First Birthday Cake Smash with Imogen, Kingsley & big brother Avery

If I was to describe Matt and Holly’s family, I’d opt for fun, loving… and very, very busy.

I photographed sweet four-year-old Avery as a newborn (see the photos here) and again when he was six months old (see the photos here).

The delightful twins Imogen and Kingsley joined the family a year ago (see their newborn photos here).

Now the twins have just celebrated their first birthday and are hitting all their other milestones, too, most noticeably getting around unaided.

They no longer remain in the same place they are put, and often disperse in opposite directions, keeping Matt and Holly on their toes!

“People think twins feed and sleep at the same time,” Holly told me, “but it’s more like looking after two completely unrelated babies. They are totally separate individuals, who want different things at different times.”

Big brother Avery enjoys having the twins as an audience to his antics. He also loves swimming and jumping, and he has more energy than a whole lorry-load of Red Bull drinks!

The family booked a day off work to celebrate the twin’s first birthday, and headed off to Paradise Wildlife Park as a special treat, where they spent a fun day getting up close to lots of unusual animals.

Matt has been a great supporter of my business from the very start.

As any small business owner knows, the encouragement and, yes – the patronage – of friends and family can make the difference between a business that succeeds and one that struggles.

A talented video editor himself, Matt and I worked together for several years, spending our days chatting and laughing as we created content for an online photography learning platform.

I am a huge advocate for equality, and Matt and Holly’s approach to parenting really embodies this idea.

They split their allocation of parental leave down the middle, with Holly taking the first six months and Matt the second.

We often hear and talk about the barriers that women face to access their rights, but from Matt’s experiences it’s clear that systems and organisations still have a long way to go in enabling and encouraging men to take an equal role in their children’s upbringing, too.

Matt and Holly’s approach was very much visible during their twins’ first birthday photoshoot, with all hands on deck to change outfits and nappies and to sing, dance and tickle, too.

As a result, their children will grow up with two role models who give them equal time and attention: and there’s no birthday gift the twins could receive which is more important than that. ?

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If you’re interested in a first birthday cake smash photography session in Bicester, Oxfordshire, please get in contact.

Sarah Plater AMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

She is the Master Photographers Association Young Families Portrait Photographer of the Year 2022 and Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).