Newborn photos are all about freezing a moment in time because time flies by in a blink. When my youngest daughter was two days old, my midwife popped round to say she had been contacted by a local photographer asking if she knew of anyone with a newborn who would be prepared to let them photograph their baby. The photographer had been commissioned by National Women’s hospital in Auckland  to provide some photographs for the opening of their new delivery suites and needed photos of a new baby.

1 – Tiny Feet

Sian, my slightly scary Welsh midwife, said she immediately thought of me as Liv was my third baby and I would be able to take on travelling to the studio and a photoshoot in the next day or so.  I was secretly a little bit proud that she had such confidence in me, fortunately, my mum had flown over for Liv’s arrival so I left her holding the fort at home and went along for the shoot. A couple of weeks later my little one was printed on huge banners, ten feet high all round the hospital, which was slightly surreal to say the least.

2 – Baby Back Wrinkles

The reason I’m telling you all this is because those photographs are one of my most treasured possessions.  This was fifteen years ago so I don’t have digital backups  languishing on my hard drive,  I just have the framed black and white prints that the photographer gave me as a thank you.  I wasn’t a baby photographer at the time, hell, I wasn’t really any kind of photographer so those beautiful, professional prints that have been lovingly transported around the world and hung in many homes over the years are irreplaceable.

3 – New Fingers

Liv is now tall (taller than me!), blonde and beautiful with an exciting future ahead of her.  Everyday I walk past those photographs on the wall and wonder how that happened and am so very thankful that I have them there to remind me, not only of the day of the photoshoot but everything that happened around it as one memory sparks another.

4 – Swirly Crown of Hair

I recently did a newborn session with a baby who had tiny wisps of hair on the tips of her ears and I suddenly remembered that my other daughter had the same (at seventeen I don’t think she’ll thank me for sharing that!), something I don’t have a photo of so made sure I included that in their gallery because those little details disappear so fast, even the flaky skin and wrinkles that all newborns have will jog your memory years down the line of how tiny and vulnerable they were in your arms. It’s powerful stuff.

5 – Crying (All babies do it!)

6 – The Yawn

7 – Family Time

8 – Quiet Time

9 – How Their Head Fitted in Your Palm

10 – YOU!

11 – Grandparents

12 – Furry Siblings

13 – Sleeping (Freestyle)

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