“The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.”
– Jill Churchill

“If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of god, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby, when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on it’s cradle.”
- Vincent Van Gogh

“A baby is something you carry inside you for nine months, in your arms for three years, and in your heart ’til the day you die.” -unknown

Riani

All women have this deep understanding of being pregnant, I think it is such a perfect privilege given to you by God to fall pregnant and bring a child into this world…

And this is one of the reasons why it is so special to me to photograph mom when she is pregnant and then to meet little baby when they are in this big world.  Little G is almost 5 weeks old and weighs4.5 kg’s…

Have you noticed how little babies have this way of commanding all the attention at any given time even though they are so small?  G is such a contented little baby girl, you can move her around, put her down by herself and she will just look around at everything.

This gorgeous little girl only has eyes for her lovely mommy.  Every time mom comes close she just stares at her.  And she’s a perfect little model too

I love babies with lots of dark hair (even though it falls out a bit in the beginning)  It just makes them look so cute!  Hope mine is born with full heads of hair which I can style into any haristyle imaginable like a mohawk

Dad is besotted with his little girl, and he just looks so comfortable whenever he hold her.  It is certainly so precious to see the way a new dad looks at his newborn child with so much love…

Riani

I just love newborn babies! The tinier they are, the better! I can’t explain it – I am just so drawn to newborns and never want to put them down -
Ryan panics every time I hold one because he knows that I might just say let’s have another one (LOL)
Today I went to photograph Baby Angelica and as always, I loved it!
It was even more memorable because she is my little cousin (2nd cousin actually but who’s checking)
She is such a beautiful, content little baby….. her name really says it all – she is an absolute angel!

There is something special about photographing a baby in their own home…. while the look and feel is very different to newborn photography done
“in studio”, there is a kind of “connection” with home and family when photographing newborns in their own room or “on location” as we say.
Not to mention the fact that it is much easier for moms….(travelling with a small newborn baby can be quite daunting in the early stages!!)
We have had the pleasure of photographing Baby Angelica in studio and on location

so her mom has the best of both worlds… she is planning to do some beautiful scrapbooking with all the photographs which I am sure Angelica
will treasure one day. We might even do a storybook / photobook of Angelica’s first year! But for now she is only 1 month old…. and we
are not missing any of those delicate moments!!!

I had the pleasure of photographing one of my work colleaugues’s sister last Friday.  She is 37 weeks pregnant at the moment and it made me realize how quickly time flies.  It feels like yesterday that Kerry walked into my office with a HUGE smile on her face and told me that she was going to be an aunty… Liesje is expecting a little boy and his name is going to be Michael Desmond, nice hey?  I couldn’t stop telling her what a nice tummy she has, it is almost perfectly round and she has absolutely no stretch marks…lucky fish! We had so much fun in the studio because Kerry also attended Liesje’s shoot, so we laughed and chatted while I was snapping away…  Kerry and her sister told me that we might have a little baby born in the studio and I was trying very hard to ignore the comment.  I can’t wait to meet little Michael once he is born, if his mom is this pretty, can you imagine what he will look like?

Riani

There is just something spectacular about pregnant women, they are truly beautiful.  From the inside and from the outside, maybe it’s because God has chosen them to be the bearer of new life.  Because they’re actually facilitating a miracle. Have you ever taken the time to think about being a sacred vessel for 9months (that’s almost an entire year…)  of eating extremely healthy ( cos everything you eat and drink, or don’t eat and drink, for that matter will influence the little human growing inside of you.  No drinking, not even a sip of wine as always when you get home from work. having to buy new clothes cos eventually your tummy just gets bigger and bigger (ok, not that shopping has ever been a problem for any woman   )  The feeling of seeing that baby’s face on the monitor at the gynaecologist’s office and hearing the little heartbeat as fast as a steamtrain is just one helluva indescribable feeling (and I wasn’t even the pregnant one, my sister in law was expecting a little boy)  All of a sudden this tiny little baby who is to become part of your family becomes a real person…Being pregnant is a big part of your life and is in actual fact the first steps to bonding with your little one growing inside of your tummy.  The baby actually gets used to your voice, so it will instantly recognise you as it’s mother.  Unborn babies are extremely sensitive to ‘outside’ stimuli.  For instance it has been proven that if you play sports while being pregnant, there is a bigger chance of your child being very active because of the adrenalin rush.  Even simple things like music can stimulate the brain activity.If you have the privilege of sharing a special bond with someone who is pregnant ask them if they mind when you put your hand on their tummy and feel what it feels like when that little baby inside her swollen tummy kicks in response to hearing their father’s voice or soothing music.Even though being pregnant and becoming a new mother carries huge responsibility that might sometimes feel overwhelming, remember that God knows how strong you are and will never give you something that is too big to handle.  Being a mother is a full-time 24/7 job which includes hard work and perseverance but it is also the highest paying job in the universe…And if you find yourself with an inquisitive little toddler, use this special time of being pregnant to make your bond even stronger.  Include them in activities like choosing new clothes or toys for their new brother or sister, preparing baby’s room and so forth.  If they bath with you at night ask them to help you wash the your tummy and get them used to the idea of sharing things.  Little children often find it hard to associate with the concept of pregnancy, but how can we expect of them to understand it when we don’t even fully understand it ourselves…?Talk to your toddler and explain it again and again, and you’ll soon come to the realization that small kids think little brothers or sisters can be ordered and they expect their new sibling to be able to walk and talk the instant they enter this new unknown world.. As women photographers we are confident that we are able to capture the emotion you feel for this little baby growing inside of you.  I never knew you could love someone you have never met, so much.  We offer private Maternity Photoshoot for you and your partner (and precious little ones) in a comfortably warmed studio environment.  The perfect time to have your maternity photographs taken is between 34-37 weeks.  It’s all about the tummy I always say.  And remember even though you might feel a little big, every single pregnant woman is beautiful as they are truly facilitating a miracle…!

Riani

The first time I met Vanessa was in December accompanied by her sister Tamara who had insisted that Vanessa have some maternity photos taken as she would regret if she didn’t…   Tamara had apparently almost had to drag Vanessa by her hair to get her to have pregnancy pics taken.  She was a little bit shy in front of the camera at first but soon became her bubbly self  “Little”  Tristan was born on the 22nd of January.  Vanessa I can’t believe how good you look   I’m quite sure people probably don’t believe you when you tell them that you recently had a baby.  The precious bond that you share with your son is amazing and that is what I hope I have portrayed in Tristan’s first photoshoot.Can you believe a three month old baby boy can push himself up like that an hold his head up high?!  Amazing, I think it was all the support Vanessa was giving him from the sideline…  He is such a friendly little baby, as soon as they walked into our studio the first thing Tristan did was smile at me.I love photographing little babies ( ok ok I love everything about the babies, the way those little eyes study your face, the way they instantly react at the sound of your voice, the way they giggle and smile up at you, they even smell great    ) Tristan loves music and also to play games with his mom.  He even got his mom’s dimples, ladies look out..   I can still remember how we discussed the name Tristan at her previous shoot and we both agreed that Tristan is a strong name ( makes me think of knights of the round table and king arthur) and so we maybe predicted the future seeing that this little man is way too intellegent and strong for his age.  Vanessa is already starting him  on solids.  Seeing that babies grow so rapidly in their first year of life I would suggest having three photoshoots to make sure you capture every precious detail.  Firstly have a newborn shoot done ( within the first month as babies tend to lose the newborn look) we even come out and do the shoot in th comfort of your own home:-) I would then wait a while and do the second photoshoot at roundabout 6-8 months when baby can sit on their own and push themselves up on their arms for a while.  This is when they start getting interactive and play with toys and so on. Last shoot is roundabout 14 months when baby starts to walk, then afterwards I would recommend doing a family photoshoot yearly.  This is a great occasion for the whole family to bond and have fun.Vanessa it was truly great to see you again and I must tell you once again that you have the most beautiful baby boy.  I cannot describe the bond between you two and I know it will only grow stronger.  I’m sure Tristan adores you just as much as you adore him.  I once read this quote “The best things in life can’t be seen, but must be felt with the heart”  I’m 100% sure this is true for yuo and Tristan!PS – say hi to Tamara for me

Riani

I think pregnancy is one of life’s great wonders   Every time a baby is born a miracle happens.  I once saw a slogan on a pregnant woman’s T-shirt saying:” I grow humans, what’s your superpower’  I would definitely wear a shirt like that. Pregnancy is just one of the many wonders of the world we live in.This little one is only 3 weeks old and her name is Liesel (weighing in at 3.5 kg).  She has a gorgeous head of hair and big blue eyes. As a woman I just can’t help to melt whenever I see sich a tiny little baby, it must be instinct. I have loved babies since I wasn’t one myself anymore Kobus and Juanita doesn’t even look like they’ve been waking up at night to feed their little one every three hours.  I think that’s how the bond of love is also strengthened. How can you wake up every three hours for something you don’t love?  All of my mom’s kids smiled at her the first time in the middle of the night when seh was dead-tired and almost felt that she couldn’t go on. That’s the way it is with kids, they demand so much time, love, attention, hugs, kisses, play (everything really) even when your really tired, then out of the blue one day they say:’ I love you ‘ or hug you and somehow, that makes everything ok.

“A baby is God’s opinion that life should go on. Never will a time come when the most marvelous recent invention is as marvelous as a newborn baby. The finest of our precision watches, the most super-colossal of our supercargo planes don’t compare with a newborn baby in the number and ingenuity of coils and springs, in the flow and change of chemical solutions, in timing devises and interrelated parts that are irreplaceable.“

~ Carl Sandburg quotes