We were invited to this baby photo shoot which included a complimentary printed image.
Hands up if you are one of those mothers that takes all the pictures of your baby, every day?.. I suspect I’m not alone in that habit!? Our babies grow and change so quickly that each and every smile or milestone needs to be captured? We have thousands of these photos now, but are any wall-worthy..?
When baby was ten days old we had professional shots taken. Prior to that I had been cynical about the need. My mind was changed by that first shoot – professionals are needed to capture baby at his best!
At 6 months old, we were lucky enough to be invited to attend a session with professional photographer Ray Redfern in Southampton. He is incredibly experienced. The output of an hour with him speaks for itself.
I have massive respect for experienced professional photographers, especially those that work with babies and small children! They have the patience of a saint and a massive amount of positive energy! Somehow they capture the baby photo moments the rest of us dream of!
We arrived at Ray’s Southampton studio and baby started crying, then he got too hot, then he calmed down and we took some pictures, then he started crying again, then he needed milk that he didn’t need… He is normally happy so I was exhausted at this point, not able to understand where my little ray of sunshine had gone… He loves having a camera pointed at him, after all it’s a big part of his daily routine!
Thankfully Ray wasn’t phased at all. He still had the energy (and experience), to get the shots! He’d seen it all before and wasn’t in the slightest bit bothered! We toured the studio looking at all the photos on the wall, had a good chat to relax baby again and eventually calm was restored! Ray is the ultimate professional, cooing at the baby happily, not worried that time was ticking… He was never in a rush and didn’t show any concern he wouldn’t capture baby at his best! With experience comes calmness! Ray directed me well too, as I had run out of ideas to cheer up my little monster!
Ray kept up his sleeve what may well be a known baby photographer trick… Letting the baby play with the camera and the flash equipment! What a result – it made baby happy in a way that his toys couldn’t! Of course, I hovered nearby with a muslin, worried dribble might damage something! Baby even cracked a smile at Ray at this point! He’d definitely earned it!
Baby was finally at ease and a little more trusting of his new surroundings and we worked through a few props and outfits with far more ease! Whilst Ray was snapping he was also making sure I was standing in the right place to get baby looking in a photographable direction. How he concentrates with squeaky toys and silly mummy voices going on around him I don’t know! But he does and was doing silly voices with me at one point!
And thankfully Ray captured some truly gorgeous shots!
We went back a few weeks after our appointment for a viewing and I was amazed with the baby photo slideshow, given the stresses of the shoot. I think we had about 25 photos to coo over and in there were some very special shots! My grumpy (on the day) baby had actually been far cuter than I had remembered and every smile and cute little expression was caught!
My gifted session included one print that I would receive and that would also be entered into the Baby of the Month competition. We chose this first: what did I love and also what did Ray think was en pointe technically. There was a clear winner – beautiful eyes staring directly at the camera with his cute little teddy perfectly positioned. I love that picture – I could never take it myself and that’s why a session with an experienced professional is worth it’s weight in gold. We’ve captured a moment in time – beautifully simple and as a result, timeless, capturing my baby of every month!
I also chose three other prints to purchase. Ray has caught my little boy’s cheekiness and wonder in these photos but in a natural fashion. Because baby was looking at me rather than straight at the lens he was relaxed and himself. It’s a real treat to have captured his character on film in this way, a bit like the reportage style shots everyone loves in their wedding album!
My tips for getting the best out of a baby photo shoot would be:
- don’t panic – if you get stressed when the baby starts acting up, it will stress the baby too
- take a selection of toys – I took all our favourite toys, but actually it was some of the random things I had that seemed to amuse him the most in unfamiliar surroundings
- it takes time – we had an hour for our shoot, we only wanted to get a few good shots, so there’s plenty of time for feeding or a mini-meltdown
- take a collection of clothes – as a mother I think my baby looks cute in everything, but not everything photographs well
- have a think about positions they are happiest in at home – these are a good place to start taking shots from
- try them with just a nappy or T-shirt – for us that worked best, I think because he loves a nappy change so was most relaxed with less clothes on
- props and outfits aren’t always necessary – a baby in a flower pot might look cute but have a think about what you want on the wall at home, for us simple won out
- trust the professional – even if you feel like your baby is wasting their time, they will have seen worse and they will get amazing shots if you listen to their suggestions
I was thrilled with the results of our photo shoot. Clearly it is a privilege to have been invited to attend by Emma’s Diary who Ray is registered with. There’s no bias to a photographer recommendation when the output is gorgeous! When we take so many photos each day, to have a professional take just a few which capture your baby at an important milestone is priceless. I can’t wait to get our photos hung on the walls at home!
Ray’s details are below, his pictures of my baby speak for themselves, plenty more on his website.
Raymond Redfern Photography Studio
136 Butts Road
Southampton
SO19 1BJ
0800 024 8683 | 07595 365087 | ray@rayredfern.co.uk
And if you’re in it you obviously want to win it… Please vote for us in Baby of the Month March 2019, just follow this link 😘
