Everybody loves photographs of babies - and pets - and now they win prizes.
Suffolk-based specialist photographic studio - Baby Art UK - has won an international award for one its unique baby portraits.
Baby Art UK won the award for a photograph of baby Noah - from Ipswich - with the family pet Lulu, a French bulldog
The business has been based in a studio at Kersey Mill, near Hadleigh for just over a year having been estabished in ipswichm
The studio was established 10 years ago by Brendan Taylor and his partner Kaylie Bryant, from Ipswich.
Mr Taylor said: “We have won awards before but this is a new international award, the AFSN Award 2018 for the best photographers in the field of newborn photography and maternity photography.
“This award is huge and is judged by the elite newborn photographers/trainers from around the world.”
“We have had gold and silver awards from the Guild of Professional Photographers before.”
Mr Taylor and Ms Bryant have been together since their school days, at Chantry High School, and have three children of their own, Lacey, Ruby-Mae and Rowen,
Their business specialises in newborn, baby and family photographs.
He explained: “We offer a bump to baby’s one year birthday package. A lot of the mums like to have a pregnancy photo.
“For the newborn images it needs to be within 14 days of birth. Little ones are constantly changing.
“Noah, who is in the winning photograph, was nine days-old.”
Kaylie had taken the photographs, he said, and he had edited the images of the baby and pet dog, which had been taken separately, to produce the winning image. “Kaylie is great with the babies. The mums call her the baby whisperer.”
Chloe Skipping, Noah’s mum, said it was a lovely photograph, “I am thrilled it has won.”
The couple are now assisted by trainee Sheeren Thompson at Kersey Mill.
She said: “I have two children of my own, and I get to cuddle babies here. It is lovely.
“When parents see the images they often cry; and I have to wipe a tear away myself.”
A baby portrait session can take between three and five hours - with breaks for feeding, changing nappies and sleeps if necessary.
Specialising in baby pictures had been a good choice, added Mr Taylor. “They are not babies for long, and parents want to capture those memories.
“The business has been growing too.
“We now have franchises in Biggleswade, in Folkestone, Kent and a new one in Havant, Hampshire.”
Mum Lauren Brown, from Felixstowe, had photographs taken of her baby Ruby, and other pictures along with her elder brother Freddie.
“It was really lovely,” she said, “Kaylie was really great with my little girl. It was a lovely experience.”
Babies are in the news this week, of course, with the new Royal baby.
Baby Art UK hasn’t had any Royal customers yet, Nr Taylor said: “But we would absolutely love it.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here