A mum sings to her 3-month-old baby during a baby photo shoot in Switzerland

In this photo, a mother sings to her 3-month old baby son while he is rocked in his father’s arms. At home in their apartment, the family is just relaxing, spending time getting to know one another. In her hand, mum holds a Mickey Mouse balloon from a recent trip which the baby boy looks at as it dips up and down. Reflected in the window is a view of Lake Geneva and the village. I love the two sections of this image, the family at home and the landscape. To me it reflects a lot about what it is like to live in this part of Switzerland. Many of my families are working in the country temporarily and they want to capture a sense of everyday life. Split down the middle tells a little bit of what it feels like to wake up in the earlier hours of the morning and rock the baby to sleep as you watch the sun rise over the lake.

The Story

There is always that moment in a baby photo shoot where he realises that something strange is going on and begins to get cranky. My solution is nearly always distraction. So, I try to change things up, move to a different space, introduce new poses. With little Noah, I suggested moving outside to the balcony and, as we did, mum found a balloon that he’d been enjoying and started to sing. Little Noah was so transfixed that I just slipped through the door and carried on shooting. Late morning in the summer can be really tricky to get lake shots, so it was great to be able to give a sense of their view while making the most of the lovely light coming through the window.

Individual moments

As a photographer, I am a natural observer of people and places. Over the 8 years of working with families in Switzerland, I have seen so many different interactions. With each new family I meet I try to capture something individual about their relationships and way of living together. This isn’t always something you can do for yourself in mobile photos, sometimes it takes an outsider to see the everyday moments of love and togetherness. This is something that I can give you, my view on your unique family.

Discover the story behind some of my favourite family and baby photos, check out the links below or visit the Story of the Photo page. If you would like to book a baby photo shoot or baby’s first year collection, get in touch to check availability.