Newborn Portraits of four-week-old Ellie

When you’re embarking on the great adventure of raising children, you want to do so with the right man by your side. Here’s how Shirley met hers. 

Shirley and Steve met at a UK university. Steve was helping to organise events for the expat community, such as Chinese New Year. Steve was in his final year while Shirley was in her first, and he was clear about his intentions. He wanted to become a police officer so that he could be a force for good in the community, and he definitely wasn’t looking to settle down yet.

After Steve graduated, the pair kept in contact via MSN messenger. Then Shirley finished her degree and headed back home to Shanghai. She was getting on with life when – out of the blue – Steve messaged her.

He had decided to make his first trip over to Shanghai and wanted to take her out for dinner. Shirley was happy to put a date in the diary but didn’t think anything of it.

On the day, however, she was delighted and surprised to find Steve had booked a table at the restaurant in the Grand Hyatt – an iconic building with a panoramic view of the city skyline. Dusk was approaching and the outlook was stunning. But Steve was behaving a little… well, oddly.

He kept looking at his watch.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Shirley asked him.

“No.”

He kept checking his pocket.

“Have you lost something?”

“No.”

He seemed anxious but Shirley couldn’t work out what was wrong.

“I had no clue what was about to happen,” she told me, “But then just as the sun set, he pulled out a ring and asked me to marry him. I couldn’t speak for a while, I was so taken by surprise! But when my voice returned, it was with a ‘yes’!”

The happy couple lived together in Steve’s home county of Yorkshire for a while, where they married and had Emily (now 6 years’ old) before moving to Bicester a few years ago.

“We first heard about Bicester when we came shopping at the designer outlet one day, and I loved it so much I asked if we could move here. It’s such a well-connected town, and the green spaces are a welcome change from the built-up inner-city of Shanghai.

“My mum comes over for a couple of months at a time, and I’ve taken Emily over there every summer, too. I’ve tried to teach her Mandarin, but as I’m the only one she can speak it with, she’s not very interested at the moment!”

There’s plenty that Emily is interested in, however: she loves sport, piano and working hard at school.

Shirley says, “I’m so proud when she receives praise at school – it’s such a huge moment when your children start to achieve things independently of you.”

The family of three were looking forwards to becoming four when their baby, Ellie, made a dramatic arrival: an unexpected home delivery after the hospital turned Shirley away, saying her labour wasn’t far enough along yet.

Happily, Steve’s character and police training meant he stayed incredibly calm and helped Shirley through the birth until the ambulance crew took over at the very end.

“Steve is the best dad,” Shirley told me, “He’s patient, caring and so loving towards the girls.”

And clearly he’s great in a crisis, too!

Indeed, baby Ellie couldn’t have joined a lovelier family. That must be why she looked so content throughout her photoshoot with me 🙂

After our shoot, Shirley said:

“Sarah is an outstanding photographer! I can’t recommend Sarah highly enough not only does Sarah has an amazing eye for capturing the photographs, she also has an incredible ability to create a calm and fun atmosphere. We are very lucky to have been able to have a session with Sarah. From the moment we met, I felt totally relaxed and confident in her professional ability. She has captured the most stunning and entertaining pictures of our four weeks old daughter. Spending time viewing the final images was extremely helpful and her suggestions for the products were very much appreciated! Last but not least Sarah is wonderful with baby/children she has a lovely approach and friendly manners! I enjoyed every moment of our photo shoot and thank you for capturing the wonderful photos of our daughter that we shall treasure forever! If you want relaxed yet classic photography I would highly recommend Sarah thank you for your amazing work!”

Shirley, Newborn Photography Client from Bicester, Oxfordshire

If you’re interested in newborn portraits or family photography in and around Bicester and/or Oxfordshire, please get in contact:

Sarah Plater LMPA is a qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.