Newborn photography of 10-day-old Oliver

An international romance led to the very happy arrival of sweet little Oliver, who was just 10 days old when I met him.

Mum Alex is from America while Dad Kevin is from the UK. After three years of making the relationship work with miles of sea between them, they finally got to live together a few years ago. The Oxfordshire-based couple were excitedly preparing for the birth of their first child when I met them earlier this year. After discussing a mutual love of the Cheesecake Factory, we booked in a date for Oliver’s newborn photoshoot and eagerly awaited his arrival.

Happily, Oliver made his appearance in mid-October, and Alex and Kevin headed over to my Bicester studio for his newborn photography session. These are some of my favourites from our shoot:

I love how curled up Oliver is here, nestled in a wrap on a snuggly brown sheepskin. The brown-hued materials continue into the background, with a bowl made from a teak root, hessian fabric and then the wooden floor. All of these rich textures contrast beautifully with Oliver’s perfectly smooth and soft skin.

Oliver was deep in sleep, so it made sense to tuck him up in my special newborn bed:

Sometimes less is more, and that’s certainly the case in this very simply styled portrait. The teal bed adds a wash of gentle colour, while all the focus of the image remains on Oliver’s face and hands.

Then I wrapped Oliver up for a completely different look, with some very snug wraps and then loose, open wraps, too:

Loose wraps mean we get to see Oliver’s hands and feet as well as his face, all while keeping him snug, warm and comforted. This was such a sweet pose I added in a miniature teddy bear and cropped in close for a different look:

Oliver has a firm but gentle grip on the little bear, which I love. It’s only when you realise that this bear is under 10cm tall that you sense how tiny Oliver is!

I like simple, neutral, timeless colours in my newborn portraits, so I use lots of greys, browns and creams, like this soft, off-white backdrop:

I love the position of Oliver’s hands here – one cradling his head, the other clasping his arm. He looks sleepy, comfortable and utterly adorable 🙂

Next it was time for one of my favourite newborn baby photographs:

It won’t be long before Oliver is too big to fit into his dad’s hands like this, so it’s a powerful reminder of how tiny he was when he first arrived.

To finish off the shoot, we captured some portraits of the proud mum and dad with Oliver, first on the white background, then on the black:

You can see just how proud and delighted Alex and Kevin are to finally meet their little bundle of joy 🙂

Grandma Elizabeth had flown all the way from America to see little Oliver. She came along to watch the shoot, so we couldn’t miss the opportunity of capturing them both together:

I love the protectiveness of Elizabeth’s cuddle here, but also how Oliver is cuddling her back, with one little hand reaching out to hold on to hers. I’ve a feeling that Elizabeth will be back to visit again very, very soon!

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 baby photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

(c) Sarah Plater Photography