Photographing gorgeous gummy babies: it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.

So I was delighted to be asked to photograph baby classes at Mummas & Beans, in Godalming. Nicky, who runs this fab cafe and space for local mums, babies and under-fives, wanted images that would reflect the feel of both the Tinies class (which is for younger babies and involves massage and bonding touch) and the Wrigglers class (which is for slightly older babies and involves music and movement, sound and touch).

I must admit, I was fully prepared  for a large dose of babies crying, possibly even some ear-piercing screaming. It’s only a few years ago that my two girls were babies themselves, so I remember it all very well. (Note: they can still emit a rather spine-curdling scream if they need to!). What I wasn’t expecting was to find a completely calm, rather wonderful, nurturing atmosphere where everyone clearly was completely immersed and enjoying their time at the class – both babies and mummys alike.

It really was a joy to observe and capture the mums and babies playing together and enjoying both each other’s company and also the company of the other mums around them.

I will admit, I actually felt quite emotional whilst witnessing and capturing photographs of it all. I think it was partly the knowledge that this part of my life is most definitely over. It was also the fact that I know these lovely mummys are just at the beginning of their journeys and yet the bonds were obviously already so incredibly strong. That is the miracle of motherhood and it never fails to amaze me.

I also know just how quickly it all passes and how important it is to capture it. Trust me, before you know it, they are 9 years old and already up to your shoulder!

Thank you ladies for letting me watch, capture your classes and have a little trip down Nostalgia Lane. I really enjoyed it, even if my ovaries did ache a little bit afterwards.

If you love photographing your baby or children and would like to learn how to understand your camera better so that you can really beautifully capture those moments as they grow, I run Creative Photography Workshops for Parents at Mummas and Beans. The next one is this Saturday 22nd June, 1-4.30pm and if you book this week, you get a bonus one-to-one mentoring session as part of the £80 workshop price, worth £125!

Find out more about the workshop here or contact me directly: info@kerryjphotography.co.uk - I am always happy to answer any questions.

Its nearly time to say goodbye to 2012, but where on earth did it go? Is it me or does this year seems to have raced past at breakneck speed?

It was a slightly frustrating start to 2012 with soooo much rain – I actually had to reschedule more Portrait sessions that I have ever had to do during the previous years all put together! Once again, I have met and photographed some amazing families and also had the joy of re-visiting some families I have previously photographed and got to see how their families have grown! As always, it is a real priviledge to be invited into people’s lives and document it for them.

This year I really feel that I am beginning to define my own ‘voice’ in my work and I realise more and more that what I really love to photograph are the little connections and uniqueness of each and every family. As it is always really difficult to pick out favourites from all the photographs I have taken in the past 12 months, this year I decided to take the theme ‘Connection’ and pick out just 10 images that I feel demonstrate this in a beautiful way.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year and given me encouragement about my work. It always means the world to me when I get wonderful feedback from families and especially when I make a grown woman (or man!) cry when they see their images… being the slightly over-emotional person I am, it quite often almost sets me off too!

I have lots of plans afoot that I am very excited about in 2013, but for now I am looking forward to spending a bit of time with my own family, accompanied by the obligatory overload of turkey, chocolate and mulled wine!

I will leave you with my own personal favourites of my two girls, taken this year. Wishing everyone a wonderful, relaxing Christmas and Happy New Year. See you in 2013!

K xx

The strangeness of time. We all know that sometimes it seems to drag and other times it seems to speed up. This is especially true of the journey of becoming a parent.

The whole growing a baby part…. well, that 9 months can seem a very long time. (Lets not talk about how long those last few weeks feel like, where you actually start to waddle like a lame duck. Or was that just me?)

And then the newborn stage – its so amazing, intense and such a blur that you sometimes may well feel like you are stuck in a time-warp of an endless cycle of feeding, sleeping, changing. You can be almost unaware of days passing by in your little baby bubble. Then one day you realise that you don’t have a teeny weeny little baby anymore.

And there lies your first taste of the bittersweet nature of parenthood. Its wonderful to watch them grow, to learn, to discover. In fact, its more than wonderful. But there is also a small part of you that knows that those fleeting times can never be recaptured.

This is why I truly believe there is something really special about offering newborn photography in a creative and documentary style for parents. I often have clients tell me how much they look back and really treasure those little moments I captured, in the early days.

My approach is very simple. I come to your home and I photograph you and your baby just being yourselves. I allow plenty of time for changes, feeding and anything else that is needed.  We go with the flow and capture life as it is: tiny toes, curled up limbs and the sheer wonder of having this little person in your lives written all over your faces.

This is exactly what happened in the Photo Session featured below. It was an absolute joy to visit this family a week after their daughter was born and photograph them as a family. Hope you enjoy them.

K x