March 2015
Documenting Childhood Through Photos
Taking photographs of your children and documenting their early lives is one of the real pleasures of being a parent. A simple snap and that precious moment is preserved forever, not just for you to look at but for your child and any future generations too.
Here are some of the key childhood moments that are worth remembering…
The ultrasound
In recent years it has become popular to have copies of your ultrasound scan so you can have pictures of your little one even before they’ve been introduced to the world. Not everyone is a fan of this as they do make rather unusual pictures, particularly if they’re displayed around the home, but others love seeing the very earliest stages of their child’s development.
Your bump
Your ultrasound is one way of capturing your forthcoming child but many women are celebrating this unique time in their lives with a ‘bump’ photoshoot, which have become more popular now there is glamorous maternity wear available and since the very public appearances of Kate Middleton during her pregnancies. Gone are the days of hiding away until after the baby is born, remember this special time, it’s another great way to document how your child’s life began.
Newborn
It’s often the case that your newborn has barely fought its way out before it’s having a camera pointed towards it! It’s that magic moment that the previous nine months (or longer if you’d been trying for a baby for a while) had been leading up to so it’s natural that you want a picture to commemorate.
The recommended age to get some unique pictures of your newborn is when they aged between 3- 14 days. This is enough time for your baby’s face to settle down with puffiness etc. and also sometime for you to rest too. When your baby is first born they have 270 soft cartilage bones (an average adult has 190). They are soft to allow the baby to be in a small space in your tummy and are able to curl up into small poses. After the first 2 weeks in the world the bones start to fuse together meaning the babies unique newborn poses won’t be possible to capture. Also a newborn is the sleepiest in the first 2 weeks of their lives so take advantage of this opportunity – grab that camera or visit a professional to capture a moment that will be quickly gone.
Baby pictures
The first couple of years of your child’s life are probably when you’ll take the most photos. Just look at any new parents’ Facebook pages for proof! It’s a cliché but they really do grow up so fast, so make sure you take plenty of photos – smiling, crawling, walking, playing; the list is endless! If you wanted something really special then you could even hire a baby photographer and they can really capture all of you in some stunning photos. Pinterest also has plenty of gorgeous baby photo ideas for you to try.
School days
I think it’s now part of the law that everyone has to have their photograph taken on their first day at school, and for good reason! This is one of the first moments that parents realise their child is really growing up so it’s natural they want to capture it. The first day of each school year is a nice time to take photos as you can keep a record of them growing up throughout their school life.
Birthdays & Christmas
Like the first day of each school year, taking photos each birthday and Christmas will give you a great view of how much your child is growing up each year. Seeing the look on their face as they open their presents is also always worth a photo whether they’re impressed with the present or not!
Sports & other activities
Whatever your child is into in terms of hobbies and activities, you’ll no doubt want to take photos of them, particularly if they’ve achieved something during those hobbies. For example, if they’ve got the lead part in the school play or have won first place at sports day then it’s truly a day to remember. Pride is a source of more photos than probably anything else!
Find out more about our photoshoots to capture every stage of your family.