Christmas Portraits of Rory and Seb

If you’re looking to get gifts for grandparents (and celebrate the best time of the year), then a Christmas Portrait Session could be just the ticket.

I’ve photographed Rory (5) and Seb (2) as part of a family shoot before, but this time they were here for one of my 2018 Limited Edition Christmas Portrait Sessions.

This very special time of the year is an opportunity for something a little different: magical lighting and a celebration of some of our favourite Christmas rituals, like opening presents, pulling crackers and drinking milk and gingerbread cookies.

I switched on the fairy lights and asked Rory and Seb to get comfy for some very relaxed and joyful portraits together, including this one on the Flokati rug:

I love their cheeky grins here. The boys are very simply dressed in timeless white T-shirts, but the soft, out-of-focus dots of light in the background add a touch of Christmassy sparkle. I then captured individual portraits of both boys with the fairy light background, including this one of sweet little Seb:

Next the boys switched into their Christmas pyjamas and got comfy on my second studio set-up, a family bed:

I played a few games with the boys, including making some animal noises. The boys got the giggles and started reacting as though I was delivering moments of comedy gold. That gave me the opportunity to capture the simply brilliant expressions above. I love how snuggled up they both are and how adorable and cuddly they look in those grey cotton PJs 🙂

As the laughter subsided we had a moment of calm, resulting in this affectionate kiss from big brother Rory. There’s a lot of love in this image!

Rory had spotted my Christmas sack full of treats and presents early on, and was eager to start ripping them open. I handed both boys a wrapped gift each, and they shook them and poked at them to see if they could guess what was inside. The lightness of the parcels had Rory momentarily concerned: “Is there definitely something in here?” he asked.

“Why don’t you open it and find out?” I replied. Rory didn’t need to be asked twice. In mere seconds ribbons and wrapping paper were flying across the room and a white box emerged underneath. Rory squealed with delight when he opened the lid to find a cute little stuffed toy nestled inside:

Seb soon opened his too, and was rewarded with a matching little soft toy. Both boys hugged the toys close, admired them, then competed to see who could throw theirs the highest 🙂

All this fun is thirsty work, so I brought out some milk in beautiful, old-style milk bottles, with mint-coloured paper straws:

The boys hoovered up the drinks quickly, eager to get started on the cookies!

I love these big smiles of anticipation – both boys had been particularly looking forward to this moment! The gingerbread taste wasn’t quite what Seb was hoping for, but Rory was more than happy to help him out by tucking away both cookies!

There was time for one last cuddle together, resulting in a beautiful portrait of the brothers that will look good on display at any time of year. The boys and their mum started packing away when Rory walked over and said, “Thank you very much, Sarah!”. And then, in a whirl of shoes, clothing and gingerbread crumbs, the boys were off back home to tell dad what fun they’d been having.

Afterwards, mum Rachel said:

“Thank you sarah for making it so much fun for the boys (you’ve got the patience of a saint). I can’t recommend Sarah highly enough. ”

If you’re interested in one of my Limited Edition Christmas Portrait Sessions, please get in contact by calling me on 07832 196657, submitting the form below or emailing [email protected].

Sarah Plater LMPA is a qualified, insured and DBS-checked portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

(c) Sarah Plater Photography