Newborn and Sibling photos with 12-day-old Ruby

January 2021 update: The above portrait has just been given the Silver Award in the Master Photographers Association (MPA) Maternity and Newborn monthly competition.

Judge Elli Cassidy commented, “I adore this image… what I like about it very much is [that] it’s a beautiful pose but it’s [also] a really relaxed pose. You can see all the fingers and toes but the hands look relaxed, the baby looks relaxed, [and] you can see the downy hair on the face and the cheeks – I love all the detail you’ve managed to capture in the skin. Your editing, your lighting and the posing is really nice, well done… Gorgeous little white shot.”

Read on to see more images from Ruby’s newborn photoshoot!

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Hugo didn’t mind too much when he first found out that he would soon be promoted to big brother. That all changed when he found out mum was expecting a girl. Hugo had been looking forward to having another boy in the family and when he heard otherwise he was livid.

He started to tell everyone that the baby in mum’s tummy was a… frog. Mum and dad decided to back off and not mention the new arrival for a little while.

Months later, the family were clearing through old toys in Hugo’s room and he mentioned that he wanted to save this and that for his little sister. He sounded like he was finally coming round to the idea 🙂

Then as baby’s due date drew near, Hugo started getting excited. Whenever anyone asked him about his sister, he would excitedly reply that he couldn’t wait to teach her lots of naughty things.

What these naughty things might include (blowing raspberries? silent but smelly farts? dinosaur roars?) is, apparently, A Big Secret. Hugo has recently started a phase where everything is a secret, from the decorations on the family’s Christmas tree to what gifts he’s hoping to unwrap on 25 December.

Luckily, Hugo’s already written his letter to Santa, which means mum and dad know what to buy him: lots of soft toy dinosaurs. Hugo adores dinosaurs. Indeed, when the family arrived for their newborn photoshoot with me, Hugo proudly showed me his dinosaur socks, and even told me which dinosaur species they were, and whether they were of the herbivore or carnivore variety.

When he’s not learning about dinosaurs, Hugo can be found helping dad Tristian with DIY projects in the shed, or doing arts, crafts and baking with his mum, Pippa.

Like me, Pippa is self-employed, and has built an incredible beauty business that she runs from her home salon with the help of two beauty therapists. 

Pippa previously worked as a sales call trainer, and was advised to take up a hobby to help manage the stress at work. She decided to learn how to do beauty treatments, planning only to use her new skills on herself, friends and family. But her services proved so popular that two years later she found she didn’t have enough time for both her job and her new fledgeling business.

She decided to pursue her own business and hasn’t looked back since. Indeed, she can’t wait to get back to serving her clients as soon as her new arrival is settled in.

Pippa’s favourite moments as a family of four so far have been the ones that we so easily take for granted: cuddles on the sofa together, everyone safe and content.

And that’s the plan for the afternoon after our shoot: a day at home, just being with each other and enjoying life as a family of four 🙂

After our photoshoot, Pippa said:

“We booked Sarah for a newborn shoot but the results were so much more than that. Sarah ensured that we had some beautiful family shots, as well as priceless shots with our 4 year old and newborn. Sarah was super interactive with our 4 year old and made the whole process fun for him. I would not hesitate to recommend Sarah, a very talented photographer and lovely person to work with.”

Pippa, newborn photography client from Bicester, Oxfordshire

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).