn photography for your baby and would like to find out more, please get in contact by emailing [email protected] or submitting the form below:

Sarah Plater is a newborn portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

(c) Sarah Plater Photography