Yet again I haven’t kept my promise to blog regularly. I think I must stop apologizing and blog when I can. This year has been incredibly busy, so preparing client’s proofs and orders always takes first place. Thankfully that’s half term now finished, the place already resembles a building site a lot less and things should be back to normal again soon. Hopefully. So please forgive me and pop in now and again.
Below are some images from the session with baby Louis and his family..
Baby Louis was such a pleasure to photograph… He did so well.
And just adore his pouty lips- such a gorgeous wee boy!
He was a little star, as was his older sister Lucy, and we had an all round lovely session. Did I mention their oldest four legged brother Guinness joined them for a few family portraits too? So there were baby cuddles, toddler smiles and big sloppy Labrador kisses going around- I loved it!!
Hope you enjoy these images as much as I did creating them for this family.
Love,
Laura
To book your very own newborn or children’s session say Hello at info@laurachenphotography.co.uk or click HERE.
They all have great personalities. They are so happy to be sitting up and haven’t figured out how to run away yet. This little man was no exception and melted my heart from the very beginning of his session..
And I mean how could he not? Full of smiles, cheeky, vocal and all around incredibly cute!
Let me tell you, this baby just lit up the entire room. His smile was infectious and he was just a pleasure to photograph.
He was such a sweet & easy-going baby for his session! He noticed every little thing around him and loved putting it all in his mouth. I enjoyed meeting him and his parents for this session and it was great to finally put the names to the faces since mum and I have been communicating for a wee while now.
You can see the love this family shares through the photos and in the way Adio looks at his mum and dad.
I look forward to seeing more of this little man as he grows.
I hope you all enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them!
All my love,
Laura
To book your own family or children’s session say Hello at info@laurachenphotography.co.uk or click HERE.
It takes more than a cute subject and fantastic light to create an extraordinary portrait… The clothes you wear and accessories add texture and depth to the photograph so it is important to get it right. Here are a few DO’S and DONT’S for your photography session:
DO coordinate but don’t match.
Pick out a few colours to coordinate between subjects when working with a palette of softer tones and neutrals.
DO go for soft colours such as cream, beige, dusky pink, light grey. They always compliment the subject and don’t take your attention away from them by overpowering the picture.
DO put little girls in adorable dresses!
DO go for a smart look with boys. As much as their favourite Spider-man jumper might be a tempting option, it’s hard to create artistic and timeless portraits with overly modern and urban clothes.
DO accessorize. Scarves, hats, headbands, flowers- all these things can make an image look complete.
DON’T wear overly bright colours. They cast visible shadows on people’s skin and take your eye away from the subject.
DON’T wear logos or clothing with writing and/or cartoon characters.
DON’T use sportswear for your portrait session.
Hope you found this short and simple guide useful.
To book your very own styled session for your little one say hello at info@laurachenphotography.co.uk or click HERE.
Here are some funky display ideas for your family photos.
Stuck for ideas on how to display your family photos around the house? Looking for something a little bit different? Look no further!
I’ve put together a few (rather quirky) photo display ideas for you to brighten up your home with.
I’m a huge sucker for the whole shabby chic look so it’s absolutely no surprise that I’ve instantly fallen in love with the idea of using an old wooden door or a window frame to frame your photographs. Looks fantastic!
Love Instagram? Then what about this ‘real life’ Instagram feed like geometric creation?
Add a little rustic charm by dangling your polaroids from a fallen branch..
You can learn how to recreate the look here. I’ll be doing this one for the hallway. I adore old polaroids.
So not only can you arrange your favorite pictures on your wall, but you can actually turn a purely visual display into a functional clock! I kind of wish I had thought about this one before. Use any method you want for the 12 photos (canvasing, simple framing etc).
The sky is the limit…
One thing for sure, your precious family photographs do not belong on a disc in a drawer. Let’s be creative!
We all have sweet little photo albums of us wrapped and kept safely somewhere at our parents homes..
We all had those albums taken out for our boyfriends/girlfriends to see and we, without a doubt, pulled them out when expecting our own children, right? I know I did… I wanted to flick through the pages full of my childhood and quietly imagine what my own little one will look like. Will he have the same blue eyes? Will he snuggly fit the same hand knitted outfit my mother once carefully dressed me in? I took in all imagery looking into my mums eyes in every photo knowing I will have the same loving look in my face very soon..
That’s me..
Sadly, our children will never know the feeling of holding and enjoying their documented childhood in a few years…
21st century has done some great things for photography.. It enabled many talented photographers to get into business and do what they love.. But it also brought in the need to have everything we own ‘digitalised’… What will we pass down through generations? A usb stick? I hope not.. I hope we still have printed photographs and beautiful photo albums our kids can hold and touch in 20 years time..
I know these parents will be able to gift their little one with just that and I’m proud to have been there to help them make it happen..
Make your usb a nice addition for future printing.. Not the only memory from your little one’s childhood.
I’m auctioning off a NEWBORN/CHILD PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE!! – Worth £440 for charity. The package is for your newborn/child photography session and USB of all images.
It is for an amazing cause. Little Princess Trust is a charity helping to provide real hair wigs for children suffering hair loss. Mostly after chemotherapy treatment.
I was hugely inspired to do this by a lovely mummy whose darling newborn I got to photograph at the beginning of this year.
Katrina took it upon herself to raise as much money as possible by fundraising and getting her beautiful long hair cut short. Here’s Katrina’s transformation:
We want to make as much money as possible for Little Princes Trust and so if you want to book in a photography session for your little one then this is the ideal opportunity to do so and for a great cause! The bidding will start at £50 and I will give regular updates on where the winning bid stands on my Facebook page. I ask that the winning bid will be paid directly into Katrina’s fundraising page which can be found HERE.
Bidding will close Midday on Friday 28th August and the winner will be notified by email and announced on Facebook.
My newborn/child sessions can be booked on weekdays only.
TO PLACE A BID OR TO ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION: send me an email – info@laurachenphotography.co.uk.
Every single penny raised goes directly to the cause.
If the photography session is not for you, but you fancy making a charitable donation, why not support the cause directly through their website.
Why newborn photography and why I will never shoot a wedding…
Because I believe in focusing on doing what makes your heart sing, what you love and do your very best at..
Newborn photography is so much more than just placing a sleepy baby in a fun hat on a soft throw and clicking a few buttons… I meet new parents at their most vulnerable- they’re scared senseless yet still expected to know what to do with this fresh little human they took home just a few days prior. There’s no secret. There’s no quick answer.
Do I know babies? I absolutely do. That comes with practice and passion. I shot over 20 babies in the last few months alone but I still make no promises. I know you love and care for your child, you want to keep them safe. Everything else is a bonus. I’m not going to guarantee the perfect shot or the perfect sale. What i’m going to guarantee is that when you have me, you have every ounce of my being to make sure that I’ll take care of your baby in the safest manner to get the best images I can get..
A lot of photographers choose wedding photography over portrait work because that’s where the money is at.. Some of them sincerely love it, some prefer a pay cheque over passion and if that works I’m happy for them. I’m also happy for those who will photograph anything not to turn away work. I get that too. However I see photography like good coffee- you get what you pay for. A company that makes coffee as well as shoes will not be the best at both. It might be OK at both, but for that special occasion where supermarket coffee just won’t do I’m going to head to the specialists, and there isn’t a bigger occasion than the birth of you child.
There’s no doubt photography can be costly and and there are reasons behind it.. Yup, we aren’t just greedy artists.. We’ve spent thousands of pounds on gear and back up gear in case of failure.. We pay taxes and sky high insurance rates especially when working with young children. Why? Because so the client and the photographer are covered in case of an accident. It’s vital. I personally wouldn’t let anyone without appropriate training and insurance look after my child and I don’t think anyone should.
The work involved in creating the art of newborn photography is extensive and costly.. From home knitted blankets, wraps and hats that were made from organic, ethnically sourced wool (I will not put just anything on a newborn) to hours in training to get better and sometimes days in post production.. That’s what separates a professional from a hobbyist..
The custom service also does this.. because presentation is everything! Beautiful photographs look so much better framed nicely on a wall than in a drawer on a usb stick..
I guess I’m asking people to think before bargain shopping when it comes to your little ones.. Cheaper isn’t always better. I’ve been at the receiving end of emails asking to redo their baby session because someone else failed.. And I do. But it gives us all a bad name. Let’save ourselves heart ache and money by doing research. Meet your potential photographer first. See their products and previous work (not just the best few on their website). Ask to see a full session or two to see what you’ll actually get and don’t be afraid to ask for their insurance info.
Laura Chen Photography are looking for a Newborn model!
This is a fantastic opportunity to get your new baby photographed at no expense. The time has come again to update my beautiful prop collection and I need a sweet little one to be my model for a couple of hours.
I’m looking for a baby aged 7-12 days (ideally).
Parents will receive a complimentary photo session at my studio and 2 digital photographs as a compensation for their time.
If you’re interested please get in touch by clicking HERE or dropping an email to info@laurachenphotography.co.uk
Meet baby Ruby – a gorgeous newborn lady who was an absolute dream to photograph..
Perfect little darling who was very content the whole session..
Ruby came along with mum, dad and her older sister Ava who was every little bit as happy to be photographed as Ruby..
There isn’t anything as beautiful as sibling love.. So new, so magical..
Thanks again, guys, for inviting me to capture these precious moments of your life. Tiny baby days pass almost in a blink of an eye, but I hope you’ll enjoy your photographs for years to come as much as I enjoyed creating them.
For more photos from Ruby’s newborn session click HERE.
Let me start by telling you just how happy and proud I am to be able to offer my clients the highest quality wall products out there.
I believe in making memories last. I believe in beautifully capturing the fleeting moments and turning them into centerpieces that make your house your home… It’s part of the custom service you expect. Why buy a disc with 25 images if you only want 3 large frames photographs for your living room wall and a lifestyle album for the grandparents?
Here are a few examples of the wall products that I offer:
Clarity Range, Single frame.
Clarity Range, Triple frame.
Aluminium Print
Bevel Edge Print
Edge Print
Box Frame
Canvas Wrap (40mm deep)
Prism Frame ~1
Prism Frame ~2
Lifestyle Album
Photos online don’t do these frames justice. They’re pieces of art themselves.
Thanks for reading. I hope you like my range of wall products and maybe I can brighten up your walls with the beautiful wall art sometime soon.
