Natural Style Newborn Photography in East London

Regular readers will know I love a newborn session and so I was thrilled to be booked for a newborn baby and family session in East London last weekend. I was even more excited when we chatted about the session and what the family were looking for – authentic photos with an emphasis on storytelling and interaction, my favourite type of photography.

So today I’ll be sharing a sneak preview from this wonderful session, beautiful pictures taken in the client’s lovely flat which had so many stunning features from wonderful mirrors to a super-cool balcony.  Then I’ll be sharing some outdoor newborn pictures in nearby Victoria Park. It was a fabulous shoot from start to finish and I’m so thrilled with the images.

One of the things I enjoy most about my job is finding cool angles and different approaches to portraits when I’m working in new places. Each day is a new experience and a new challenge as I arrive at my client’s homes and then think of interesting ways to use the space while creating beautiful and authentic newborn and family photographs, images that show life as it’s being lived.

I love these different approaches to family portraits, an image of interaction as the family laugh together on the settee, stunning jungle wallpaper visible in the background and then a few minutes later, the scene photographed through the mirror for a very different visual effect and to tell more of a story.

Of course, on any newborn photography session, in fact on all family photography sessions, I do like to take a few eyes to camera shots, both portraits of the little ones but also a family picture that records this moment in time. Apart from anything else, at this time of year these images make wonderful Christmas gifts and nothing beats a portrait of your baby to hang in the home.

It was a wet day for our photoshoot, so we spent much of the morning indoors but as the rain began to lift we headed out onto the balcony for some of my favourite pictures of the day. It is a lovely space, and the light was wonderful. Watching the family interact was such a joy and it was a real privilege for me that everyone was so comfortable with the camera that dad got out his guitar to sing to his girls, what a beautiful moment and a picture for the family to treasure.

As the forecast told us that the rain would stop in an hour we decided on a break for lunch for the adults and a snooze for the little one and then, refuelled we headed outside.

As we walked to, and around the park, there were so many opportunities for family pictures of this most classic family activity – walking to together in the fresh air. I had a wonderful time looking at different ways to incorporate the environment into our pictures from a panning shot to capture the movement to the leading lines of the footbridge and the wonderful shimmering reflections of the lake. Each image so different from the last and each telling an element of our story.

We finished with some newborn and family photographs at the Baroness Burdett Coutts Drinking Fountain, a Grade II listed drinking fountain in Victoria Park. It’s an amazing structure and I admit, looking it up for the blog just now, I can hardly believe it’s a drinking fountain. It’s so different to the water bottle refill stations you can find around London now, those Victorians did know their architecture! This was designed in 1862 by Henry Astley Darbishire and you can read about it on Wikipedia at the link above should you want to know more.

It made a great background for a family picture and will always remind the family of Victoria Park, the stunning open area so near to where they live.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at this selection of images from our wonderful East London newborn photography session as much as I enjoyed taking them. If you would like to arrange your own newborn session or a family session with older children then do get in touch, I’m taking bookings for 2024 and would love to hear from you.