Newborn & Family Portraits with 11-day-old Joseph

When their baby, Joseph, was born, dad James couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. Looking at his baby’s face for the first time, James saw the features of his father and grandfather reflected back at him.

Joseph scrunched up his little face and to James – desperately tired after four days on edge at hospital – his baby seemed hyper-real.

“We’ve got a CGI baby!” James told his exhausted wife, Laura.

Laura rolls her eyes as she retells the story. After eight years of marriage she’s very used to James’ unique, always honest and often funny way of experiencing the world.

Indeed, I was lucky enough to be at Laura and James’ wedding. One of my favourite memories of the service was the Pastor telling us about a church trip to Egypt, when he first found out that James had a secret talent.

The group were tired and hungry from their travels, and desperately searching for some familiar food. James stepped forward, raised his nostrils to the air and sniffed this way and that before summoning everyone to follow him.

They did as they were told and two minutes later they found themselves beneath the Golden Arches of the local McDonald’s…

Well ok, maybe the story has evolved in the retelling, but it remains true that James enjoys everything that life offers, including good food, high quality workmanship and time spent with loved ones.

He and Laura have been enjoying getting to know Joseph over the past 11 days. Laura loves his little yawn and smiles while James loves his big, wise eyes. The time so far has also been a bit of a blur, with so much to learn and a new way of life to get used to. But you can already tell they are going to be great parents: James spoke highly of his wife’s persistence, while she praised his determination – skills very much needed in a family home.

The pair always knew they wanted to be parents someday, and now that moment has finally arrived.

What are they looking forward to most? Laura can’t wait to get to know Joseph and watch him change and develop. James, meanwhile, can’t wait to buy him a Mr Frosty Ice Crunchy Maker, a Scaletrix set and a quad bike… Sounds like these boys are going to have a lot of fun! 🙂 

After our shoot, Laura said:

“Thanks again for a wonderful photo shoot last week. We love all the images and everyone we’ve shown has been really impressed. We can’t wait to have some of these pictures up around the house.”

Laura, Newborn Photography Client from Stanford-le-Hope, Essex

James added:

“Our new born photography experience with Sarah Plater was exactly that! An experience. We received a detailed and well put together information pack one we booked our session which gave great confidence that we were dealing with a professional who clearly thinks of every detail. On the day, Sarah made us feel very comfortable and provided us with refreshments throughout the session. She even changed our baby’s nappies!!!!! For that I should have paid double!! Sarah’s creative approach was a joy to watch as her gentleness with our baby was again very reassuring. We left the session very happy and even talked about returning once our son is a little older. The finished photos were absolutely stunning and it’s clear to see why Sarah Plater has so many awards for her work. If you are looking for an award winning experience instead of just a photo shoot, I highly recommend Sarah Plater.”

James, Newborn Photography Client from Stanford-le-Hope, Essex

If you’re interested in newborn portraits or family photography in and around Bicester, 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).