Maternity photoshoot with Jess and Matt

May 2022 update: The above image has just won a Highly Commended in the most recent monthly competition run by the Master Photographers Association. Judge Sarah Tate FMPA commented, “I quite like this one; I think it’s really, really good, well thought out [and] managed very well. The connection between the two is lovely: the first thing you look at is the bump which is lovely and then you go to the connection between the parents. Well done Sarah!”

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Jess and Matt met at university: Jess was in her final year when a friend introduced her to Matt.

They found they had a lot in common, from their love of eating out and trying new foods to going for runs together.

Jess and Matt are an outdoorsy, sports-loving couple, but at first Jess had never been interested in learning to ski.

Matt, however, was a big fan of the slopes, so during their initial five years together he gently but persuasively expounded on the thrill and beauty of the pursuit.

Eventually, Jess relented and gave it a go only to find… she absolute loved it.

So much so that the couple went skiing on their honeymoon, and now they can’t wait to fit their little one for his or her first ski boots in a few years’ time!

While they share a lot of hobbies, their personalities are quite different: Matt is very laid back, while Jess is more of a worrier.

They are hoping baby will end up perfectly in the middle: motivated but not too anxious!

Their baby will be the first grandchild on Jess’ side of the family, which means her mum is especially excited to meet the little one.

He or she will be joining the couple’s fur baby, seven-year-old Whistler, a Hungarian Vizsla.

Whistler has so much energy she’s been joining Matt on his runs throughout Jess’ pregnancy, keeping him company as he gallops through the fields and meadows that back on to their home.

Jess told me that dogs have sometimes been able to sense when their owner is about to go into labour, so she’s interested to see if Whistler picks up on anything as the day of baby’s arrival draws near.

Indeed, that day can’t come soon enough – Jess and Matt have waited so long to have and hold their own little one, and can’t wait to finally get to do all the things they’ve been looking forward to most: from teaching him or her to ski through to simply cuddling up on the sofa together with Whistler as a very happy family of four 🙂

“I’m so pleased we chose to work with Sarah for our maternity shoot. The images she created are beautiful which I’m sure is due to how relaxed and comfortable she made us both feel on the day. We laughed a lot throughout! It was extremely well planned from the guide we received in the post to the telephone prep meeting and shoot itself. I would not hesitate to recommend her or book again for family pictures in the future.”

Jess, maternity photography client from Northamptonshire

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If you’re interested in maternity photography and you’re based in or 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).