Getting Your Baby Snaps… A-TISH-SHOO!

A-TISH-SHOO!! AHHHHHH-TISH-SHOO! No, don’t worry I haven’t got a cold and nor has the wonderful Karen from KW Photography, though with all the A-Tish-Shoos you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. However, fake sneezes and giant raspberries are one of the many ways in which Karen manages to coax the most gorgeous smiles out of the little ones she photographs on a daily basis…

 When I was pregnant, I knew that at some point I would want to get some pregnancy pictures despite the fact that other than the odd selfie I HATE having pictures taken – I just do not think I am very photogenic at all. Anyway, I happened to mention to my family, that at some point I would love some pictures done and my wonderful sister and brother-in-law gifted me a maternity photo shoot for my eighth month of pregnancy and it is here that my story begins.

My sister sent me the link for KW Photography (you can check out the website here) so I could look at the style of photos done by a lady called Karen. I totally fell in love with them and the session was booked. You have no idea how close I came to not having these done…

I booked in at 8 months so I was nice and big and the session was wonderful. Karen was very calming and constantly checking I was okay and guided me very gently through the photo sessions. We did several different types of photos and I had some wonderful pictures to look through and choose from. One of the things I love about Karen is that she has so many different photo packages to suit everyone from digital to canvases and prints!

Remember I said that I was lucky to get these done? Well, I had these done on a Wednesday in July and on that very Sunday Alyssa arrived!! Talk about timing… turns out I had been in labour the whole week… hence feeling slightly uncomfortable for a while. I am so glad I managed to get these shots done though because I think they truly reflect how happy I was to be carrying my little girl in my tummy! Little did I know

 that my photography relationship with Karen was only just beginning!

When I had been there for my maternity shoot, it was hard not to notice the wonderful photos of children all around the studio. Karen specialises in Newborn and Baby Photography and is known as something called “A Baby Whisperer!” Like the horse whisperer only with babies… just to make that clear. So, I didn’t think twice and we penciled in a time for Alyssa to do a newborn photo shoot which usually happens within the first two weeks post birth. Of course as it happens, Alyssa was five weeks old when she had hers done because we were in hospital for a while after she was born. It didn’t matter though and the experience was amazing.

Alyssa and I arrived on our own and it was just lovely. Karen made me a cup of tea and Alyssa lay asleep in my arms. I handed Alyssa to Karen who stood rocking her for a while and then I sat and watched as slowly she placed Alyssa on a giant cushion that had been set up to take pictures of her on. It was amazing to see how, whilst

Alyssa was asleep, Karen was able  to move her into different positions and wrap her or dress her in different outfits. To be honest, it was so relaxing for a new mum who, like all new parents, felt like they’d been on a bit of a journey and back recently.

Alyssa stirred occasionally but with a stroke of the cheek from Karen she nestled back down – being slightly awkward at times by refusing to tuck her feet in. She only woke once in the entire session and had a little bit of milk to settle her back off again. Whilst she fed, Karen completely transformed the room and created a new set-up for Alyssa to be photographed in. For this, Alyssa was briefly awake and nosy as ever as she stared up at Karen wondering what was going on. After a few photos awake, she closed her eyes, snuggled down and went back to sleep, perfectly content. The whole session took about 3 hours because Alyssa woke up and it’s advised it can take anywhere from 2-4 depending on the baby. The time flew by and it felt like only five minutes. It was such a calm and relaxing space to be in and as I said an absolute joy to watch – Karen treats each baby as if they were her own.

 At the end of the photo session I gave Karen my details and also approval to share any of Alyssa’s photos on her business page and awaited eagerly for the photos. I didn’t have to wait long as within 24 hours, Karen had posted an edited picture as a sneak peak to the album. 10

days later (can be up to 14) I received an email with a link to an album so I could view and select the photos I wanted….OMG! I couldn’t choose, I wanted them all and actually ended up having them all! What was really nice was that Karen had included taking a picture of Alyssa and I together at the end and you can just see the joy in my face.

Once I had ordered and paid for the photos, only two days later this beautiful box with a wooden USB (I had ordered the digital package) beautifully wrapped arrived through the post with all of the photos on it. This was just the icing on the cake to the whole experience. It was then that I messaged Karen saying that actually I wanted to do the whole Baby’s First Year Package – Newborn, Sitting (around 7-8m) and First Birthday! I roughly booked it in, we stayed in touch and I went back to looking adoringly at the photos over and over again!

Fast forward 7 months and one sunny afternoon I found myself back on Karen’s doorstep with my beautiful bouncing baby in my arms. I should say that this was the second time in a month I found myself on her doorstep because the first time we tried to take some pictures, Alyssa was

ill and we had to give up after ten minutes. Karen was so understanding and we re-booked and here we were.

This time, I was much more involved and helped place Alyssa and make sure she didn’t fall over whilst Karen was in front with a camera doing everything she could to make Alyssa laugh and smile. To be honest, it didn’t take much. I think Karen had Alyssa at “Hello!” It was lovely being involved and being up close watching how Alyssa interacted in the situation. Now I know she likes attention and is a little bit camera happy but this was something else… she completely turned it on. She had raspberry competitions with Karen and laughed her head of when Karen began fake sneezing at her. Then she leaned in raising her eyebrows, showing her cheeky grin and waving away… lapping up the attention.

We took so many different shots and each came with a scene change that was so quick whilst we changed Alyssa into a different outfit – we took some of our own clothes but Karen has an overflowing wardrobe of outfits and accessories too! Once we were done we sat chatting as I dressed Alyssa and Alyssa has this thing… if she likes someone she dips her head to one side down onto a shoulder, looks at them and grins. It is very cute, cheeky and flirty and oh my goodness she must have given Karen about 10 head dip and smiles (think of it as the bend and snap for babies!!) In such a short amount of time, Karen created a lovely bond with her.

In next to no time, an email appeared once again giving me access to view the amazing shots Karen had once again taken. It is so difficult to choose though. Once again, I chose a digital package and received my little wooden box with the photos in again. Once I have loaded these onto my computer, I put each little box into Alyssa’s memory box as something for her to look at when she is older.

Now, we have a few months break until Alyssa’s first birthday when we join Karen to celebrate it with a Cake Smash (you must have seen her Cake Smash video… it went viral!! If not click here to see it!) and we can’t wait!

Thank you so much Karen for helping me to watch my little girl grow up and create and preserve such special moments. Thank you also for creating that unique bond with the babies big and small that come through your door. You make becoming a parent even more special than it already is. We look forward to seeing you soon!

 If you live in the South of England and fancy having photos done with Karen & KW Photography (because let’s face it who wouldn’t!!!) you can click here to pop over to her website and take a look at everything she does – she also does some amazing location shoots just FYI!

You can follow her on Twitter with @KarenWiltshire4

or

Instagram with @KarenWiltshirePhotography