You can see the surprise on my face in the image above as I was named by the Guild of Photographers: ‘Runner up Newborn Photographer of the Year 2018’ as well as achieving 2 other awards at the Guild of Photographers Awards Ceremony last weekend.
I’m absolutely honoured to receive this amazing award; the news hasn’t quite sunk in yet! I’ve only been a professional photographer for 2 years and to win something like this was beyond my wildest dreams. When my little boy was diagnosed with Achondroplasia at 8 months old 2 years ago, I knew I’d never be able to continue with my career as a teacher so needed a more flexible alternative. It’s amazing how these things happen – everything happens for a reason! I’ve found my ‘thing’ and I love what I do. There’s no better job than meeting precious newborn clients and creating beautiful pieces of art that parents will treasure forever!

The Guild is the highly regarded national photographic body whose members are dedicated to enhancing their skills in the art, craft and profession of photography. It runs an Image of the Month Competition, and received around 13,000 entries during 2018, from photographers in the UK and overseas!
Each image is scored, and the scores from the year are then totalled to determine who wins one of the Guild’s Top 10 Photographer awards / becomes the Guild’s Photographer of the Year. This is clearly a very demanding year long process! I am absolutely honoured to become the Runner-Up Photographer of the Year in the Newborn and Maternity genre – a remarkable achievement when you consider the number and standard of the entries.
My Award was presented at the Guild’s Awards night at Crewe Hall earlier this week. Steve Thirsk (Director of the Guild) said – He is “both proud and delighted that Lisa has achieved this recognition after 12 months of submitting the highest quality images. The Guild has very demanding standards when judging photographic competitions. The judging is undertaken by a panel of internationally recognised experts from a variety of photographic backgrounds, so Lisa quite rightly should be delighted with her extraordinary achievement’.
I was also lucky enough to achieve the Photographer’s Bar in two categories – Newborn and Maternity and also Child, Family and Adult Portraiture. This shows that I consistently create the highest quality images in these two genres.

I am totally committed to achieving the highest standards of professionalism and my journey of professional development continues in 2 weeks time as I will present a panel of images to the Guild of Photographers judges at their headquarters in Stoke on Trent to see if I can achieve Craftsman status which is an incredibly challenging and prestigious qualification to hold.
To learn more about my newborn photography click here.

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This May Kevin set off to Manchester on an incredibly hot Sunday to take part in the Manchester Half Marathon. He’d been training hard and after just going over the two hour mark in 2017, he was desperate to sneak under that time bracket.  He pushed through the pain and the stifling heat and managed to complete the 13.1 mile race in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 53 seconds!

Kevin has completed half marathons a handful of times now but never before has he asked for sponsorship money. He was always a little worried that people would be reluctant to donate and he’s always loved running anyway so would do the race just for the fun of it! This year, after some persuasion from his wife, he decided to run for a charity close to his heart: The Restricted Growth Association.

Kevin and Lisa have a little boy called Rufus who has Achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. They had no idea that Rufus had the condition while Lisa was pregnant, right up until he was about 8 months old. When he was diagnosed, it came as quite a shock as the pair realised they would be living a very different life from the one they had imagined but now Rufus is two and a half, it’s made him the gorgeous little individual he is today and they wouldn’t have him any other way.

Kevin, Lisa and Rufus would like to thank everyone who generously donated from the bottom of their hearts. It means so much to be able to give such a fantastic amount of money to the RGA. What they do for us as a family and the support they will provide for Rufus throughout his life is so important. Kevin initially put £400 as the target and is completely blown away by the generosity and support shown from friends, family, colleagues and total strangers who all came together to raise £600. Thank you.

For more information about the Restricted Growth Association, please click here to visit their website.

Sandbach based newborn photographer – Little Primrose Photography by Lisa Sumner

What to expect when you book a newborn session.

At Little Primrose Photography, every detail of your shoot including all preparation, the shoot itself and aftercare is thought about to the finest detail.

Step one: The enquiry and booking process

I like to make sure you know every detail of what things cost from the very beginning. All my prices are visible on my website and you will be supplied with a full price list immediately on enquiry. My costs are straightforward – there’s a £95 session fee and then a £250 minimum spend. I have digital only packages, a vast array of products to choose from or ‘Collections’ which conveniently combine the two to suit all budgets from essential to luxury.
Most of my customers purchase digital images and wall art including deep framed canvases, framed prints and sometimes more bespoke products such as birch blocks or acrylics. The prices of all of these can be found on my website.
My booking process is all done via email and your payment can be made with credit or debit card quickly and easily. My contract can be signed digitally so that everything is paperless and instant with receipts emailed every step of the way!

Step two: Before your session

If you’ve also booked a maternity mini session, we’ll do our shoot together at about 36 weeks. I’ve got a collection of beautiful, designer gowns that you can wear but it’s also great to wear an outfit you feel comfortable in so that we can get some casual shots too. Don’t forget to moisturise that bump!
Once your baby is born, just let me know and we’ll schedule your shoot for within the first three weeks.  Once booked, you’ll receive a session guide and a questionnaire to make sure that your session is absolutely perfect for you. I always try my best to include any colours or props you’d like but I also love it when customers just say: I trust you.

Step three: Your photo shoot

On the day of your shoot I’ll be out in the studio preparing for your session long before you arrive. I like to relax and take my time choosing all the colours and setting up your props in advance. I’m a really creative person at heart and trying different colours together and collecting unique props and products to use during your shoot is one of my favourite parts of the job.
When you arrive, you’re welcomed into my cosy little studio which is just behind my house. It’s recently been converted and is absolutely lovely. Everyone seems in awe when they come inside, it’s like a little cave of wonders! I have coffee and tea making facilities and always provide a little snack for you. You’re more than welcome to bring a picnic with you though! My newborn sessions can be 2-3 hours long so it’s always good to be prepared.
Throughout the session, your baby’s comfort is the most important thing to me. I am a mum myself and have a lot of experience so I am very confident when handling your baby. I will ensure that your baby is always content and comfortable in the poses that I put them in. They will be wrapped for a lot of the session to keep them calm and sleepy but we’ll do lots of poses on my beanbag too to really show off your baby’s beautiful little legs, arms, tummy and back while they are still tiny. You’ll be surprised by how much your baby enjoys the session – they love the warmth and white noise that I provide and most will really adore being wrapped up snug as a bug.

Step four: After the session

When the session is over, I hope you’ll feel overwhelmed with a content feeling as you’ll have just spent the day snuggled on my sofa watching your beautiful new baby being dressed up and fussed over while we capture a beautiful collection of images.
Next, you’ll see a sneak peek pop up on facebook. You’re welcome to share this with your friends and family! Some people even use my images as their birth announcement which I absolutely love. If you’d rather not have your picture appear on social media, don’t be afraid to say. I don’t mind at all but will always email over a sneak peek if you’d rather.
Over the coming weeks I’ll be working on your images. I usually spend about 6-10 hours editing your gallery of images. Each image is hand edited using professional software and I promise to make your images absolutely perfect in every way. Some images that I create have to be done as a composite to ensure baby’s safety. These images take a lot longer to create but are so worth it.
Within a month, you’ll be invited back for your viewing session. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for! You’ll have a chance to see all the stunning images from your session on a slideshow to music. Then we’ll go through the whole gallery together to help you choose your favourites images and the perfect products to show them off around your home!
All my hardwork, passion and love goes into my photography. Every canvas that is collected is a piece of my heart and I cannot describe to you how amazing it feels to hear customers gasp as they collect their beautiful photographs. The thought of them being passed down through families and loved forever is beyond my wildest dreams.

If you’d like to see more of my newborn work please click here.

Newborn and baby photographer in Cheshire. Covering Sandbach, Middlewich, Nantwich, Holmes Chapel, Chester, Northwich, Knutsford, Wilmslow, Congleton, Macclesfield, Stoke and further afield.

Book now.

What does it mean to be a ‘qualified’ photographer?

Directly from the Photographers’ Guild:
“Our ‘Qualified’ status is therefore aligned to standards of competence that reflect a level where the customer should be ‘pleased with the results’, when employing the services of a skilled tradesman (the photographer). In other words ‘Qualified’ indicates professional ‘competence’ to a level where the Guild is willing to recognise the photographer as an ambassador of the association , so those who achieve that level should be proud of doing so.”

Basically, it means that my customers can rest assured that they are guaranteed to receive a collection of images that are of a very high standard and that my work is consistent and I am well skilled in what I do.

I’m incredibly proud to receive this honour. The Photographers’ Guild are a prestigious organisation whose judges are incredibly stringent and look at every little technical and artistic detail in your work.

To achieve ‘Qualification’ with the Guild you must submit a panel of 21 images. They should consist of 3 images from 7 different sessions that have been taken by me, within the last 2 years. They should all be different and show a variety of skills whilst also working all together as a collection of images.

You must show that you are highly competent at using your camera whilst also having the ability to set up a shot and get the lighting perfect. All whilst keeping a baby safe and comfortable… easy! 🙂

When I think back to what I’ve achieved this year, I couldn’t be more proud. I originally ventured into photography so that I could have a more flexible career than teaching to enable me to take my son to hospital for all his appointments. He was diagnosed with achondroplasia this time last year and our lives were tipped upside down at that point.

I never dreamt that this new career would rocket so quickly. I’ve finally found my ‘thing’ that I absolutely love doing but also am pretty good at! 🙂 In a year I’ve won a number of awards, have an amazing collection of wonderful customers and now my skills are recognised with this prestigious honour of being ‘qualified’!

Next year, I’ll be attending the Guild Awards ceremony at Crewe Hall and then it’ll be full steam ahead to go for ‘Craftsman’! The next stage of qualification with the Guild.
Thank you so much to all my fantastic customers, it’s been absolutely wonderful meeting you all this year and I want to reach out with all my heart to thank you for trusting me with your newborns but also trusting me to capture those first photographs in my own, creative way! I couldn’t be happier and more proud of my little business and can’t wait to see what the future holds! 🙂
Check out the rest of my panel and if you love my images, give me a comment and a like!

Qualified Newborn and Baby Photographer based in Sandbach, Cheshire. Covering the whole of Cheshire and beyond including Middlewich, Holmes Chapel, Crewe, Nantwich, Northwich, Chester and Stoke-on-Trent.

Sassa – Beautiful princess from Altrincham

The name Sassa may be unusual but it’s completely understandable why Mum and Dad chose it. It’s a Swedish name which means ‘Beautiful princess’ – a completely fitting name for such a beautiful baby girl!

Baby Sassa was accompanied to her newborn photo session with her new parents and doting fur brothers! So gorgeous. They were so well behaved it made me Google where to buy Boston Terriers after the shoot! 🙂

Sassa’s lucky parents were bought their photo shoot as a gift from a work partner. Newborn shoots are so special, they really aren’t this size for very long! A photo shoot is a great way to preserve the moment and makes a lovely gift.

I hope you enjoy Sassa’s beautiful images. Feel free to leave a comment if you do and if you’d like to book your own shoot then contact me for more info!

Little Primrose Photography is a professional newborn photographer based in Sandbach, Cheshire and servicing the whole of Cheshire including Altrincham, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Holmes Chapel, Middlewich, Nantwich and Chester.

 

Sarah’s beautiful bump photos lead to her even more beautiful little man – Baby Oscar!

Sarah contacted me after she saw some of my lovely maternity photographs that I’ve been doing recently. I love the striking, artistic styling and beautiful colours! I’ve got a collection of stunning, designer maternity gowns from Sew Trendy Accessories in America and Mii Estilo in Spain that ensure you look absolutely outstanding during your pregnancy.

Sarah and her husband came to the studio for a maternity shoot to also celebrate their first wedding anniversary. The connection and love between the two of them was so visible, it was an honour to capture the moment for them.

Just a few weeks later and the gorgeous little Oscar was born! Sarah booked straight in and they really enjoyed returning to my familiar little home studio for a rest while I looked after Oscar!

We had an African and travel theme for a few of the photographs as it’s a special place in the heart of Oscar’s parents.

Oscar was a superstar throughout his session and I think his parents really enjoyed seeing how peaceful he was in various poses and outfits! Like all babies, he especially enjoyed being wrapped up in knitted wraps and bonnets. 🙂

Check out the rest of his photographs and please feel free to leave a comment and share this blog to show your love! 🙂

If you’d like to book your newborn session, please book after your 20 week scan. I’m now taking bookings into 2018! I limit how many newborns I take each month so be sure to book ASAP!

Book now!

Newborn and maternity photographer covering Nantwich, Sandbach, Crewe, Haslington, Chester, Northwich, Middlewich, Holmes Chapel, Knutsford and all over Cheshire!

Baby Photographer in Sandbach, Cheshire.

Baby Daniel and his stunning older sister come for his newborn photo shoot to my home studio in Sandbach.

When Daniel’s parents got in touch to book their newborn session, we discussed likes and dislikes and I came up with the colour scheme of brown and blue to represent their love of sailing. Baby Daniel suited the colours so much! Just stunning.

I think in this image, he looks like he’s tucked up in his little boat, battling the sea!

He was so well behaved throughout the whole session along with his stunning older sister. I can’t wait to see both of them back for photo shoots in the future!

Newborn photography in South Cheshire, Sandbach, Nantwich, Middlewich, Holmes Chapel and beyond! Siblings are always welcome and a family portrait is always included in your newborn photo shoot.

Please contact me as soon as you can after your 20 week scan to ensure availability.

Book now!

Newborn photoshoot – Sandbach, Cheshire.

Baby Willow’s baby photos.

Baby Willow’s father contacted me after Willow had already been born. He told me his wife was in love with my photos and was pestering him to get them booked in ASAP! Always lovely to hear and even after baby has been born, I try my best to fit customers in.

Mum wanted lots of pink after her first child was a boy. I don’t usually do a lot of pink but recently customers have been requesting it as their second child is a girl and they are sick of blue in the house! 🙂

Willow seemed to really enjoy her session, smiling throughout! We did a few different prop set ups and lots of beanbag posing. We went really mad on the pink theme! haha.

Willow was over 3 weeks old during her newborn shoot, I take babies up to 6 weeks old, you just have to expect them to be a little more awake during their shoot after 2 weeks old! The ideal stage is 5-10 days as baby is in an established feeding routine but is still all curled up and easy to pose as well as sleepy.

If your baby has already been born and you’re worried about missing your newborn slot…

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Freddy’s baby photos – Sandbach, Cheshire

“Sometimes the smallest things take the most room in your heart” – Winnie the Pooh

It was such an honour to photograph this family’s beautiful little baby boy – Freddy.

We had a great time during the session and Louise really enjoyed my snippets of ‘wisdom’ about anything from breastfeeding to the ‘magic hold’ to comfort a crying baby. She even downloaded the white noise app that I use during sessions and read my blog on how to get babies to sleep whilst she was here! 🙂

Louise and Matt were really keen to let me express my creativity and luckily we were all in an animal mood – Freddy got the full knitted animal costume treatment! He seemed to really enjoy it to be honest! He snoozed his was through the session peacefully and let me pose him any way I liked. His favourite was to be wrapped up and put in different props and positions.

Freddy is such a handsome baba and probably has the longest, most elegant fingers I’ve ever seen! <3

If you’d like to see more examples of my newborn work please check out my dedicated newborn photography page.

If you’d like to book, click the link below!

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