Natural outdoor newborn photography in Oxford

A lovely, Oxford-based couple were looking for a very natural newborn baby photography shoot to celebrate the arrival of their son.

October 2018 Update: My image of this tiny 13-day-old little cherub amongst the blackberries has been awarded a Highly Commended Rosette by the Master Photographers Association.

Chairman Ray Lowe commented, “I love this because of the differential focus… Pin sharp in the eyes then you’ve let everything else drift out of focus. You’ve photographed this natural little thing among the naturalness of the blackberries and I think it’s quite beautiful. It’s stepping outside of the box. It’s doing newborns in a totally different way.”

Both mum and dad are keen lovers of the outdoors, and they wanted their first portraits as a family to reflect that. So we headed out together just before sunset one lovely autumnal evening, at a location near the family home that had special relevance to the couple.

The warm temperatures meant that a simple swaddle over their new arrival’s baby-gro was sufficient to keep the little one cosy and comfortable, while his grandmother was on hand to hold him during portraits of just mum and dad together:

This beautiful spot was backlit by the evening sun, with foliage framing the couple and the wooden lines of the fence leading our eye towards them. Dad stepped out for a second for a shot of just mum and baby…

…and then jumped back in for our first family portrait:

Little one was happily snoozing away, giving me a chance to get this image of him in the land of nod while safely cradled in dad’s hands:

A few metres away was another gorgeous spot, with sun streaming into the frame from behind:

I love how mum and baby are framed on either side by the tall hedges, while the lines of the path draw our eye into the centre of the image.

Next, dad stepped back in, wrapping his arms around mum and baby for this beautiful family portrait:

I took a few steps back to get a full-length version of the pose, this time with mum and dad interacting with each other:

Then we walked on, eventually coming across a blackberry bush heavy with ripe fruit. This offered the perfect spot for another solo shot of baby on his own:

I love how the baby is the undeniable star of the image, while the leaves and berries frame him, add interest and hint towards the season in which the picture was captured.

Mum and dad love natural fabrics and textures, so I nestled baby into a bowl made from the root of a teak tree, lined with a dark brown sheepskin. I captured full-length and close-up portraits, but love this crop shot most of all:

The soft evening light is wrapping around the baby’s face, adding depth and shape to the shot while showing off his features to best advantages (doesn’t he have the most amazing lips?!).

We were coming to the end of our shoot, but had time for portraits of baby with dad, baby with mum…:

…and mum and dad together:

I love the sun streaming through the trees, the connection between the couple, and the way the wind has lifted the fabric tie on mum’s dress, adding movement to the image.

We finished off with one final shot of the family together before walking happily back home, with baby still fast asleep.

After our shoot, mum said:

“This was our first experience of using a professional photographer, and I’m so pleased that we found Sarah. She helped us to capture some newborn family photographs which are going to be very special to us. I found that Sarah was extremely approachable and responsive prior to the arranging the shoot and especially liked how she met with us first to discuss what sort of images we wanted to capture. On the days leading up to the shoot, she liaised closely with us to ensure we were happy with the weather conditions and what time of day would suit our newborn best. For the actual shoot, Sarah helped us to feel comfortable and at ease with the shots, and handled our son with such care. With her help, we managed to create the natural shots we wanted, and came away extremely satisfied with the end result. I would definitely recommend Sarah to other friends, and will certainly be using her again myself. Thanks Sarah!”

Images used with permission; names withheld by request.

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