newborn photography sessions in London

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I adore newborn babies. When I had my own newborn son, I wanted photographs with a natural look to capture him as a tiny baby. As a professional photographer who had mostly covered weddings for the past decade, I knew very little about photographing newborn babies. I'd read things on other photographers' websites which said you "must" capture a newborn baby in the first two weeks with a 3-hour newborn session. But this didn't happen for me because I'd had a difficult birth. When I finally got home after giving birth, life hit like a ton bricks with a newborn baby, endless nappy changes and sleepless nights. I struggled and was in a lot of pain. I didn't manage to book a newborn shoot until my son was about 6 weeks old.

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And you know what? It was fine. My newborn pictures over the first six weeks were mostly taken by me with minimal props (only a special blanket and natural light.) I will cherish forever those simple, beautiful images of my new baby in my own home. They're meaningful portraits, not creative storytelling which sells a fantasy that having a new baby is all rainbows and sunshine. It's not. It's happy and sad and exhausting and fulfilling and overwhelming all at once.

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What turned out to be really important was not a newborn photoshoot where baby was prop to arrange but real, beautiful pictures of our new family including the tears, the emotions and our complicated, uncomplicated love. And this is how I approach newborn photography nearly 13 years later having documented new life of over 300 babies in north London. It's about beautiful memories and the authentic story of a new family and the unique miracle of each brand-new life.

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My experience as a newborn photographer on Whittington post-natal ward

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In 2017 I gave a friend of mine a totally relaxed natural newborn session at her home after the birth of her daughter a special baby present. My friend was an obstetrician at Whittington Hospital in north London, and showed her photos to colleagues at work. The consultant overseeing maternity got in touch and asked if I'd be interested in offering mini photo sessions on the post-natal ward. She loved my photographs from the short baby photo session and believed in the power of photographs to bring happiness and positivity to new mums. For the next couple of years, I worked several days a week as a newborn photographer for a vast array of London mothers and newborns at one of the busiest maternity wards in the UK.

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With more than 10 babies born on average each day at Whittington, it was an amazing experience to see just how much new life comes into the world every single day. The experience really helped me build my skills as a newborn photographer. The challenges were huge. Often the babies were only a few hours old and would be super unsettled. I would have only about 10-15 minutes to capture a few timeless images to document each baby's first few hours in this world. The space of each bay on the ward was tiny with strange colours and lighting. Often mothers were completely overwhelmed and teary with older children vying for attention. I had to take good photographs mums would be willing to buy and return an online gallery the same day from these mini family sessions. (I expect most newborn photographers couldn't consistently deliver under those conditions.)

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My approach to newborn baby and newborn sessions

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In hospital I applied my own personal approach to these newborn photoshoots. I am usually able to settle a newborn baby more quickly than new parents and then capture simple, clean and honest images in any setting and in almost any lighting conditions. It wasn't about perfection - no retouching the skin, no worrying about white balance, no moving and posing baby for ages- it was about good honest photographs taken quickly after putting baby and mummy at ease.

This is the same approach I apply to the in-home London newborn photography I offer. I strive to capture photographs which will show your unique newborn in your home and be a record of baby's life which will make you smile each time you see it. If you want to capture your baby, your new family or baby with an older sibling (big brother or big sister), I'm the baby photographer for you. I can make real connections during a short, sweet photo session with your little ones and older kids so that you can look back and remember all the happy, messy, craziness of having a baby.

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For relaxed, natural lifestyle newborn photography

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I work anywhere in central London, north London, west London, southwest London, south London and east London with rates from £300 for in home newborn sessions

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simple, relaxed and authentic newborn baby photography London (and family photography)

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professional photographer bookable in hospital or your home to capture for professional family photographs before and after your due date

Message Kim to book your newborn photography, London and throughout the southeast

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