Newborn photos with 19-day-old Oliver

August 2021 update: The above portrait has just been awarded a Highly Commended Rosette in the Master Photographers Association (MPA) Maternity and Newborn monthly competition. Judge Sarah Tate commented, “I think this is rather lovely; nicely posed, nicely lit as well… Lovely parent shot with a newborn… well done Sarah!”

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Sarah and Nick met in France at an Irish bar. Sarah was on placement for her biology degree, studying algae formation in Nantes, while Nick was passing through on a trip with friends. They saw each other, shared a drink and then went their separate ways after swapping phone numbers.

After a few calls together, Nick detoured his companions’ travel plans so he could take Sarah out on a date. They went to a traditional French restaurant, where locals sat on alfresco tables, enjoying wine from the nearby regions with their food, and became a couple from then on.

The long-distance romance continued for five years, with the pair taking turns to drive between Sarah’s student accommodation in Portsmouth and Nick’s home in London.

Then, Nick bought a beautiful little thatched-roof cottage in a small Oxfordshire village, and Sarah moved in a couple of months later.

After her course, Sarah worked as a carer, saving up for a five-month around-the-world trip with Nick, taking in Asia and South America.

They had planned another epic trip last year to to the Galapagos Islands for three weeks, to see the blue-footed boobies, iguanas and giant turtles.

The pandemic has meant that they’ve had to delay their trip, but now they’re looking forward to taking Oliver with them in a few years’ time instead.

In the meantime, Nick is most looking forward to buying and building Lego sets with his son as soon as he’s old enough to enjoy them. Nick loved Lego as a kid, and has been watching all the new sets that have come out since then, eagerly waiting for the moment he feels he can justifiably start buying them again!

Nick has a deep love of nature, starting from when he kept pet frogs and insects as a boy. He’s always wanted to have a tarantula, but for now has opted for more traditional pets: Rupert and Obi, the couple’s two ginger cats.

Sarah and Nick have known each other for ten years and been married for three of those. They opted for a relaxed wedding, where the groom was finishing painting homemade signs for the venue on the morning of the Big Day, before rushing to the church with paint on his hands. 

The ceremony took place at their local village church, followed by a celebration in a nearby field filled with bell tents set around a hog roast, and all their friends and family in attendance.

Just a few short years later and they have a family of their own. At first, Sarah hadn’t been sure about having a Newborn Photoshoot. In fact, Nick was surprised when Sarah told him she’d gone ahead and booked one with me, but she had decided she really wanted to capture Oliver’s brief time as a tiny newborn – and I’m so glad they did!

Now they can add the photos from their latest adventure – parenthood – to their collection of photos from their travel adventures, from France where they first met, all the way around the world and back again 🙂

After our Newborn Photoshoot, Sarah said:

“As a new Mum I was anxious about how we would get through a photo shoot with an unpredictable baby. I needn’t have worried, Sarah is a pro and guided the session completely, put us at complete ease and if we needed to stop for a feed or nappy change, that’s what we did. Sarah was so patient with my little one and has a great ability to capture the exact kind of photos that you are after, I fully recommend! We had a great time during the shoot, she is lovely to work with and we are very pleased with the resulting pictures.”

Sarah, newborn photography client from Oxfordshire

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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).