When it comes to a family photo shoot, a lot of stress is typically associated with days leading up to the session. I'm here to help you relax and be prepared all at the same time. Here are some tips:
If you need any more advice just get in touch!
Gather round awesome blog readers!
Today's post is all about a certain baby with the kind of big blue eyes that will surely put a smile on your face. Mr. Joey was so much fun to photograph and our session turned out so brilliantly!
This particular session was a very special since Joey was born at 11.11 on Remembrance Sunday and his dad is a serving soldier. This added a whole other level to our photo shoot.
Joey is so adorable, despite managing to wee up his dad's sleeve on two occasions during the shoot!
Anyway, as you can see from the pictures below, Joey and I had one of the best sessions together. His mum, Julia, and dad, Simon, prepared for the session by giving Joey a little bath, to ensure he was nice and clean. Her preparation efforts allowed us to have an especially awesome shoot together. Joey was awake most of the way through the session and was very calm and relaxed.
Joey has two older brothers and one sister. The first thing that Julia thought when she discovered she was pregnant with Joey was "Uh oh!" - Jude was only 6 weeks old!
Asked whether she would recommend H Jones Photography to others, Julia said, “Yes, so friendly and welcoming. Lovely warm environment to photograph newborns in. We felt very relaxed and at ease the whole time.”
Because the shoot went so well, I asked Julia if she would share one helpful piece of advice with other mothers planning a newborn session (See – I've got your back, mums around the world). Her biggest piece of advice is: “Do it early, they don't stay tiny newborns for long.”
Enjoy the adorableness below!
Missed the first few weeks? You haven't missed your chance to capture beautiful photographs of your baby.
One of the questions I sometimes hear from parents is, "Is my baby too old for a newborn photoshoot?"
The simple answer is no.
Although the first two weeks are often considered the ideal time for those sleepy, curled-up newborn photographs, there are plenty of lovely reasons to photograph your baby a little later.
Whether your baby is six weeks, three months or even older, there's still so much worth remembering.
During their first couple of weeks, babies tend to sleep more deeply and naturally curl into the positions they were comfortable in before birth.
This makes it easier to capture those classic newborn photographs, with tiny hands tucked beneath their cheeks and little feet curled up close.
But every baby is different, and those first few weeks can pass in a blur of feeding, recovering and adjusting to life with a new arrival.
Sometimes booking a photoshoot simply isn't a priority at the time. And that's absolutely fine.
At six weeks, your baby is beginning to become more alert and interested in the world around them.
They may spend more time with their eyes open, make eye contact and even begin offering those first little smiles.
Whilst we might not achieve all the traditional sleepy newborn poses, we can capture something equally special: your baby's emerging personality.
I adapt every session to suit the individual baby, rather than expecting them to fit into a particular set of poses.
As babies grow, their expressions become increasingly varied.
Those wide eyes, little smiles, stretches and curious looks all make wonderful photographs.
At this age, I tend to focus on more relaxed, natural portraits, capturing your baby comfortably on their back or in your arms.
Parent and sibling photographs are particularly lovely at this stage too.
The emphasis is always on creating beautiful images that reflect your baby exactly as they are.
Once your baby can sit confidently without support, usually around six to nine months, it's a wonderful time for a sitter photoshoot.
This is one of my favourite stages to photograph.
Babies are often full of expressions, smiles and curiosity, but aren't yet quite as mobile as they will be a few months later.
Sitter sessions are a lovely way to document this stage before their first birthday.
I've been photographing babies since 2017, and one thing I've learnt is that no two babies are the same.
My warm, comfortable garden studio in Anna Valley, near Andover, is designed to provide a relaxed environment for both babies and parents.
Sessions are always led by your baby, with plenty of time for feeds, cuddles and breaks whenever they're needed.
I favour simple, timeless photographs with neutral colours and minimal props, keeping the focus firmly on your baby and the little details you'll want to remember.
It's easy to feel that you've missed a milestone, particularly when those early weeks have flown by.
But the truth is that every stage of your baby's first year is worth remembering.
The sleepy newborn days, the first smiles, those wonderfully expressive faces and the moment they learn to sit up are all fleeting.
Your baby doesn't need to be a particular age to deserve beautiful photographs.
If you're wondering whether your baby is too old for a newborn session, please get in touch. I'd be happy to discuss their age and development and recommend the most suitable type of photoshoot.
I'm based near Andover in Hampshire, welcoming families from Basingstoke, Winchester, Salisbury and the surrounding areas.
Find out more about my newborn photography sessions
Get in touch to discuss your baby's photoshoot
Last weekend I ran some mini photo sessions on the pumpkin patch at Bourne Valley Pick Your Own near Andover, Hampshire. This proved to be so popular that I have announced some more mini sessions for the weekend of 27-28th October 2018. This is such a fun thing to do and I can capture some magical photos of your child, children, family, pets and even get a baby picture in the pumpkins for you! Look for details under the Sessions drop down menu on my website.
Several families from the local area booked last weekend to have family photos taken. Some wanted photos of their child/children, others wanted a family portrait, others wanted a pet portrait and photos with their dogs. Dogs are allowed at the farm, but not on the pumpkin patch, so I set up a little area to the side of the patch with a few pumpkins for these shots. I asked families to dress in fairly plain, coordinating clothing, as this makes for a much better photo.
It was such fun and once those children being photographed had been snapped, they were able to run around, find their favourite pumpkin or have fun in the outdoor play area, with sunken trampolines, slide, swings and even a zip wire. It really is a great place to visit with or the family.
Bourne Valley Fruit Farm is an established family farm which was created 25 years ago by Wyndham and Bridget Culley, and is now run by their sons, Dan and Matt. The Farm is situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty near the idyllic village of St Mary Bourne. As well as pick your own, they have a farm shop open from May until October with ready picked fruit and vegetables as well as locally produced guernsey cream, home made jam and ice creams.
Pumpkins are £2.50 ( £1 for small ones ) and they are open every day from 10.00 til 4.00. There will be food available as well as quality coffee from kudos coffee Whitchurch.
This week I have the lovely Steph from La Di Da Interiors with me, painting my bureau. Steph is an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint approved stockist and owner of a fabulous shop of interiors, luxuries and gifts in Andover. She also runs an interior design service plus regular painting and craft workshops, details of which are available on her website, www.ladida-andover.com.
I have worked with Steph several times over the past year, photographing her shop, events and upcycled vintage furniture, which she sells nationwide via her website.
Many people will try to take corporate photos on their phones, which I admit are offering far better cameras now. I have recently upgraded my iPhone just for the better camera. The difference is that with a professional photographer you have not only a far superior piece of hardware in the camera, which offers more control over exposure and tone in images (I don’t want to get too technical, indeed I don’t like to) but you also benefit from the skills and expertise behind the camera. This means you end up with expertly composed, lit and edited photos to portray that professional edge. People often think they can get away with taking their own product photos and many can produce some pretty decent results, but it is well worth investing in a professional corporate photo shoot, even if it’s not a regular thing, in order to have at least a few top quality images to promote your brand. Just talk to Steph for confirmation of this!
I have worked with several local businesses to help provide professional photos for their products and services. I can offer studio product photo shoots or on location photography including events, such as Steph's Annie Sloan paint workshops, details online. I have even spent a couple of hours in a field of pigs to take some corporate shots for Greenfield Pork, which I will feature in another blog post soon! If you’d like to enquire about a corporate photo shoot please get in touch via my Contact Page. I look forward to hearing from you!
Helen x
Hello out there! I’ve got a super cute baby and family photo session to share with you that features a fabulous family, who I photographed not too long ago on a training day with a fantastic Hampshire photographer who also just happens to be a world renowned and multi award winning photographer - Tracy Willis. I love to continue to learn and improve my photos and learned so much from Tracy on this training day.
We had 3 gorgeous models for the day: a 6 day old baby, 3-year-old sibling and Mum.
Look at those photos and tell me you aren’t suddenly overcome with love!
Thanks for the fun day's training Tracy and for letting me photograph your beautiful family of models!
Take a look at more newborn baby pictures and family portraits here on my website and if you'd like to book a session or enquire please get in touch via my contact page. I'd love to hear from you!
I absolutely love this image from a previous Christmas photo session. The little lady was really not very sure about having her photo taken at first, but did quickly warm up and shared lots of smiles with me. I'm really excited about my upcoming Christmas photo shoots. I am putting the final pieces together to create a truly unique vintage style photo shoot and will soon be opening bookings. The photo sessions will take place at my home studio in Anna Valley, near Andover, Hampshire and will be held on specific dates in October and November. Please contact me via my contact page to receive notification as soon as bookings open!
I am so excited about my truly unique and exclusive Magical Christmas photo session that is coming soon. I am going to be offering a vintage style Christmas photo shoot that will be different from anything you can get elsewhere! In addition I will also be offering my fun Christmas Mini Sessions. Details of both will be coming soon. Like my Facebook Page to keep up to date with the latest announcements.
I hope you enjoy these few photos from a recent newborn photo shoot with the Huxford family. Baby Noah was born in July via a planned Caesarean section due to baby being breech for most of the pregnancy. Mum & Dad prepared for their baby photo session by giving Noah a bath in the morning and a big feed before the car ride over, to help baby sleep during the photo shoot. However, Noah had other ideas and wanted to be awake for most of the session! This was lovely as I captured some beautiful photos of his big blue eyes. Mum, Maryann, said,
"We really liked how patient Helen was with our baby, he was unsettled and wouldn’t go back to sleep however Helen helped to keep our baby calm and give us time to feed and cuddle him when needed. The photo shoot was very professional and Helen very welcoming too! She was amazing with our baby and gave him lots of attention in between photos. We really enjoyed it all."
I really enjoyed it too Maryann!
I recently did a newborn photo shoot for a teacher at a local primary school. Mum Sarah had been given a photo session voucher as a very kind and thoughtful gift from the parents and children that she has taught as an end of year gift as she left school to start maternity leave.
Baby Isaac was born on 29th July 2018, 5 weeks early, a little surprise as he wasn't due until September!
Sarah says,
"Helen is very friendly and flexible, with a very professional manner. Her baby photos are classic, cute, and include extra details that were no problem for her. Communication to organise the shoot was easy and friendly, and put us at ease before we had even arrived. The session was very relaxed and led by Isaac's needs. Helen was lovely, very friendly and welcoming, caring and aware of how to work with newborn babies.