Hello! I’m Kirstin and I’m a quirky Canadian based in Southampton, England! I’ve been a newborn photographer for over 8 years and my focus is on natural lifestyle images in your home. I love travelling to you for newborn sessions as I think there’s something so magical about creating beauty in the ordinary. I love creating art with your home! I travel all around Southampton, Totton, New Forest, Romsey and surrounding areas to get beautiful lifestyle images in your home.
As I started as a posed newborn photographer (yep, babies in buckets), I’ve taken many newborn posing and training workshops that focus on newborn safety by the best newborn photographers in the world. Even though I don’t do extremely posed newborn photography anymore, I feel my knowledge about posing newborn safely helps lend to my work. My vast experience with newborns means I can settle almost any newborn and know so many tips/tricks about soothing them. I absolutely adore the newborn stage and miss it so much with my own daughter! I love focusing on natural images with newborns and family now as I feel they are more timeless and put baby and you as the focus rather than the props/set ups.
More about me? I have had many jobs in my life- I worked at a West Highland Terrier dog breeder, I was a dog walker in uni, I was a waitress in between summers of uni, a Secondary School Teacher and finally a newborn and family photographer. I feel my experience with waitressing and teaching Secondary School means that I have unlimited patience with newborns!
I have a toddler named Ondine Beatrix and just had a little boy named Rothko Faustus (yes, we love unique names)! I have two Siberian cats named Byron and Marlowe whom Ondine loves to terrorise! I love fashion, art and could not live without photography. It is my addiction and I’m definitely a workaholic because of it!
What to Ask Your Southampton Newborn Photographer
When booking a Southampton newborn photographer, there are many factors that should determine your session besides price. Choosing someone to photograph your newborn should not be taken lightly as this photographer may be handling your little one, soothing them and helping pose them. You want to be very sure that your newborn is in safe, trained hands. Here’s a list of things you should research about your newborn photographer and ask them:
1.) Are you insured?– This is a huge one as every professional newborn photographer should have business and liability insurance. Your newborn’s safety is of utmost importance.
2.) Are you trained? How do you ensure baby is safe?– Newborn photographers need training on posing and safety of newborns. It is so important that they don’t compromise baby’s safety by doing poses that they aren’t trained in. Your newborn photographer will be handling your precious new baby and you want to be very sure they are experienced and have training on safely posing newborns.
3.) What is your photography style?– Finding the right fit with a newborn photographer is such a personal choice. The photographs must match your sense of style and each newborn photographer is not one size fits all. Every newborn photographer is unique but there are many genres that exist within newborn photography. Mainly posed/prop newborn photography versus natural lifestyle newborn photography. I fall under the lifestyle category as I love natural, unposed and timeless images. I would describe my style as moody, intimate and focused on connection within your family.
4.) Are your packages inclusive of all costs or are there any hidden costs?– This is something you should be cautious of and do your research. Many photographers have a session fee that do not include images. You must carefully read their pricing to ensure everything is included and you won’t be caught by any unexpected costs. I prefer to do my pricing with three simple packages as I prefer keeping things simple and straightforward
What Are Your Most Common Newborn Photography Questions?
When preparing for newborn sessions and answering enquiry emails I get asked many of the same questions over and over- here they are so you can find them all in one place! I’ve been a newborn photographer for 10 years now and love sharing my knowledge about newborn photography.
1.) When is the best time to do a newborn photography session?– Newborns are classified as “newborns” within the first month and ideally the best time to photograph a newborn is under 2 weeks old because they are sleepier and generally a bit easier going at this time. Also, it is such a beautiful time to capture because they grow and change week by week at this stage. It is truly amazing how fast they grow!
2.) Do you travel to homes or have a studio?– I travel to homes only as I love capturing newborns in their first homes. The clutter and size of your home doesn’t matter as I always find a great spot! I love capturing baby in their first home as it will hold so many memories for them as they grow. I travel to Southampton, the New Forest, Winchester, Totton, Romsey, Lymington, Bournemouth, Portsmouth and most of Hampshire!
3.) Do you use props?– I use high quality hand-knitted outfits in neutral colours, organic swaddles and knitted blankets. I capture these in a natural way to put the focus solely on baby.
4.) Are you insured?– Yes, it is very important that professional newborn photographers be covered by insurance.
5.) How do we choose a session date when baby isn’t born yet?– This is the most common question I get asked! We book for baby’s approximate due date month and then I have you contact me within 48 hours of baby arriving to schedule in the exact session date based on how you’re feeling and how long your hospital stay will be. Then we set up a date for me to do your newborn photography session in your Southampton home!
6.) What is my baby won’t behave?– Honestly, I’ve been a Southampton newborn photographer for 10 years and have seen absolutely everything. I’m so used to helping to soothe newborns that it is second nature to me. Cluster feeding at this age is completely normal and we just work around it and I am always super patient.
For more answers to your questions about newborn photography, read my Newborn FAQs page!