I first photographed this gorgeous family when baby Leo arrived in August last year. I remember he was one of the most smiley and chilled out newborns that I've photographed (despite being awake and super alert the whole time) - and not much has changed now that he is 8 months old! It's such a pleasure being asked back to take new family portraits as babies and children grow up and helping to document the ways in which they've changed.
Baby photography - what age is best?
After the early newborn stage, the 6-8 month age is a wonderful time for baby photographs, when outdoor photo shoots are feasible, especially in the gorgeous spring weather! It's a milestone age in that babies are sitting and exploring, and are so curious about everything around them. In child photography circles, these are known as 'sitter' sessions. We photographers love them because babies at this age are just super cute, with chunky cheeks and legs and the most adorable expressions! It's definitely an age to treasure. This session with Baby Leo is a great example of the sort of expressions and behaviour you can hope to capture during a family and baby photo shoot - he absolutely loved being outdoors and was fascinated with the grass and magnolia petals that had fallen on the ground. Apparently it was one of the first times he's touched grass! We made sure to take some photographs of his sweet little piggy toes in the fresh air and the photos of his delight as his daddy tickled his feet are just priceless! More than anything it's just wonderful to see - and photograph - the love and joy this family have for each other.
Family portrait photographer
This family live in North London, so Hampstead Heath was a natural location for our photo shoot. We were really lucky with some late daffodils and early bluebells - as well as some beautiful pink magnolia blossoms which only seem to last a week or two. These made such a sweet backdrop for some individual portraits of Leo, as well as some photos of his mummy giving him lots of snuggly love. As usual, my advice for clothing for outdoor family portrait sessions is to wear neutrals, pastels and denim, which don't fight for attention against all the flowers and foliage. Leo's mummy's cream silk blouse with pretty details on the cuffs was the perfect choice!
Here's what Leo's daddy had to say when he saw the photos:
"These are so lovely and magical! Thanks so much for capturing all the joy and Leo's range of expressions - so many mementoes of this stage of his development to treasure!"
This is one of those family portrait sessions where I could easily share all of their lovely images, but I will leave you with just a few of my favourites...
