Maternity Photoshoot with Julia and Ethan

A photographer from America, Karen, recently got in touch.

Karen was super excited that her UK-based daughter, Julia, and her partner, Ethan, are expecting a baby, and wanted to gift them a photoshoot to celebrate their imminent arrival.

So I created and sent off a Gift Certificate and was delighted to hear from Julia a few weeks later.

Julia told me that she and Ethan met at university a few years ago.

Ethan’s family lived three hours in one direction; Julia’s three hours in the opposite direction.

But in the US, distance is relative and a few hours in the car is nothing at all.

So they split their spare time with both families, driving back and forth together from uni to home.

After graduating, funding and scholarships brought them to Oxford where they lived for a few years before moving out to a more rural location recently.

They are enjoying the community feel and the quieter pace of life, and have even made friends with the local ducks.

Like her mum, Julia is at her happiest behind the camera.

However, her favourite subjects are landscapes and macro shots of flora. Ethan particularly loves a recent image of hers of a group of tiny, intricate and quietly beautiful mushrooms.

They don’t always adore being on the other side of the lens. Which makes it all the more meaningful that they made the time to step out of their comfort zone to celebrate the pregnancy and capture the excitement and anticipation of imminent parenthood.

Julia and Ethan share a very similar sense of humour and love American comedy (especially a recent show created by the writers of Saturday Night Live).

It doesn’t take much for one of them to start laughing – and once Julia starts, it’s hard to stop. Ethan says he’d love their baby to inherit her laugh, which he absolutely adores.

Equally, Julia hopes baby inherits Ethan’s way of caring for other people.

Both suspect that their baby will arrive a week early, and they are increasingly ready and impatient to meet the small person who will reshape their rhythms. It was such a joy to document this in-between season for them – that quiet pause before everything changes. 🥰

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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 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).