Newborn & Family Portraits with 8-day-old Kitto

On the morning of our newborn photoshoot, 8-day-old Kitto was propped up at home between his brother and sister. Albie (nearly 6) and Avery (4) were taking turns to chat to him and show him some of their favourite toys.

Entranced, Kitto’s gaze followed their every move, every object they placed in front of him. But most of all, he studied their faces. He’s just over one week old, but somehow Kitto already knows that these two siblings are VIPs in his life, and he’s started looking up to them both.

Maybe he remembers Avery’s voice from all the times she spoke to him through mum’s pregnancy. Maybe it’s because Albie is always checking up on him and making sure he’s ok. Maybe it’s because they’ve both already given him so much love and attention.

These are the feelings we wanted to capture during Kitto’s newborn shoot. Mum Amanda was looking for some beautiful family portraits, some of her children together, and lots of little Kitto on his own, to join the collection of images from Albie and Avery’s newborn shoots.

Dad James flicked through their older children’s newborn photos while Kitto was feeding, showing me his favourites. Both he and Amanda love to look through them and remember how small and tiny the children used to be just a few short years ago.

“Each one has been so different, right from the start,” Amanda told me, “Albie was a very easygoing baby (once we discovered his dairy allergy was causing him stomach upset, that is!). Avery was very alert and awake. And now Kitto is super-sleepy. We have to wake him up to feed him during the day, although he does like regular cuddles through the night!”

Every time mum or dad pick him up, Kitto just melts into them, settling into a deep sleep. But his deepest sleep of all came during the noisiest, liveliest part of the shoot…

Newborn shoots are long and boring when you’re four and five years old, so we planned everything so that we could do the family and sibling portraits first. Then, Granddad would whisk Albie and Avery away so that we could concentrate on Kitto newborn shots on his own. This way, the older children wouldn’t get bored during Kitto’s shoot.

So off we started, and Kitto’s energetic siblings got involved in all my games with gusto. But despite the noise, Kitto didn’t even sneak a glance at all the commotion. He was content in a milk-drunk stupor, safe in the knowledge that his brother and sister were right there beside him.

Because that’s the difference with siblings, isn’t it? Your friends come and go, but brothers and sisters are always your brothers and sisters. Right from the start these two have given Kitto a warm welcome. And that’s why he’s happiest when they are nearby.

After our shoot, dad James said:

“We had a fantastic experience with Sarah for our newborn and family shoot. She made us feel very relaxed and also did a great job engaging with the children and keeping us all calm. How she managed to get them all looking so angelic is a miracle! The photos Sarah took came out even better than we had ever expected and we can’t wait to have them hanging on the wall! We really enjoyed our session and we are already planning the next family session when the newborn baby is toddling. Thanks Sarah for the fab photos and a great experience.”
James, Newborn Photography Client from Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire

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