How a natural newborn baby photoshoot with me in cheltenham looks and feels...

Hi, I’m Claire and I’m a photographer based in Cheltenham who specialises in (and also loves!) taking natural, genuine, heartfelt photographs of you and your newborn baby in the comfort of your own home.

  • No gimmicks or social media trends;

  • no studio you have to travel to;

  • no client wardrobe full of outfits you’d never actually wear;

  • no props or wraps -

    just you, your baby and your home.

A young couple sit on their bed holding their newborn baby in their arms who is fast asleep during a newborn baby photo shoot in Cheltenham.

So let’s have a look at this gorgeous in-home newborn photo session and I’ll talk you through why I love it and why the family did too!

  1. Natural Light

I’ve always and only ever worked with natural light. It’s flattering, it’s soft and it’s all we need.

Whether you live in a home with floor to ceiling windows which bathe your rooms in masses of light; or a cottage with small windows which give pockets of light - trust me, I know what I’m doing and I’ll find the best light and I’ll use it in the best possible way.

The Photo is a close up of a newborn baby who is fast asleep against her dad's chest and shoulder. You can just see Dad's head behind the baby and he is smiling during a newborn baby photoshoot in Cheltenham

Positioning Dad and baby close to the window lights baby’s face perfectly. That’s all I need - a window!

A mother sits on the window sill of a large Georgian style window with her knees up in front of her, parallel to the photographer. Lying on her knees is her newborn baby who is asleep during a newborn baby photo shoot in Cheltenham

As soon as I saw this window, I knew I needed it for this shot. It creates a natural frame around mum and baby, as well as giving beautiful back-light. I just carefully cleared the window sill and made sure mum was comfortable sitting there. .

2. Baby-led

If baby is asleep, we get sleepy shots; if baby is awake, we get awake shots; if baby likes to be swaddled then that’s what we do; if baby is never swaddled, we don’t.; if baby is hungry, we pause for a feed and photograph it; if baby is unsettled, we make the most of cuddly shots.

I don’t use props or wraps - for me, nothing beats the look of baby in a simple white vest lying comfortably on a bed - it’s classic, timeless and all about them.

A newborn baby lies asleep on a bed in a white vest. The photo is taken from above and is in black and white during a newborn baby photo shoot in Cheltenham

3. Comfortable

  • Having the photos taken in your own home, means you’ll feel comfortable and at ease. Your own feeding pillow, your own cup of tea, your own space which you don’t have to leave; baby’s changing things, baby’s clothes, baby’s nursery (which you may or may not have finished!). And if you feel comfortable, it’s going to show in your photos.

  • I encourage you to wear whatever you feel comfortable in - that’s the most important thing. When you’ve just had a baby, it can feel a little bit daunting thinking about what to wear so comfort is number one. But I don’t just leave you to it - you have access to my styling guide which includes loads of advice and suggestions to help you choose something which will work well in the photos.

A new mum holds her newborn baby against her chest while looking out of the window she is stood next to during a newborn baby photoshoot in Cheltenham

This new mum chose:

~ lose fitting trousers and kimono jacket which was both flattering as well as comfortable

~ I always suggest keeping your home quite warm to keep baby all cosy and snug so choosing linen was a great idea as it kept mum cool

~ light colours work as a natural reflector. So even though their house didn’t have a huge amount of natural light, mum’s choice of colour bounced the light onto their faces. These neutral colours also mean all attention is on their beautiful baby.

Personal to you

Your photo session should be unique to you as a family; it’s your story so every gallery I deliver is different. So I’m always open to including elements which are personal to you.

In a garden, a new mum sits on a swing hanging from a tree craadling her newborn baby while the father stands alongside during a baby photoshoot in Cheltenham.

This family really wanted some of their newborn photos to be taken in their garden as it’s a space they use a lot and is really special to them.

So we wrapped baby up in lots of layers and did these shots at the end of the session.

You can just imagine the photos of this little one enjoying this tree swing as she grows up!

A young couple with their newborn baby stand outside the front door of a Cotswold pub in their village during a newborn baby photoshoot in Cheltenham

We then took a stroll around their Cotswolds village and even got a shot of baby’s first ‘visit’ to their next door neighbour - the local pub!

 

So, if this all looks like the kind of photo shoot you would love…

a newborn baby lies between her parents in their arms as they look down at her during a newborn baby photoshoot in Cheltenham
a new mum and dad sit on their sofa next to a window holding their newborn baby in their arms and looking down at her during a baby photoshoot in Cheltenham
a newborn baby lies on her mother's lap while the photographer takes the shot from over the mum's shoulder so you are looking down on her asleep during a newborn baby photoshoot in Cheltenham
Claire WestawayComment