Photographing newborns brings back a flood of memories. The sweet smell of baby skin, the way they perfectly nestle in your arms, their tiny fingers wrapped around yours. You can quite happily sit in one spot on the sofa cradling them while they sleep soundly on you. There’s also the projectile emissions so timely caught on your shoulders and the endless nappy changes. 

It’s the mix of these honest and real moments that become some of your fondest memories of the early baby years. They are also my favourite captures to make for you as you all get to know each other, discover or re-discover this beautiful period in your lives. 

Then 10, 20 or 30 years from now you get to recount it all back to them with photographs to tell their stories. Maybe this little one will even share these images with their own family one day too.

When three becomes four 

I went to photograph this family with their lovely young child and newborn earlier in the autumn. It was a crisp, sunny day. There was a peacefulness as I stepped inside their home with the baby fast asleep in her mother’s arms, and her toddler sister hanging around her mother’s legs as she shyly came to inspect who I was. 

We calmly got to know each other, the whole family, and very quickly big sister became her lively self.

As with photographing all my newborn photography sessions, I never entirely know what I am going to get, especially when younger (or older) siblings are involved. I simply go with the flow of the baby and family. There is no routine during this period, no rush even to be anywhere or expectations for things to happen. 

As baby sister slept in-between nappy changes and feed, I captured each parent taking turns with their oldest daughter and keeping her entertained. A little whirlwind of activity, but this is how two-year-olds are. 

It is this beautiful chaos to which their baby girl have been welcomed into the family home. I was honoured to get to freeze these moments for them and give them a beautiful story of this wonderful special period in their lives.

The mother loved these freelensed images I took that artistically captured her baby’s special features.

Diana Hagues Photography is a documentary photographer based near Cambridge, specialising in family, newborn, maternity and also motherhood and day-in-the-life sessions. Find out more about the sessions I offer here. Get in touch to book a session via my contact form.