First birthday photos with Bethany

Bethany was getting frustrated. Every time she crawled off the play mat, her dad – Brett – put her back in the middle of it and she had to start again. That was not part of her plan.

After repeating this several times, she’d had enough. She stood up, took a tentative step forward, then another, and pushed dad’s leg out the way. She realised something was different and looked back over her shoulder. It was as if she clocked that walking seemed to be much quicker way of getting around than crawling was.

Mum Marie was gutted she’d missed Bethany’s first steps, but she didn’t have to worry. For the rest of that afternoon, and from that day onwards, Bethany took to walking like a duck to water.

That meant her parents had very little time to get used to having a very speedy and mobile one-year-old. Bethany is interested in and curious about everything, from the buttons on dad’s printer to the plug sockets on the walls, with those irresistibly finger-shaped holes… Suddenly mum and dad were having to move much faster to stay one step ahead of her.

She’s certainly a quick learner. Brett installed a stair gate in the doorway between the living room and kitchen so they could keep an eye on Bethany while keeping her safe from all the culinary hazards while cooking.

Bethany watched how mum and dad manoeuvred through the gate, and within just a couple of hours she figured out how it worked. She saw that she needed to hold down the two blue buttons to release the catch, but fortunately her hand isn’t yet strong enough to do it by herself. Nevertheless, she keeps trying, building up her grip strength ready for her next escape…

Brett and Marie got married six years ago. They first spoke when Marie commented on Brett’s bright yellow motorbike, and from there they stayed in contact and organised a first date at Oxford’s canal-side pub, The Trout. They met for lunch but the service was so slow and the conversation so immersive that they ended up staying there until 8pm.

During that time, a nearby duck got a bit too friendly and started pecking at Brett’s elbow. He shooed it away and in doing so nearly knocked it off the wall into the canal. They remembered this incident when it came to choosing wedding favours a few years later, and opted for little rubber ducks, which their guests floated in their champagne.

We followed this theme through to Bethany’s shoot, creating some adorable pictures of her interacting with the ducks from their wedding day favours. Once Bethany had seen them, she didn’t want to put them down again, so I think the ducks are here to stay! 

Bethany’s family and first birthday photoshoot with me was actually a surprise gift for Marie on Mother’s Day. Marie had mentioned that it would be really lovely to have a family photo, and Brett did some research before buying a Gift Certificate from me.

Although the COVID-19 lockdown meant a bit of a wait before the family could have their photoshoot, they were at least able to spend that time looking forward to it and watching Bethany speed through her developmental milestones. Don’t grow up too fast, Bethany! 🙂

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If you’d like to book your child’s first birthday photoshoot, or if you have any questions about family photography with me, please get in contact.

Sarah Plater LMPA is an award-winning, qualified, professional 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).