Behind the scenes with one family and their three boys.
A newborn photoshoot with siblings can include family portraits, photographs with each parent, and the baby on their own and with their brothers or sisters. I adjust the order to suit the children rather than following a fixed sequence.
This is mum’s third baby, and my third time photographing this family. It means a lot to be invited back as a family grows. This time, there were two excited big brothers beside their new baby brother, and mum and dad ready for another family photograph. I wanted to make room for all of them: the family together, each parent with the boys, and the three brothers at the beginning of this new chapter.
Everyone together
The two big brothers were excited, and mum and dad were already dressed and ready, so I started with the family photographs. It made sense to make the most of that energy while everyone was ready to join in.
I don’t always photograph a family in this order. Some children need a little time to get used to someone new, so I might leave the family portraits until later. For this family, starting together worked well.
Mum and her three little sweethearts.
Mums are so often the ones taking the photographs. They have plenty of pictures of their children, but fewer lovely ones with themselves in the frame. I always think it’s worth making room for those photographs, too.
Here she is with her three little sweethearts: her new baby in her arms and his big brothers beside her. A photograph for mum to be in, rather than just the one taking it.
Four gentlemen. One portrait. Dad included.
Dad had his turn with the three boys, too. Four gentlemen in one portrait—and yes, dad counts.
A father can be such a steady presence in his children’s lives, and someone they look up to as they grow. I like making a photograph that gives that relationship its own place in the family album.
A picture with mum and dad
With three children, there are lots of family combinations to photograph. I also made a closer portrait of mum and dad with their new baby.
Every child deserves a photograph with their parents that is just theirs. I wanted him to have this one to look back on, as well as the photographs with his brothers.
Their earliest days, photographed the same way
His big brothers were photographed in this same setting as newborns. Mum wanted each of her babies to have photographs like these: simple portraits that keep a record of how they looked right at the beginning, without an outfit or a theme taking attention away from them.
So this setting means more to the family than a black backdrop. It’s something the three boys now share—a photograph of each of them at the same tiny stage of life. As they grow, mum will have those early portraits to look back on together.
For their baby brother, I photographed his little face, hands and curled-up pose, then included his brothers beside him. Alongside his own newborn portrait, there’s now a photograph of the three boys together.
The little tent, with room for his brothers
This is one of our most popular sibling settings. I think the white gives it a sense of purity, much like the children themselves, while the greenery brings a feeling of life and growth. I love seeing the brothers together here, with their new baby brother between them.
There’s a lovely moment in the video when the boys lean close to their baby brother. I photographed them looking down at him and giving him a kiss, keeping the same little setting for the baby’s own portrait and the photographs with his brothers.
Dad and his little team
Dad is a football fan, and mum makes sure he gets his wish: a set of photographs in football shirts every time they come for a session. This time, there’s one more little fan to recruit. With dad and all three boys in red, his little team is growing—and these photographs have become a lovely family tradition.
Photographing this family for the third time makes me think about what these pictures will mean later. Their baby brother will grow, and one day he’ll be able to see how small he was beside his brothers, and how mum and dad held him close. Mum and dad will have photographs of themselves in these early days, too—not just pictures of the children.
I’m grateful they’ve asked me back to record another part of their family’s story. I hope that, years from now, these photographs will bring them back to this time: three little boys, their parents, and a family getting to know its newest member.
See more in our family and sibling gallery, or read the newborn package details if you’re planning a session.
