Made in NYC, Born in NZ: Peyton's Kiwi homecoming

No, you’re not seeing double…and this isn’t a re-run of a gorgeous blog I posted a few months ago of baby Evie with her big, furry English Bulldog brother. It turns out there’s a little club of you out there who can’t think of anything more delicious than beautiful memories of your newly-minted baby with it’s older and wiser furry friend. Little Peyton’s mum saw that blog and immediately lined me up from her current home at the time in New York, in anticipation of everyone (including famous, furry Frank) arriving safely in New Zealand.

I first met Frank (the family dog) online. He has his own Instagram account (@frank_donkin) and has about a thousand more followers than me (no pressure). By the time he’d endured the rigours of international travel to be reunited with his (now expanded) family, I felt like we’d been mates for ages. Dogs can be unpredictable so I only work with parents who have total trust in their pet and its relationship with the new baby and remain very close at all times while we shoot. Frank was really boisterous with me (and especially my camera!) and yet the moment he was close to Peyton he changed and took on his new role seriously and respectfully.

After time off raising my own newborns into little people who are a bit more independent, I’m really enjoying shooting babies again. My own experience has completely changed my approach and now newborn sessions are always at the baby’s home where they are surrounded by family and familiarity and I can create true memories of what that really fleeting moment in time was like for everyone involved. It’s beautiful, but it’s also completely full on and chaotic!

Big thanks to Peyton’s lovely family for trusting me to create these memories for them, and even more so for letting me share them. If you’d like to find out more about newborn and family sessions, click HERE.