Or, the time I turned a normal garden into a pop-up studio!
It had been almost 4 months since I last photographed anyone other than my own family, when finally photographers were allowed to work outdoors! When this lovely family got in touch to book some newborn photos for their baby, I jumped for joy.
I had been their maternity photographer back in December and I was dying to meet their little one, who was already10 weeks old. So, instead of waiting 2 more weeks for the indoor restrictions to be lifted in order to do a studio shoot, I decided to bring my trusty backdrop and beanbag and created my own mini studio in their garden.
That week, we had been sunburned in the unusually hot sun on the Tuesday, and then were facing the prospect of SNOW on the Saturday, so it goes without saying we were slightly worried about the weather!
Thankfully, the weather was perfect, and despite being a bit too chilly for shots of baby in just a nappy or vest, we managed to get some absolutely perfect photos of him snuggled in soft blankets on the beanbag as he had an afternoon snooze. I always suggest including photos of the family in my newborn photoshoots, so we also got some shots of both parents and the whole brand new family of three.
And if you're worried that you can't have newborn photos after your baby is over a month old, worry no more! Have a look at the photos at the bottom of the page: isn't he just perfect at 10 weeks?
This pandemic has really forced everyone to get creative with the way they run their businesses, and newborn photography has been no exception! I would never have seen how great a pop-up studio newborn photoshoot could be if I hadn’t had to shut my actual studio, but now it’s another option for families who might not be able to come to the studio and still want a sleek, minimalist look to their photos.
I still recommend the studio for consistent, reliable lighting and predictable weather (the sun and temperature can be very changeable and not ideal for babies!), but if there is a good reason why you'd need me to bring my studio to you (recovery from a C-section, for example, or accessibility issues which mean not being able to get down my studio steps), you’ll need to prepare around a dining table-sized area of clear space either indoors or outdoors for me to set up my backdrop. It’ll need to be opposite a window indoors, and on a flat bit of ground outdoors.
Take a look at the sweet little gallery below and see if you can spot any signs that we were actually in the garden!
