Siblings and newborns | Newborn photography studio, Cornwall
Newborns & siblings in a photography session
For second or third time parents, getting a photo of their newest addition with the older child(ren) is often the most important of their session. They can be difficult shots to take yourself, and of course it's the most wonderful thing as a parent to witness the bond between your offspring and have a gorgeous photo capturing it.
Saying that, getting little ones to participate can be a challenge. Anyone dealing with a toddler knows what happens when you want them to do something for you - most of the time it's 5 seconds of co-operation (if any), and once they're done, that's IT. I'm singling out the toddlers as I've been dealing with them a lot lately.
Big brothers are often reluctant when it comes to being in photos - with girls there’s generally more of a sense that they want to be involved with the baby. But this big brother was actually very sweet and obliging! He was super nervous though but followed my directions beautifully.
Mila loved her new little brother Koa. She wasn’t that keen for photos to start - kept jumping off the bed or sitting way at the back, far from where we needed her to be. But she eventually gave us some gorgeous shots and was a star! Toddlers are always keen to run off, so I feel really lucky when they listen to the directions, even if it’s just for a few seconds!
Cooper and his brand new baby brother, Spencer. This was an in-home newborn session and Cooper was bouncing off the walls with loads of 4 year old energy. Having recently had my second baby, my older son is very close in age to Cooper so it was a very familiar energy for me. I was literally dodging nerf gun bullets while I worked with his little brother but with a bit of cajoling I got him to pose with Spencer for a split second before he was off again. I absolutely adore this shot. 5 year olds are still easier to direct than toddlers, though they don't always want to be there.
Sophie and Isaac - a slightly more challenging age gap of 2 years. There is always a lot of pleading and nearly giving up with Sophie but we get there in the end! She was so happily playing she did not want to leave the toys in the studio and have any pictures taken. We persisted and she eventually complied.
I've been photographing her since she was a couple of months old and it was a delight to get to continue to see her growing alongside her little brother.
With a 7 year age difference, getting sibling shots with Leo and his baby brother Harry didn’t involve any chasing or pleading, though there might have been a small bribe. He was understandably nervous holding his little brother but was eager to please and did a brilliant job!
I'm going to have to do a post of the outtakes from some sessions, for sure! It's just a quick post to reassure parents who might be worried their little darlings won't be up to the task of getting in a photo with the new kid on the block. It's always worth a try and somehow we seem to manage it. They aren't always perfect or what was intended but I really don't think they should be!
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