Newborn photos with 16-day-old Evelyn

I first met this lovely couple at their maternity photoshoot with me (see the photos here).

It’s been a whirlwind love story for Rich and Chloe, who met online using the Tinder app a few years ago. The day after their first date, Rich met Chloe’s entire family.

They’ve not paused for breath since, having gone through a complete renovation of an older property together, and becoming first-time parents just after the main works were completed.

But there’s one story I particularly loved about their time together: after they’d been together for a couple of years, Rich suggested he and Chloe go jewellery shopping.

He took note of the kind of style that Chloe liked, then secretly popped out to Milton Keynes to buy an engagement ring, which he kept hidden for a while as he planned the perfect proposal.

Then, when walking around a lake in their home town of Brackley one day, Rich suggested they set the camera up on a tripod to take a photo with both of them in front of the lake.

However, instead of wrapping his arm around her like he normally would, Rich got down on one knee instead, securing a very happy ‘yes’ from Chloe (after she’d recovered from the surprise!).

Of course, this ruse only worked because Rich is a photographer himself, which meant it was believable that he’d be willing to go to some lengths for a photo.

He particularly loves two genres: landscape photography and dog photography, particularly portraits of the couple’s cockapoo, Stan.

However, Stan has worked out that if he refuses to comply with Rich and Chloe’s posing requests, he might get bribed with a treat.

Now, Stan turns away as soon as either Rich or Chloe hold up a camera or even their phones: this four-paw’ed model charges for his time!

Stan became super protective of Chloe as soon as she became pregnant and showed a lot of interest in the baby’s new room, so the couple were interested in how he’d react to having baby Evelyn in the house.

In fact, he hasn’t minded at all. He’s been sleeping outside of the couple’s bedroom to keep Evelyn safe, and as soon as he’s allowed in each morning he jogs over to the Moses basket to peer in at his new ‘sister’.

I imagine they will soon become the best of friends, especially when Evelyn starts weaning and has some food to share with him!

By then Rich will have two models to bribe next time he takes out his old Minolta camera to create some images. He would love to upgrade to a Nikon model, soon, so he has access to even better sensors, lenses and features, but has been waiting for the right moment.

I think perfect little Evelyn’s arrival might just make this the perfect time to invest, especially as these first 16 days have already gone by so quickly, and Evelyn is already getting bigger and more alert.

She has her mum’s cute nose and her dad’s forehead (especially when she’s frowns!), and loves nothing more than a sleepy cuddle in her parents’ arms.

Chloe told me her best investment so far has been a baby sling, freeing Chloe up to move around while Evelyn enjoys feeling warm and safe cocooned up against her mum.

That means Chloe can help see to the final details of the beautiful home she and Rich have renovated together, ready for Evelyn to grow up in, alongside her best friend Stan.

Indeed, Chloe, Rich, Evelyn and Stan are now a perfect family of four, all thanks to that very happy ‘swipe right’ just a few short years ago. 🙂

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If you’re interested in newborn portraits or family photography in 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).