A fun-filled at-home newborn session in Nottinghamshire
This lovely family welcomed me into their home for a newborn session to celebrate the arrival of their beautiful baby girl, making them a family of five. With two energetic little boys already keeping everyone on their toes, it was so special to capture them becoming big brothers and welcoming their new little sister into the family.
From the moment I arrived, they made me feel so welcomed and completely at ease. Their little girl was an absolute dream throughout the session, and we were able to capture a lovely mixture of newborn photographs, family cuddles and those special moments between the siblings.
We made use of a couple of different spaces around their home too, which gave the gallery a lovely variety while keeping everything relaxed and completely natural. I love being able to work with the light and little pockets of space within a family's own home, rather than everything feeling overly staged or posed.
I feel incredibly lucky to be invited into families' homes during such an important and fleeting chapter of their lives. These are the photographs that will become memories of the days when their children were this little, and it’s a real privilege to be trusted to capture them.
As an at-home newborn photographer covering Rutland and the surrounding areas, I love keeping sessions relaxed and natural, allowing plenty of time for cuddles, feeding, changing and everything in between- because, as always, the baby runs the shoot!
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-The Frapwell’s
Every baby is different… and that’s exactly how I like it!
My approach to every newborn session is a little different, because no two babies (or families!) are the same. I always say that babies run the shoot - and they have a funny way of proving me right every single time!
Before your session, I’ll have a loose plan in my head based on my usual flow, your baby’s age and most importantly, what you’re hoping to get from your photographs. If there are particular images that are really important to you, we’ll focus on those first while your little one is settled, and then let the rest of the session naturally unfold from there.
I never want a newborn session to feel rushed or like we’re working against the clock. Babies might need a feed, a cuddle, a nappy change (or two!), or simply a little bit of time to settle… and that’s completely normal. There is no expectation for your baby to sleep through the session or stay settled the whole time.
I’ll always allow plenty of extra time for feeding, changing and settling, so we can work around your baby rather than trying to make them fit around the photoshoot. Sometimes the moments in between the photographs for eg. a yawn, a cuddle, or the way you naturally soothe your baby end up being some of my favourite images from the whole gallery.
My aim is to keep things relaxed, natural and baby-led, while gently guiding you throughout the session so you never feel like you need to know what to do. You can simply enjoy your time with your little one, and I’ll take care of the rest.
Below, I’ve included a few simple things I recommend doing before your newborn session to help everything run as smoothly as possible on the day.
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I’ll always recommend giving your little one a really good feed before I arrive. This will hopefully help them feel settled and content as we get started. Of course, there will be plenty of time for top-up feeds and nappy changes throughout the photoshoot.
If you could also have them ready in the outfit you’d like them to be photographed in, that’s the cherry on top! It means we can get straight into those lovely sleepy photos without disturbing them too much.
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I usually recommend booking your session within the first couple of weeks after your baby arrives, when they are still very sleepy and naturally curl up more easily. That said, there’s no strict age limit, I’ve photographed plenty of older newborns and can still create beautiful photos. They may simply be more awake and less likely to curl up into those classic newborn poses. Therefore, I can’t guarantee those sleepy, curled-up photos.
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This is completely normal! Little ones run the session, there’s plenty of time for feeding, changing, cuddles and settling. There’s no pressure for your baby to be asleep or settled for the entire session.
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For newborn sessions I always like to do them in the comfort of your own home in and around Rutland. This also means you don’t need to pack up everything but the kitchen sink!
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Of course - the more the merrier! Parents, siblings, pets are always welcome. I like to get a mixture of breakdowns. These often become some of the most treasured images from the session. There’s no need to worry about posing or knowing what to do; I’ll gently guide you.