Creating once-in-a-lifetime artwork for families to treasure forever is so special. Newborn babies grow and change so quickly and creating timeless artwork is one way to always remember just how tiny they were.

Creating artwork that is unique for each family is something I am passionate about. With this in mind, I recently had the idea to create a unique prop that represented the wonder of new life and it was this from this idea that one of my new props was born. I thought I would chat through how I created the prop and what it means.

In the beginning....

Having done some research, I found the Maori Koru spiral, which is a symbol of new life based on the unfurling fern frond. I really liked this shape and decided this would be perfect to use as a newborn prop.

Having planned out the shape, I then used pool noodles and plaster of Paris to create the shape and make sure it was safe and secure. It took quite a bit of planning to get the exact shape and A LOT of plaster of Paris. There was a lot of mess too but I was really pleased with the final shape.

The final touches

I chose a soft grey colour for the prop and selected soft merino wool yarn in grey to cover it. I felt the colours and textures worked well and gave a calming feel to the prop. Wanting to keep all the tones the same, to match the prop I also bought a gorgeous grey footed romper with sleepy cap.

Wanting to stay on the ‘new life’ theme, I also selected some grey and white butterflies to use with the prop. Butterflies have long been synonymous with new life and they matched perfectly with the theme.

The prop in use

Having spoken to gorgeous baby Alex’s Mum and Dad before their session, they were keen to use neutrals, greys and blues in their session. Knowing this was a perfect complement with my new prop I was excited to use it. I selected my grey back drop and set everything up ready.

Adorable 17-day-old Alex was an absolute star for his session and he looked totally adorable in his grey romper. The final image was so precious. I was so delighted with it and most importantly, Mum and Dad absolutely loved it. They actually took it home after their gallery presentation as a 20” x 20” mounted art print and it looked stunning.

I also entered this portrait into the Master Photographers Association Midlands Region Annual Awards recently, where I was delighted and proud to be placed second in the Maternity and Newborn category, out of hundreds of entries. The standard was immensely high and so to come runner up was a massive achievement.

Whilst it was actually one of my other portraits that received the second prize, the judges gave feedback on all the portraits. The three international judges loved this portrait with my 'New life' prop, saying ‘the styling was lovely and the colour palette was perfectly in harmony, including the lovely knitted romper’. Receiving such high praise from internationally renowned judges is a real privilege and confirms that I am offering the wonderful families who visit the studio the best possible portraits, while creating memories that will last forever.

Complementary gallery of portraits

Gorgeous baby Alex's final gallery was amazing and all the neutrals, greys and blues really complemented each other.

Alex's Mum left a wonderful testimonial after her newborn experience. It is so special to receive feedback like this. Thank you so much.

'We had an amazing experience with Sarah for our son’s newborn photo shoot. Right from the point of booking Sarah has been lovely and friendly and made the whole experience exciting and perfect. The little purple parcels received in the post on the lead up to the shoot were just adorable and such a personal touch. All preferences were discussed prior to the shoot so everything was set up and ready for our arrival. Sarah made us feel so welcome at the studio and was amazing with our little boy the whole way through. Such a calm and relaxing experience and would highly recommend. The photo viewing experience was also such a beautiful thing we loved this shoot from start to finish. Thank you again Sarah for being so fabulous and capturing such beautiful memories for us.'

Different style possibilities

The prop itself can be used in other set ups too. In fact I used it a few days later with a brown theme and added the wheat sheaves, again as a symbol for new life.

All the artwork I produce is designed to be timeless. Families want to be able to display their artwork for many years without it dating. I also want the artwork to be unique for every family. Being able to create props and artwork like these makes it very special for each family and I absolutely love seeing mums and dads faces when they come for their gallery presentation and see their portraits for the first time.