There is something beautiful about seeing a newborn nestling comfortably in his mother’s arms. Or how tiny his fingers look compared to yours. Oh how a child changes everything in your life! Definitely a milestone to remember. Nate was an easy baby to photograph… most of the time, he just slept and was oblivious to me clicking away! He must have gotten his easy going personality from his parents Owen and Ida. At the end of the session, we managed to even change him into a pilot’s outfit, suitable for a pilot’s son! That was just too adorable.
Remember Maarten and Marieke’s maternity portraits that Jamie shot some time ago? Well, they have now delivered an adorable baby girl and we had the pleasure of meeting her! She is just so gorgeous, perfectly formed with that cute button nose and beautiful lips. We love photographing newborn babies because they are just tiny once… (and remind you of the sleepless nights you experienced as a young mother). But once they get older, you will wish they were much lighter, and you start to miss all those little moments again… holding those tiny hands, the first time bitter sweet experience of breastfeeding your child or even worrying about why she can’t sleep at night or during the day.
This quote I read in Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project book resonates with me, and I am sure it will with you too.
“The days are long, but the years are short”
“We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us”
— Ralph Hattersley
We’ve seen this Japanese family grow through the years, all the way from 2014 till now. We’re so blessed to be part of this entire journey, and also to welcome little Shun into the family. Thank you for choosing us all these years!
Ahmed & Balqish’s baby is blessed to have two good-looking parents, of Saudi Arabian and Malaysian heritage. Perhaps one day, she might follow in the footsteps of her mom who is a traveller, a public personality and a youtuber. When the family came to the studio for their mini session, the little one kept exercising her lungs (By the way, that’s normal in most photo sessions involving babies!). Eventually, she calmed down, enough for Jennifer to get the shots she needed. Congratulations on the birth of your baby, Ahmed and Balqish Maarif!
The shoot idea started out as a gift from Hui Teen, her husband (Njau) and brother (Jun Yong) to her parents so that they would have more recent formal family pictures. The last shoot they did as a family was almost 10 years ago! As the idea became more concrete they thought that it would be a good idea to do it on or close to Hui Teen’s son’s first birthday as it would be a lovely memory for all of them and they would actually have something to commemorate her son’s first birthday. And as it happens, the date they did the shoot was his first birthday.
As a photographer, I encounter many scenarios like these… I suppose the idea of bringing your family to a photography studio 10-20 years ago was really a luxury. In the past 10 years, the idea of photographing your family constantly and regularly became more of a norm, especially since the price of cameras have become more affordable and phone camera specs have improved by leaps and bounds! Personally, I think family photography should not be seen as a luxury that only a select few can afford. I believe every family should look at their family photos as an investment… an heirloom that they can give to their future generation. It’s a record of life!