Tag: victoria bc newborn photography | Page 3 | Newborn and Maternity Photography Victoria BC

February 1, 2018

How to Prepare for your Newborn Photo Session

If you’re reading this you may be expecting your little one very soon or are already booked to join me in the studio for a Newborn Photo Session! I always like to make sure that my clients know what to expect before their session, from the location of my studio to tips for your baby in the morning to help us capture incredible photographs. So, with that, I thought I’d put together a few notes & tips that are helpful before you arrive.

We ask that the morning of the session mom and dad bathe baby and have a little playtime, try to keep babe awake a couple of hours in the morning, then dress into clothing that will be easy to remove prior to our session (snaps or buttons on the front works well). It’s best to give baby a full feed at home so there is time for their tummy to settle. Hopefully in the car ride over he/she will fall asleep!

Firstly, myself and my assistant Nicole, want you to have the opportunity to sit back and relax for the 2-3 hours you are here. Whether it’s sitting down with a hot cup of tea, reading a magazine, catching up on social media browsing or even just shutting your eyes for a few moments, you deserve a rest!!

When you arrive, we have the foundations of your session all set up – as well as a pre-curated set of accessories, blankets, props, wraps and more based on the colour palette you’ve chosen before your session. We’ll take a few moments at the beginning to walk you through what we’ve chosen, and make any minor adjustments needed throughout the session. You are more than welcome to bring your own soothers & change of clothes for baby at the end of the session if that is something you would like.

If baby did not fall asleep on the car ride over and is a little fussy in the beginning that is just fine! We understand that these first few weeks routines are not always yet established and baby has just arrived in a new environment. We have lots of little comforts to help your little one get settled in as quickly as possible. We make sure that the room is comfortably warm and that our white noise machine is on, it works like a dream!

Expect that baby will need to have a feed about half way through the session. This gives you a little cuddle time as we transition from our floor prop set-ups to our pose flow on the beanbag.

The most important thing for you to know is that your baby’s safety is our number one priority during your session. In every pose, we make an extra effort make sure your precious little bundle is secure, or has a set of extra hands and watchful eye on them at all times.

We’re all human & let’s be honest – there may be a bit of poo and pee along the way! We have plenty of cloths & wipes and extra diapers if need be. If you’re having family or parent photos at the end of the session, always bring an extra change of clothes just in case things get messy!

If you have any questions before or during the session – we are more than happy to answer and help make this a wonderfully memorable experience!

Hopefully, these notes will help you in preparation for your session. If you would like to book a newborn photo session, please don’t hesitate to call Amanda (250-885-6860) or send an email to amandahaddow@gmail.com.

Follow the circle to visit Bumps Baby Beyond & see how they prepare for baby photos and newborn photography sessions in Leicestershire, East Midlands.

Amanda

January 25, 2018

Why I love Albums!

Here’s the thing!! As a mom, I have such a hard time deciding for which photos to put up on the wall that I never get ANYTHING put up!! I would LOVE for someone to help me make those choices and to offer me a photo product that is completely ready to use and enjoy from the moment it is placed in my hands. There are many photo products to choose from, from framed prints, canvasses to wood mounted prints, I always encourage our families to choose one product that will be created by a professional photography printer. There really is such a huge difference in quality between printing at a machine printer and a professional photo lab and the printed product is completely ready when they pick up their galleries of photos.

My favorite product of all is our albums. Our albums are so beautiful!! Printed on premium professional grade Fuji photographic papers, each page being 1mm thick. Every little detail is considered. The linen cloth covers are amazing to the touch and have a luxurious look and feel. Clients get to choose their linen cover (all in the loveliest neutral tones) and they also get to see the album proof and make any changes before we send off to our amazing printer!

Then head on over to Emily Frances Photography to see her favourite photo product! She is a beautiful child & family photographer in Preston.

Amanda

January 23, 2018

Choosing Colours for your Newborn Baby Photo Session

A little share of this gorgeous newborn baby girl’s session here in Victoria, BC. As a newborn photographer I ask parents (or in this case grandparents) to choose their favourite 2-3 colours to incorporate into their sessions. Colours they may be decorating the nursery with, or colours they may use in their homes. This session was creams, whites and pinks!! Pretty easy for a girl and looked so sweet with her peachy complexion! Grandma also brought along a pretty crocheted blanket that was a family heirloom and we were able to work that into one of our set-ups, which ended up being a favourite!!

I am loving the new props we received from Rozzi Rayne Studio Props. The pink bucket (baby even smiled when she was in there!!) and sweet cream little bed were both from her, she has so many gorgeous things to choose from!

If you are looking to book a baby portrait photo session here in Victoria, please don’t hesitate to call Amanda at 250-885-6860 or email at amandahaddow@gmail.com.

Amanda

January 17, 2018

Newborn Photos-Before & After

One of the biggest things that sets us apart as newborn photographers is our editing style. Some love a bold, bright aesthetic, some like a dark and moody aesthetic. I have always gravitated towards a light, serene and airy aesthetic in my finished images. I primarily offer neutrals and soft, muted tones for the studio’s newborn blankets, wraps, hats & headbands. Often they have an organic feel and lend themselves to a soft & classic look in the studio before I even take my images into photo-editing software.

When I began editing newborn images “by hand” an image would sometimes take me a full hour to edit and the process was very tedious!! As time has gone by and my experience has grown (as well as hours upon hours in Photoshop! ;), I try to get my exposure, white balance etc. as close as I can in camera (I use a Canon 5D-MarkIII). I often take up to 200 photos in a session so the first step is to choose around 35-40 of my favourites. The raw camera images are then opened up in Lightroom, where a few minor adjustments are made and then they are imported into Photoshop for skin touch-ups, any colour balance changes and to put the finishing touches on each of the images before the gallery is complete.

The other editing work that takes place is the merging of two images together to create one (composite). This is done in the poses where my assistant Nicole holds baby’s head for safety. Newborn safety is our top priority in our sessions, we would never want to leave baby in a position where he or she could potentially startle and not be supported. The pose below shows the 2 images used to create one final image with baby on his little hands. Voila!!

Then I get to present the finished baby session images (fully edited) to mom & dad in their viewing session. I love meeting with everyone again and seeing how much baby has already changed in only a couple of weeks! This is such a precious time to have for their memories.

I love Jenna Marshall Photography’s sweet newborn images. To see her beautiful editing style, head on over to her page, she is a newborn baby and family photographer based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

here’s her link: http://www.jennamarshallphotography.co.uk

Amanda

January 11, 2018

How Newborn Photography Came To Me

About 8 and a half years ago we had an opportunity to move to the Middle East for my husband’s work. I had traveled a fair amount as a child (my parents and extended family are British) and the idea of a move for a “couple of years” sounded really exciting! A couple months later we were on a plane with our (then) 4 & 6 year old on our way to an incredible adventure. At the end of our first year away, we welcomed our 3rd baby! I loved the time I had with my kiddos, to attend music groups, meet with other moms, adjust to life away from home and help my two older children settle into their new routines.

Photography had only been a hobby. I had always pursued the Sciences. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, I’d never considered a career in the Arts. I remember my Dad being interested in taking photos when we were little so I first took photos on a Pentax camera he had given me, using film (never really knowing what I was doing but getting “lucky” with a cute photo now and then). We later purchased a point and shoot camera as digital cameras were introduced and a few years after that took the leap to a digital SLR (the Canon Rebel). Fast forward a couple of years and I, like many moms loved taking photos of my own children, documenting their milestones and everyday moments. I also got really into the hobby of scrapbooking and then further into designing scrapbook papers (insert my love of Photoshop) using snapshots I’d taken over the years.

At this point, I had taken a few family photos for a couple of friends who kept encouraging me to take more. That Fall, the principal at my children’s nursery school asked me to take school photos of each of the children and without a whole lot of thought (jump in headfirst?!), I said “yes”!! With no formal training and really little to NO idea how to use my manual settings, I purchased a backdrop stand, draped a white sheet for a backdrop and got to work! Somehow, that photoshoot was successful and after another parent asked me to photograph a nursery school in Abu Dhabi word started getting out that I could take pictures…somehow the ball started rolling! I continued to take as many photos as I could, branching into desert shoots for families and not only fell in love with photography but grew to love the idea that this could one day be my career.

Within that first year, I was extremely fortunate to meet an incredible group of photographers, women who had honed their art and took pride in running their photography businesses. One of those photographers was the amazing Jillian Greenhill Photography, who was (and is) an incredible Newborn Photographer in Abu Dhabi. After months of asking (and asking and asking ;), she agreed to mentor me in newborn portraiture!! Let’s just say that after an 8 hour day of shooting 4 newborns, I was hooked. I mean I was exhausted, sweaty, head jam packed with camera settings, lighting techniques, poses etc but excited beyond belief with all the information I had been taught. I REALLY wanted to pursue this!!!

It has taken hours upon hours to learn and develop my photography. Both editing skill & style and then to develop a business I am proud of. Photography is ever changing, the people we meet, the family stories we get to share, the most incredible moments we can join in celebrating. The tools we use, the techniques we hone. I am so happy this hobby has developed into a passion and have never been more excited to “go to work”!!

– A m a n d a

Amanda

January 10, 2018

Victoria Baby Photographer-Sweet Baby Boy in Blue

As many of you know, as a newborn photographer here in Victoria, BC, we try to have babies into the studio within the first 5-14days after they arrive. This sweet baby boy came to visit us when he was 2 months old as his parents weren’t able to do his session sooner. Honestly, we had such a fun time! He was awake the whole time but oh so relaxed! I loved all of his adorable expressions and smiles, what a gorgeous stage to capture!!

Here are a few of his little set-ups in studio. I really can’t choose whether I liked the light blue or dark blue the most, they have a different look and feel but he really suited both!

If you have missed the first couple of weeks for your newborn session, then consider having baby in when he or she is 2-4 months. This age is so engaging and an opportunity to capture your little one’s personality before they are on the move!!

Thank-you!! xo

– A m a n d a

Amanda

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