I never realised how fast babies grow until I had my own. While the first month might seem long due to the endless waking up at night, the painful recovery and the struggle to settle into a new routine, it just seems like time flies so fast subsequently. Too fast, if you ask me.
One moment, you are holding your newborn at the hospital and can't take your eyes off him. The next thing you know, he is running around in the park and falling into bushes. Some day soon, he will be asking whether he can go for a sleepover at a friend's place and you are left wondering "Where did my baby go?"
That is why I treasure newborn photoshoots because these captures of my baby's first moments in life are simply priceless. They tug my heartstrings whenever I look at them and reminisce those days, reminding me how I carried my babies for nine months and brought them into this beautiful world.
Since Ansel is likely my lastborn, I was pretty sure I wanted to do a newborn shoot for him and we were very excited to be working with Ashley Low Photography after hearing good reviews about them. Here's sharing more about our experience and a gallery of some of my favorite shots.
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GETTING READY
It's never easy handling a newborn during a shoot because you never know when he might pee or poop, you need to consider his naptimes and feeding schedule, and you need to be prepared for any crankiness which will result in the baby not cooperating with whatever plan you had in mind. I still remember how Asher squirted poo on me during his newborn photoshoot and how we had to take breaks so I could nurse and comfort him when he was hungry.
This time round, what happened was that Ansel was fussy and whiny at the start and it took long for us to settle him down in the new environment. We tried feeding him milk from the bottle, I tried breastfeeding him, we changed his diaper and we did our best to soothe him. Still, he just didn't want to go to sleep or be laid down which meant we just had to keep trying despite failing multiple times.
I was quite amazed to see how adept and skillful Ashley was with the baby - she would gently pat him, feed him and even try to burp him. With her wealth of experience, she understands this can't be rushed and takes the time to build up a bond and trust with the baby before picking up the camera.
In the end, it took about an hour before we finally managed to appease him so the shoot could go on. Phew! I was so worried we had to cancel half of it or something and that would have been an absolute regret. So I was really thankful to see how Ashley and her assistant were patient and professional in the way they handled the situation.
BABY-FRIENDLY
For those who need to breastfeed the baby halfway through the session, there is a small changing room with an armchair for you to do it privately.
There is also a changing station so you can change your baby easily whenever you need to.
I love how Ashley would play this shushing sound during the photoshoot to calm the baby down. I think it does work to a certain extent!
For those with older kids, there is also a toy area where they can hang out while waiting. My kids loved playing there and it was a good way to keep them occupied and entertained since Ansel was the star of the day.
THE DIFFERENT SETUPS
Prior to the photoshoot, Ashley asked for my preferences for the setups. Besides providing the links to their social media pages so I could select the photos which speak to me, she also sent me a set of photoshoot guidelines so that we could better prepare ourselves. Note that all the baby outfits are provided by them, so you don't need to bring anything for the baby or worry about what to wear for him/her.
We had a total of three different setups for the baby and I loved all of them! I realised that many different props were used in each of them and this is one of the highlights of Ashley Low Photography. I especially loved how they spelt his name with bricks because it makes it really personalised and cute too.
The first setup was of Ansel in a gray wrap lying in a 'nest'. This was done when he finally fell asleep and once he did, Ashley and her assistant moved at the speed of light to get shot after shot done. By the way, it is best to do a newborn shoot when the baby is below two weeks old. We did it when Ansel was 10 days old and I loved how it captured the preemie, skinny limbs stage of his. Once he fell asleep, he was willing to let Ashley wrap and re-wrap him and even position his hands and feet too. Yup, this baby decided to cooperate, woohoo!
The second setup features Ansel lying on a mini log bed. This baby woke up after a power nap but luckily, he was willing to lie down and not make a fuss so Ashley could continue to photograph him. I love the top view close-ups because they make his facial features, mop of hair and long arms stand out.
The last setup was of him lying on his front on a light blue drape. We didn't know if we could pull this off because it required him to be naked which was a huge challenge since he was awake. But amazingly, they managed to do it after a while and I was surprised to see how Ansel seemed comfortable throughout and didn't even complain. I loved the use of props here, including the gold crown - I call him my little prince! - and the cute teddy bear.
FAMILY PORTRAITS
Considering that we had overshot the time planned for Ansel's session, we had to do the family shots more hurriedly. To be honest, I wish we had more time for this segment so we could do more siblings shots or one-on-one shots with the baby. I was also worried about how they would turn out since everything was done swiftly and you know how much family photos mean to me. Still, I was thankful that we even had a chance to do this at all and these were our first family portraits, which make them so precious and meaningful to me.
When I first took a look at the final pictures, I was amazed and pleasantly surprised to see that they were better than I expected. It was a good thing that I had coordinated our outfits because I think it is important and we kind of matched each other pretty well. Ashley also chose a white backdrop for us to keep it minimal and I like that it makes us stand out. Here's a look at some of my favorite shots.
This photo of us lying down is one of my top three favourites from the day and it's not hard to see how much I like it if you see my new blog header, right? It was not easy in achieving this shot as Ashley had to position us one by one and now that we have six people, it was definitely a challenge! Moreoever, the 5-year-old decided to kick up a fuss and refused to come over when the rest of us were already in place. Yup, it took coaxing and bribing to get him to do it. So you see, it's not always as easy as it seems and every photoshoot comes with its challenges, so it is very important to find photographers who are patient and understanding when it comes to kids.
The last shot was taken of the two brothers and it happened because although the sisters got to carry the baby during the family shots, we told Asher he couldn't as the baby was still too fragile. So he got upset about it and we asked Ashley if it was possible to let him take a couple of shots with the baby alone and she agreed. I am so glad it happened and it also reminds me to dote on and care for the boy a little more now that he is promoted to a big brother and middle child. Yup, this boy truly loves his precious Didi!
Overall, it was a wonderful experience working with Ashley and her team and I think the end results speak for themselves. The photos are beautiful and they capture my baby and family so well, turning these precious moments into eternal memories for us. I will definitely cherish these for a lifetime and if you have a newborn too, don't hesitate to go for a photoshoot now before it's too late, yeah?
DISCOUNT CODE
For those who are keen to check out Ashley Low Photography, quote my name 'Summer' to enjoy $50 offthe package upon booking. Have fun and enjoy the shoot!
Ashley Low Photography
Address: 62 Ubi Road 1 Oxley BizHub 2 #08-01 Singapore 408734 (Appointments only)
Phone: 6443 3953 / 9640 3774
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.ashleylowphotography.com/
Disclosure: This is a sponsored collaboration between A Happy Mum and Ashley Low Photography. All opinions are my own.
