Personalised 9-day-old newborn baby photos

Newborn photoshoots are often emotional: a much longed-for baby, the life-changing experience of becoming a parent for the first time, and the sadness of missing loved ones who your baby won’t get to meet.

I always personalise every session I do. That could be as simple as tailoring the shot list to include some of mum and dad’s favourite poses, or using fabric colours that matches the decor of the family home. But I always ask one other question: are there any heirlooms or special requests that you’d like me to include in your shoot?

That’s because I love it when clients bring along a special item, or ask for something that they haven’t seen before – and perhaps don’t know even if it’s possible – to make their shoot completely unique to them.

The special item could be a handmade shawl, blanket or outfit, created as a gift by a family member. Or it could represent the memory of a much-missed loved one, as with the pink toy above and the treasured cap below:

This beautiful baby’s shoot was extra-special on both counts. We were lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents join us for the first hour of the shoot. As well as capturing all the different family combinations, mum had an additional request: could we recreate the photo of baby supported by hands, but include each of the grandparents’ hands, rather than just the parents? Yes, absolutely – and what a special image we’ve got as a result:

This little one is surrounded by so much love already, from her wonderful parents to grandparents and wider family members who have travelled from all over the world to meet her.

I hope that in years to come these images will remind her not only of how much she was treasured by her family from the start, but of all those who came before her, too.

After our shoot, mum said:

“Sarah was absolutely fantastic. The whole process was relaxed and easy. Before the studio session we had a video chat with Sarah, I also shared with her the props I wanted to use and the photos from her portfolio that I liked. Sarah’s studio is lovely and comfortable, we had both sets of grandparents with us, a few of which were not keen on photos, but Sarah made us all feel at home. We all enjoyed the session and she got the best out of us! Sarah is a total baby whisperer, and managed to keep our baby relaxed and posed the way she needed. We were so impressed and also learnt a few handy baby calming tricks from her as well! I asked Sarah to include an extra pose on the day and she managed it seamlessly. Little accidents did happen but Sarah was fab and sorted these out effortlessly! We even got some tips on how to get stains out..! The viewing session was lovely, I loved every single photo Sarah showed and went for the full digital collection, as there was no way I could narrow it down. I would strongly recommend the new born photo shoot for a lovely day with your baby and ending up with some priceless photos as well. Sarah is a lovely person, skilled photographer, and with her attention to detail you are bound to get amazing results.”

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 an award-winning qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).

*Names have been withheld on request.