From bump to baby: photographing the chapter that passes in a blink
Of all the work I do, the motherhood journey might be the closest to my heart. There's something about being trusted with a family right at the start of everything, the last weeks of a pregnancy, the first fragile days of a brand new person, that I never take lightly. So I wanted to talk about how I photograph this chapter, because if you're expecting, or you've just had your baby, you might be wondering whether it's worth doing, and what it's actually like.
Let me walk you through the two sessions, and the bundle that brings them together.
A maternity session happens around 30 to 36 weeks, when your bump is beautifully there but you're hopefully still comfortable enough to enjoy it. We can be in a studio or out in nature, wherever feels most like you, and your partner and any older children are welcome to join. It's an hour, unhurried, and I'll send a what-to-wear guide and styling guidance beforehand so you're not fretting about any of that. You'll come away with 25 edited images of a time most of us mean to document and then somehow don't.
A newborn session is different in feel, gentler and quieter still. I come to your home, usually within the first couple of weeks, and there are no props and no posing, none of the scrunched-up-in-a-basket style. Just your baby exactly as they are, in the space they're starting their life in, with siblings and family woven in. Two hours, 25 edited images, scheduled flexibly around when your little one actually arrives, because babies keep their own diaries.
And if you'd like the whole story, Bump to Baby brings both together, the maternity and the newborn session, 50 images across the two, for less than booking them separately. These two chapters belong together, and there's something really special about seeing them side by side, the anticipation and then the arrival.
One of my loveliest clients said something after her bump-to-baby journey that has stayed with me: that I started as her photographer and somewhere along the way became family. That's the bit you can't put in a price list, and it's exactly what this kind of work is.
If you're expecting, even if you feel awkward in front of a camera, especially if you feel awkward in front of a camera, I'd love to talk it through with you. There's no pressure, just a conversation.