I love helping families weave their personal stories into every session. Every photoshoot is a chance to capture not just faces, but memories, emotions and traditions. Including a family heirloom is an effortless way to layer meaning and depth into your portraits, and it often sparks a wonderful conversation.

Maternity Portraits

Expecting a new addition to your family is such a fleeting, beautiful time. Maternity portraits are a perfect opportunity to honour your family’s story before your baby arrives by including items that hold special meaning, perhaps:

• A piece of jewellery inherited from a grandmother
• The family Christening shawl
• Baby's ultrasound image.

Imagine a softly lit portrait where your hand rests on your belly, clutching a delicate heirloom passed down through generations. Not only does it make the image visually stunning, it also connects your baby to the family story before they’ve even entered the world.

Newborn Portraits

Newborn portraits are all about those first fleeting days of life, capturing the tiny details that you’ll cherish forever. Including heirlooms adds a deeply personal touch, with baby:

• Snuggled in a blanket knitted by loving grandparents
• Wrapped in a shawl passed down through the family
• Cuddling a toy that's survived several generations
• A baby bonnet worn by a sibling or parent.

These objects often carry the scent, texture, and love of family members who may not be in the room, creating a bridge between past and present. It’s incredible to see parents’ faces light up when they see their newborn photographed with something so meaningful - it’s a tangible way to connect generations.

Family and Child Portraits

As children grow, family portraits capture the joy, chaos, and love of everyday life. Including heirlooms in these sessions adds layers of storytelling.

• The watch passed down through the family, that will one day be his
• Wooden toys hand-made by a great-grandfather, played with by three generations, captured in action, being enjoyed again by a new generation
• Reading stories together in the treasured rocking chair that lulled many a baby to sleep in its mother's arms over the decades.

These images are more than pretty pictures - they are a record of family continuity and love.

Turning Portraits into Heirlooms

One of my favourite parts of a Portrait Experience is hearing about the objects families bring with them. A small, fraying blanket may seem ordinary at first glance, but when it’s tied around a newborn or draped over a mother-to-be’s lap, it suddenly holds generations of love and warmth. Those little details are what make the photographs timeless, and years later, they’ll be looked back on with nostalgia, warmth and pride.

Family heirlooms aren’t just props - they’re threads that tie your past, present, and future together. By including them in your maternity, newborn, and family photography sessions, you’re creating images that hold more than just your likeness; you’re capturing history, love, and legacy. And the best part? Those images become heirlooms themselves, ready to be passed down to the next generation.

So, when planning your next portrait session, consider what family treasures you might like to bring along. That knitted blanket, treasured necklace, or well-loved toy could be the key to creating not just beautiful images, but meaningful memories that your family will cherish forever.

Which family heirloom will you bring to the studio?