Older newborn photos with 10-week-old Harry

February 2022 update: The above image has just won a Highly Commended in the January 2022 monthly competition run by the Master Photographers Association. Judge Sarah Tate FMPA commented, “I like this shot – I think it’s really cute, I like the fact mum and dad are holding his hands [and there’s a] lovely expression on baby’s face. Editing wise I think you’ve done it beautifully… It is very, very cute and I love the colours. Beautiful expression, well done Sarah; it’s fabulous!”

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New parents Henry and Emily met at a young farmer’s club event, held at a local pub. Henry asked Emily to come and sit next to him, in order to deter the unwanted attentions of another woman who was trying to get to know him better.

They ended up chatting and laughing through the night, and have been together ever since – eight years and counting.

Over that time Emily has watched and supported Henry as he takes part in his absolute favourite pastime: shooting. 

Indeed, he’s even represented England on their clay pigeon shooting team (and won a few bets against his peers as he’s gone on to hit an amazing 199 out of 200 possible shots in competition!).

He can’t wait to teach Harry how to shoot, and has already invested in a starter gun which he’ll show Harry how to use as soon as he’s old enough to hold it.

Emily, however, is interested in something else altogether: competing at livestock shows with her pristine Holstein cows.

She knows everything there is to know about perfectly formed median suspensory ligaments, wedge-shaped withers and thurls with the correct height and spacing. 

All that knowledge is down to the fact that Emily’s parents are dairy farmers, with a main farm around their property.

The family have a second farm where the young stock are kept, and one day a house came up for sale right on the boundary of that second farm.

Emily told me there’s no way they weren’t going to buy it, so now she has the world’s shortest commute to work where she checks, feeds and looks after those little calves.

All that practice caring for and nurturing new arrivals on the farm has translated well into parenthood, especially in terms of patience and understanding.

Indeed, the toughest bit so far has been going from a decent amount of sleep to three-hour naps.

But this is more than outweighed by the highlights of getting to know little Harry: watching him stretch and yawn as he wakes up, interacting with him, and those precious smiles when Harry looks up and grins at his mum and dad.

Those are the moments Emily and Henry hoped to capture during their newborn photoshoot with me, and they were especially keen to get a nice image to go on the wall above the living room sofa in their country farmhouse.

Hopefully you’ll agree they’ll be spoilt for choice 🙂

“My partner and I had not considered pictures before the arrival of our little man, however after a traumatic birth and seeing his changes every day, we decided that we wanted to get some pictures we could treasure forever. Little man was 10 weeks at the time of photographing, and Sarah was more than happy to deal with an older new born. Before the shoot Sarah was quick with responses and made everything clear as to how the shoot would work. On the day, we walked into a beautifully presented and warm studio and were instantly relaxed. Neither my partner nor I are very comfortable in front of the camera, but Sarah made everything so light hearted and easy. She handled our little man amazingly and We felt very comfortable letting Sarah work her magic with him. At the end of it all we have a bundle of beautiful photos that we will keep close to our hearts for many years to come. Highly recommended.”

Emily, newborn photography client from Buckingham, Buckinghamshire

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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).