A natural and relaxed at-home newborn family photoshoot featuring a very good dog in Perthshire, Scotland
A Scotland-based photographer that comes to you at the newborn stage is the way to go
Auchterarder is one of those quaint Scottish towns I love to visit, if only because the drive from Kinross is STUNNING no matter the weather. But on this late-April Thursday afternoon it was full sun, t-shirt weather, not a cloud in the sky kind of day. The weather was almost too good, I always get a little nervous when photographing on too bright a day because making sure the light translates nicely on photos can be a bit more tricky, but never mind, I think I nailed it, if I do so say so myself.
When Emma reached out to me for some family photos with her 6 week old newborn, with the caveat that she wasn’t into babies posed in plant pots, how could I say no? I had a good chuckle because yes, each to their own.. but also same here! I’m all for the natural, real life shots cause what on earth would a baby be doing wrapped up and placed in a plant pot? A case for the CPS in my opinion (I’m joking, just jokingggg, you do you). ANYWAY. What a dream to get your photos done from the comfort of your home? No travel, no stress, just you as you are and would be.
Keepsakes, heirloooms, call it what you will, but they’re newborn family pictures you will treasure forever
The newborn stage is the most precious time. It’s bloody hard, emotional, you’re completely changed as a human being inside and out and now you have this little human who you feel love for like you’ve never known. Moments like these are so important to capture because between the chaos it is a way to capture what the love feels like. There’s space for the selfies with spit up on your t-shirt or that wildly unflattering photo your partner took that one time with you and the baby, but the pictures you’ll frame, look back at in 10 years, the ones they will show their children when they grow up. Those are the ones I like to capture. The ones they will be grateful for in 20 years and the ones you’ll send their grandparents to say ‘look, we kind of have it together?’
How does getting your newborn photos at home actually work?
I arrived at Emma’s on the afternoon and we had a wee chat to get to know each other before we got to business, I mooched around their garden to figure out where the best light would be and we got going. Absolute treat was their super fluffy pooch who offered big doggy grins and elegant jumps. We managed to capture some really beautiful moments in the garden and house as well as plenty of little details you won’t every want to forget: their little nose, the way their tiny feet sit in your hands, the way they squeeze and hold on to your fingers for dear life. I let them do their thing, with a few gentle prompts here and there but the idea was that I’m just a pal with a camera, doing my thing while they did theirs. I think the result was dreamy and the feedback was so kind. Emma had a tidy, gorgeous wee cottage, but it didn’t need to be. We really just needed a couple of good cleared corners with good light, a nice window and the photos would have turned out amazing either way. As a parent of a 3 month old and 3 year old, the house is always a mess so I really wouldn’t want anyone worrying about that :)
