Welcome home, Archie! Newborn session in Hawke's Bay

There’s nothing quite as exciting as seeing the name of a former bride pop up in my inbox with the happy news that she is expecting her first baby. As a Hawke’s Bay wedding photographer, I get the incredible privilege of being a big part of a really big day in two people’s lives. For that reason, I feel like there’s a small but powerful wee bond between us. Getting to photograph a couple in the next incredible stage of life’s journey is just one more reason I am still passionate about being a photographer after 17 years.

Charlotte and Russ were due to come to my studio for a maternity photography session, so I was surprised when I got the news that their little guy, Archie, had arrived more than a month early! So I packed my camera bags and headed back to the family home in Central Hawke’s Bay for a little look….

While I enjoy shooting older children in my Napier photography studio, I shoot newborns at home because the first few weeks of a baby’s life are quite overwhelming and getting to stay at home takes the pressure off. We can shoot at baby’s pace and stop for feeds, naps and cups of tea whenever we need to. More importantly, the images then tell a story about this part of life’s journey and instead of studio props, I can work with all of the things that contribute to that story. In Archie’s case, he was the fourth generation to call the house he was in ‘home’ and his wicker basinet and blue jumpsuit had once belonged to his dad.

Charlotte admits that as soon as her wedding was over, she had me on her radar for the eventual newborn photos…

“I wanted her to document the next chapter of our story. She made us feel completely at ease while we navigated having a newborn, all while capturing the most beautiful and tender moments. And she was able to include our fur baby as well, which was an incredible feat in itself. We are so in love with the photos, and it is so special that we were able to capture Archie in such a natural way. We always knew we wanted to have a shoot at home where we were surrounded by history.”

Thank you to Char, Russ and Archie for letting me share their images. If you want to know more about a newborn ‘At Home’ session or another type of family portrait, CLICK HERE.