Newborn studio in Oatlands

For a very long time, I travelled to clients homes for newborn sessions. There are some advantages to this. The main advantage is that Mum and Dad don't have to worry about packing up and heading out the door for their photoshoot. However, there are many advantages to the studio model. The main advantage is that I can have consistency of light. By using my lights, I know and control the space to produce the best lit images possible. Another advantage is that all of my props, hats, blankets and accessories are available should anyone ask for them. For these reasons, I am formally shifting my newborn focus from that of an on-location photographer, to a studio based one. My home studio is located in Oatlands. Most people haven't heard of Oatlands. It's a small, leafy suburb nestled between Carlingford, North Rocks, Dundas and North Parramatta. It's a short drive from the Inner West, including Concord, Canada Bay, Picnic Point and the Hills area, including Castle Hill and Baulkham Hills.

In the short term, I will still continue to service Sydney as a mobile Sydney newborn photographer. When the studio is established, I will make a decision as to whether or not this is a service I will continue with.

I look forward to bringing you some progress photos of my little studio coming to life. We will be having a mini version of "The Block" going on here. In the meantime, I've been practicing using the space with some little clients.

This is sweet baby Lewis. Lewis came to the studio with Mum and Grandma, and he was a dream for my inaugural studio newborn shoot. I hope you love Lewis' images as much as I do.

Big sister, little brother

I am trying to convince this Mamma to have another baby, given she makes such cute ones!! They were both born with a head full of hair and beautiful, full cheeks. I am told that Olivia is a little bit naughty, but I can't believe it, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth!! For this session, I wanted to try out a new digital backdrop. It's nice to add something new to a newborn photography session, but given that I drive all around Sydney for newborn sessions, it's often hard to get lots of props to the clients' home. With the benefit of photoshop, we can create these beautiful images without the stress of moving baby around. I am planning to add more to my composite collection, which I am sure will make my husband happy, as we might not have quite as many purchases coming through the door!! Watch this space.

I hope you love these pictures of big sister Olivia and her adorable brother Charlie. Don't you think they should have just one more (nb, I can't be held responsible if 'just one more' turns into twins, as it did for us!)

Two sweet boys to love

I met these two adorable boys and their gorgeous Mamma's in their Western Sydney home. They were doing many of life's most stressful things at once, including renovating, raising a busy toddler and adding a sweet baby boy to their family. I love to be creative and make my props. Sometimes I knit, sometimes I crochet, sometimes I collect branches from the bush and cut my hands sawing and creating baby hammocks (true story, I still have the scar to show for it). This time, I wanted to make an egg that I could pose the baby in. The egg, of course, symbolises new life, and what's more beautiful than the new life of a newborn baby. I loved playing around with this new prop. I also got simple poses and pictures with his big brother, with the most amazing coloured eyes you've ever seen!

I hope you love these images as much as I do.

Beautiful curly newborn boy | Sydney newborn photographer

It was a warm summer day in Sydney as I drove to this newborn baby photography session by the beach. I first met his family a couple of years ago, in my home studio in Oatlands, in the western suburbs of Sydney. They were a small family of 3 and were just getting used to the newborn phase. I was curious to meet little Oliver, to see if he would look like his older brother, and in many ways he did. He was just delightful and I loved seeing his family grow and move to a beautiful beachside home to enjoy the sun. He slept so beautifully and stretched and moved and I moved him from pose to pose. We baby photographers have names for our poses, like nighty night, bum-up, and of course, the taco pose, named because we pretty much fold the baby in half! Big brother was great when we came to do the sibling shot. When we asked him to 'give the baby a kiss', we got a very cute open mouthed kiss! Hey, we're keeping it real! He happily slid in beside Dad and his brother, and without being asked, he pretended to sleep, just like Daddy and baby brother. I hope you love the images of sweet, little Oliver as much as I do.

A head full of hair | Hills newborn photographer

I love it when my newborn clients have a head full of hair. I always ask the Mum if she had heartburn, to see if the old wives tale is true that babies with a lot of hair cause heartburn. They often answer yes, but lets face it, heartburn is pretty common in pregnancy, so I am still none the wiser if this myth is true or not! This handsome boy was awake for quite a while during his session. As a result, we got so many varying faces as he moved around and looked in different directions. I always love these shots. Though they may not be the perfectly posed shots, each one is so unique and truly starts to showcase snippets of his emerging personality. I hope you love these images as much as I do.

Breakfast Point Newborn Photographer

I met this beautiful family in the lovely Breakfast Point. One thing I love about my job is seeing the various places to live around Sydney. I will often come home with location envy! I do live in a lovely suburb, but I have eclectic taste and I love seeing the various places to live. Breakfast Point is such a perfect location, so close to Burwood, Concord and Canada Bay and easy to get to and from Sydney. This isn't a real estate blog, but I have just come back to the office from dropping off this client's order including a stunning acrylic and I fell in love with the suburb all over again. This family are so adorable. You will see, they are very beautiful, but they are equally beautiful on the inside. I feel very blessed that my clients are always so warm and inviting and I love getting to know the families when I am with them. This beautiful little baby boy started by letting me take some pictures of him awake. He posed perfectly for me, looking straight into my lens. His older brother did a great job when it was time to get the sibling and family shots, and spent the rest of the time alternating between playing with his toys and checking out what we were doing. I hope you enjoy these images of this genetically blessed family :)

Triple the love | Sydney Newborn Photographer

So many people have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this fabulous trio for the longest time! These beautiful rainbow babies made their way into the world just hours after our maternity shoot. This is the second time this has happened, so perhaps if you are overdue and are ready to deliver, book in a maternity photoshoot with me to get things moving along!! Given I have had twins myself, I have a good understanding of the special relationship that multiples have, and we wanted to capture that with at least one photo of the trio, and one of the identical sisters. The triplets were 11 weeks old by the time we got to scheduling their session, so we needed many assistants to help out ensuring that they were happy and relaxed for their photos. They are the sweetest and cutest trio I've ever met and I look forward to photographing them again, and watching their little personalities develop.

Baulkham Hills Newborn Photographer

This beautiful baby boy was booked in for his photos when he was about the size of an apple (because baby books always compare growth to fruit for some reason!!) It was so exciting finding out that he was a boy and meeting him and his family for the first time. I've been told by countless clients all over Sydney, that I am very patient, some even say "the baby whisperer". I wouldn't ordinarily describe myself as patient, however, for newborns I very much relax and let the baby fall into their own pattern. They are so little and new and I feel that it's important to make sure that we are working to their clock and not ours. Sometimes, baby is just having an off day, they might have a sore belly or they just might be struggling to get into a good sleep for some much wanted rest. I try always to be patient, and follow their cues.

For this session, Huxley was quite unsettled, in fact, I returned another day for the family photos. However, we ended up with a gallery bursting with images I just loved. I had trouble culling them back for this blog post. You will see, he's as cute as a button.

Besotted siblings | Castle Hill Newborn Photographer

I've known this family for years, and I photographed them in Parramatta Park, when their now five year old was about one. They had room in their hearts and home for one more baby to complete their family. And when you make such adorable children, why not! The last few weeks of pregnancy have been so hard, with Mum on bed rest. Finally, on 18 July 2014, at 35 weeks, he was born. He was such a tiny baby. The photos don't really do that justice, which is why we also photographed him beside his teddy bear. Very soon, he will be bigger than that bear! I've never seen siblings so besotted. Ever! Sometimes, one sibling will be particularly in love with the new baby. Mostly, they don't mind either way. But all three of Franklin's siblings adore him. His five year old brother kept stroking him so tenderly, and kept putting his cheek next to Franklin's mouth and declaring "he is kissing me". I asked his big sister if I could take him now. She looked right into my eyes and said "no"! She wanted him all for herself, to shower him with love and affection. It really filled my heart watching them all. Clearly, Franklin has captured the hearts of his whole family. I imagine that soon, he will be woo'ing them all with giggles and smiles and will have everyone wrapped around their little fingers.

Beautiful baby Jessica

Around two years ago, I photographed a stunning baby girl. I was so excited to be contacted to be asked to photograph her newest little cousin, Jessica, who also lives in Sydney's North West. Their Grandma was at each of the shoots, and it was lovely seeing their family grow. A couple of days before this session, I bought a new prop. It's an old style school desk. Ordinarily, I am not a very "proppy" photographer. I tend to keep photos natural and minimal with only a few props like baskets and my hammock. However, this beautiful desk stood out to me and I had to purchase it. I brought it along to my session, not too sure if I would use it. When I arrived, I learnt that Mum is actually a school teacher. I knew I needed to go and get my new prop to use at Jessica's shoot. She was a little unsettled, so I had to be very patient and slowly lower her into position. It probably took 5 minutes to lower her into place. I am glad I persevered though, as I love this image.

I also love the 'newborn sack' image that we did and then we progressed to the other snuggly poses on the beanbag.

Some time ago, one of my friends from Perth posted a photo on Facebook of four generations of her family. Each person was holding a frame. I thought it was a lovely way to represent four generations. Jessica's Grandma, and great Grandma were at the shoot, so I thought I would try this shot with them. I love how it worked out. I would like to credit the photographer that my friend went to, as this image wasn't my idea. Her business is Karin Gethin Photography.