Last, but definitely not least, in this week’s family photo blogging spree is 18 month old Alex. It’s hard to believe that we got such an amazing day for this shoot, the sun was blazing and there were blue skies all around. Normally as photographers we’d moan about the sun being too harsh, but I don’t think anyone is complaining this year! The weather fitted perfectly with the location of the photoshoot, down on the beach at Crawfordsburn. Alex was a real pleasure to photograph, he’s such a sweet little boy and he definitely has a mind of his own! We spent a lot of the time trying to stop him from running away from us, but we did get him to look in my direction a few times. Here are a few of my favourite shots : )

As much as I love getting out and about on family shoots, there’s something really special about being able to photograph younger kids at home in their natural environment. I have to admit that having lots of toys around to distract them definitely helps! A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting baby Conor and his big brother Rowan in their new home, and as with most toddler photoshoots, it was a bit manic! But running around in circles after a two year old is all part of the fun of this job, and I absolutely loved getting to meet these two beautiful boys. Here are a few of my favourite images from their photoshoot…

We’ve had quite a lot of babies on the blog recently, so it’s great to be able to share a lovely outdoor family shoot with you today. Not many people want to brave the weather during the winter months, so it’s been a while! Last week I travelled down to Ravensdale Forest, near Newry, for a family photoshoot with 1 year old Emily, 3 year old Finlay and 5 year old Evanna. The kids played hide-and-seek, explored a small river, climbed banks and drank some hot chocolate – an action-packed afternoon. Although little Emily was not in the slightest bit happy about having her photo taken (modelling is a tough job), we did manage to get some smiles eventually, and I loved how much fun Finlay and Evanna have together, it’s great to see siblings getting on so well! Here is a little selection of my favourite photos from the photoshoot : )

I’m very pleased to introduce the star of today’s blog post: 6 month old baby Clodagh! 6 months is a great age for a photoshoot, babies have so much personality at that age, but they still have that lovely baby look. When I met Clodagh last week she was sitting up on her own, but not yet crawling, which was good for me because I didn’t have to crawl around the house after her! She was so patient through all the wardrobe changes, a perfect model, and even gave us a few smiles to show off those two little teeth. Here are a few of my favourite photos from the session…

I’ve got double the cuteness on the blog this morning! Last week I had the pleasure of photographing two beautiful little girls, 7 day old newborn Ava, and her 1 year old cousin Caroline. It’s so lovely that these two are so close in age, I’m sure they’ll be getting up to all sorts of mischief together before long! Here is a little selection of my favourite photos from the double-photoshoot : )

Welcome to Part 1 of my 2012 Review of the Year!

It seems like yesterday I was putting together last year’s review, but I can hardly believe how many fantastic people I’ve photographed since then. This part of the Review will concentrate on the non-wedding side of my year: the engagement shoots, family photos, and (everyone’s favourites!) the newborns. I want to take this opportunity to thank every single one of my clients for making 2012 such an amazing year – looking through these photos brought back lots of happy memories, and I remember each one like it was yesterday. From the peaceful newborn shoots, to the fun-filled baby sessions, to running around like a maniac after toddlers, 2012 was the year I really fell in love with family sessions. Weddings are something special but it means just as much to me to be recording happy, everyday moments in a young family’s life. I hope you enjoy looking through this whistle-stop tour through my year in portraits!

There’s another blue-eyed beauty on the blog today! Last weekend I met up with 10 month old baby Liliana, and as you scroll through this post I’m sure you’ll agree that she is absolutely gorgeous. I always love photographing babies at this age, and when they’re as sweet-natured as Liliana then it’s a total joy. There aren’t many better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Liliana’s mum made my life very easy by choosing perfect outfits for the two locations in this shoot – a little bit of colour co-ordination really makes all the difference to the final photos. I love the contrast between the bright and airy portraits upstairs, and the rich colours of the photos by the Christmas tree. I hope that Liliana will enjoy looking back on these photos in years to come and seeing how sweet she looked on her first ever Christmas! Here are a few of my favourite photos from the session…

More toddler cuteness on the blog today! Little Jake is almost 2, and is definitely one of the most beautiful children I’ve ever photographed – just look at those eyes! We met up on Saturday morning at his grandparents’ house, and though he was a bit wary of me at first, I think he eventually got used to having me around and got on with the important business of playing with his toys, watching out for planes flying overhead and watering some plants. Winter arrived on Saturday with a bang, so most of the shoot took place inside in the warmth, but we did get out and about in the garden for a while. I really love the shots of Jake in the frosty grass, the cold weather can make the most simple of photos magical! Here are a few of my favourites from the session : )

When I’m out at toddler photoshoots, there’s always the niggling worry that a sudden tantrum could bring the whole thing crashing to a halt, and I’ve come to expect at least one during each session! But I’m pleased to say that little Megan, who’s almost 3, was one of the happiest and most sweet-natured toddlers I’ve come across. We had such fun on Saturday morning, playing with Megan’s toys, jumping on mum and dad’s bed, searching for treasure, dressing up as a ballerina (her, not me!) and playing football outside. I love how kids this age always seem to have a toy tucked under their arm, for Megan it seems her giraffe Emer is definitely a favourite, and it features in quite a few of these photos! Here are a few of my favourite photos from our morning together : )

Photoshoots with babies are always fun and a little bit hectic, but when they start walking they’re just plain manic. I absolutely love running around after them at this age, going wherever their short attention spans take them! Last week I had the pleasure of meeting 14 month old baby Joshua, and we had a great time playing with toys, kicking a ball about and exploring outside. I discovered that he sticks his tongue out when he’s concentrating, he loves pointing at things, and he’s got some of the cutest little facial expressions ever! Here are a few of my favourite images from Joshua’s photoshoot : )