Newborn Portrait - 9 Day Old Baby Boy!

Jess, Jarrod and Hudson - I adore this portrait of the new family.

 This year we have had the most amazing newborn babies...and our baby boys have been some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

This little man is Hudson. He was just 9 days old when his Mum and Dad brought him along for his newborn portraits and he was simply amazing! I have never seen so many smiles in all my life - they just kept coming and coming!

His Mum and Dad were such good fun and his Dad, Jarrod brought along a little old school case. Now this school case belonged to Jarrod when he was just a little tacker and he used to carry his cars around in it. I was so excited when I saw the case and Jess and Jarrod told me about the history of it - I knew we could create something really special...and I got more than I bargained for!

Hudson smiled and slept his way through a whole lot of different sets and we kept the case til almost the end. We got him set up and comfortable and as I was just about to raise the camera, I saw him smile....I knew if I rushed it I would miss it. While I was busy cursing him (nicely) out loud and by now in position, I could hear his Mum saying "He's still going - it's getting bigger!!!" At this stage I was hoping like mad that Jess was still talking about the smile - I was almost too scared to look, just in case it was the other end at work! But sure enough - it was the most beautiful big baby grin ever! And it grew and grew into something so delightful, I felt a hitch in my throat as I watched him through the lens - I am such a big, soft marshmallow and these rotten cute babies make me cry - ALL THE TIME. It was such a perfect, happy moment that I adored and will treasure for a long, long time.

Is that just the most gorgeous newborn baby grin ever???

Another little smile for his Dad.

Even while he is thinking! Don't you just love his deep in thought pose?

Jess has the most beautiful smile and I am pretty sure she is head over heels in love.

Even without a smile, Hudson is adorable.

A lovely new family.

Thank you for sharing your amazingly beautiful little man with me Jarrod and Jess. He is just adorable and no wonder really - your guys are pretty special yourselves!

Honestly, is that not the BEST newborn baby grin ever???

Til next time

Alicia xxx

Granddad's Garage - Limited Edition Portraits for Little Boys.

How hard is it to find a really sweet and timeless portrait for your little boys? Little girls are relatively easy - there is a million ways to dress up little girls, our Enchanted Garden is a perfect example.

Over the years I had many of our Mum's with little boys ask when we would do something special for our boys, well, we did it! We had our first ever Limited Edition Granddad's Garage sessions in June of last year and it was an absolute hit with our Mum's and their boys!

What little boy wouldn't love an old fashioned Roadster, dusty old oil cans, polish and fuel tins  - even a petrol bowser! With classic styling and gorgeous overalls and newsboy caps in our rustic garage setting our Granddad's Garage Portraits are great fun and a gorgeous family heirloom.

This year our Granddad's Garage will be held on Saturday 1st June and I can't wait to meet your little men! As always with out Limited Edition Theme Days, we have a pre-register list and already several spaces have been filled. If you would like to come along, please let us know so that we can get you on the list - the spaces are sure to go quickly once we announce it on Facebook!

Here's a little look at our set and our beautiful boys from last year.

 Aren't they absolutely gorgeous? We would love to have your little man come along and experience our Granddad's Garage and we love creating these unique portraits that we know your family will treasure for a lifetime.

To pre-register please call on 0419 411488 or email alicia.birch@bigpond.com

We would love to see you there.

Til next time,
Alicia xxx

7 Week Old Baby Portrait - Adorable Little Boy!

Oh he was so sweet!

Little Oliver was nearly 7 weeks old when his Mum brought him in for his Baby Portraits and he was wide awake when he arrived. Full of smiles and very interested in what we were up to so we opted to go with the flow and take advantage of this gorgeous wide awake little man! He rewarded us with some beautiful smiles while he had some play time with his Mum.

It wasn't long though before the combination of a full tummy, some gentle rocking and a warm, cosy spot saw Oliver decide he had had enough and it was time for a nap - and isn't he just adorable?

Just the perfect little sleeper and a truly beautiful baby boy!

Til next time,

Alicia xx.

Gorgeous Laylah's Baby Portrait at 6 weeks old.

Often you will have heard me say that the very best time to capture Newborn Portraits is in the first 14 days of life -  ideally before the 10 day old mark. Why do I say this? Firstly, babies are sooooo sleepy in those first few days, secondly they are used to being all curled up in mum's womb and thirdly, they are so tiny and they change dramatically in a very short space of time.

Those first two things make it so much easier to capture those darling squishy newborn images that we all love so much...but what if life gets in the way (as it does sometimes) and you have missed having your newborn portraits done in those first couple of weeks? Don't worry - just do it now! There is no time like the present to arrange to have gorgeous portraits of your new baby - no matter how many weeks old they are.

This gorgeous baby girl was one of those, where circumstances dictated that she wasn't able to come in until she was about 6 weeks old. When I was talking with her Mum, I explained that she may not be as inclined to sleep and at 6 weeks they have usually filled out quite a bit so some of the more squishy newborn poses may not be possible for her - their little tummies and chubby thighs can get in the way. But we would treat her like a newborn and she would let us know what worked for her and what did not.

The bonus at 6 weeks is that babies are able to focus  better and if they decide that they would like to be awake, they usually give some great eye contact - just like little Laylah did. She was awake to start with but with a full belly she soon decided that the easiest thing to do was to drop right off to sleep...and be absolutely adorable!

Love the eye contact little Laylah gave us.

I just adore her chubby cheeks and look at those gorgeous lips!

With her fantastic Mum and Dad.

This image looked fantastic as a 30" Wall Portrait for her Grandma.

Laylah's Mum and Dad are the sweetest young couple who simply adore their darling little girl - and Grandma Jackie is just a little bit sweet on her as well! And with good reason - not only is she beautiful, she is an absolute delight - a relaxed, happy baby girl.

Thank you for sharing your baby girl with me, Katherine and Wayde - I loved working with your family and simply adore Laylah's Baby Portraits...plus I got super cuddles with her!

Cheers
Alicia xxx

Aria's Newborn Portrait - Gorgeous 6 day old Baby Girl.

 Her name is Aria. Aria. Every time I say it I expect to hear a string quartet - I adore her name!

She was in a hurry to make an entrance to the world too - took her gorgeous Mum Simone a bit by surprise and arrived safe and happy within a few short hours. Simone is a friend of one of my clients, Anita and both girls have another friend, Jess - all three of these beautiful ladies were due to give birth within a couple of weeks of each other and sure enough they delivered. Aria for Simone, adorable Hudson for Jess and Anita's gorgeous little man Corbin. So I have quite a few blog posts to write! What a fantastic group of girls and their babies were just so easy to work with. Anyway, I am getting off topic!

Today is all about gorgeous Aria...but keep an eye out over the next few weeks for the boys! Aria arrived here at just 6 days old, content and happy she was 8lb 14oz born. She was asleep when she came in and I'm not sure that she woke up properly throughout her entire Newborn Portrait. She was the perfect little lady - sound asleep and happy to be posed any which way.

Her parents Simone and Ryan were justifiably proud of their sweet little angel...she made it so easy! Ryan was a hands on Dad and was the perfect helper for me. He was in charge of spotting the baby and keeping her safe (we let Mum have a rest - she had had a big couple of days!) and he was so good at being a posing assistant that we invented a new pose and called it "The Ryan" after him. It came about as we had her cocooned and were transitioning to a new pose - Ryan just held her together to settle her for a moment, he had a hand cradling her head and the other cradling her feet. I loved the look of his hands holding his baby girl and VOILA - we created  "The Ryan". Thank you Dad, you did a great job!

Our new pose, "The Ryan" was created as we settled the baby before transitioning to the pose below.

Thank you for sharing your perfect baby girl with me Simone and Ryan! She is so beautiful and the three of you make such a lovely family!

Cheers
Alicia xxxxx

Laura's Maternity Portrait.

Laura is beautiful. Inside and out. A stunning natural beauty with a delightful heart and a smile that makes you love her - that is Laura.

Laura had arranged to have a Newborn Session done and about a week later realised that fairly soon she would be having her baby and she would no longer be pregnant. Laura wanted a memory of this important time in her life. 

Now I know 9 months must feel like an eternity but in the scheme of things it is such a short time...and then... it's gone. Fortunately you receive the ultimate gift at the end of it all - but those 9 months, those major changes that your body goes through, that gorgeous round belly, that lovely softness - that is going to go away once your baby is born. Pregnancy is a milestone in a woman's life and should be celebrated with pride - this is your crowning achievement, your moment. You are giving new life.

I adore Maternity Portraits and Laura was a joy to work with. She had brought along a couple of her own outfits and we planned to use one of my Maternity Gowns and Wraps as well. Laura was well prepared and had her makeup and hair done the morning of our session, on top of that she was absolutely glowing.

I adore her gorgeous dimples!

       

She was fun and cheeky, soft and maternal, elegant and sizzling hot mama! All in the space of an hour or so. It was a fun and exciting experience and working with Laura was an absolute dream.

There were another 2 wonderful moments for me that followed Laura's maternity session. The first was meeting Laura and George's gorgeous new baby girl Lulu (keep an eye out for her gorgeous Newborn Session blog post) and the second was seeing Laura's husband George's reaction when he came to collect his gorgeous wife's maternity wall portrait collection....I think he liked them!

Thank you Laura, you are simply beautiful. Inside and out.

Cheers
Alicia xxx.