Creative photo sessions hold a special place in my heart. They also demand an immense amount of effort and preparation. This photoshoot with Ava-Jeanette took about 6 hours from start to finish.. that included child-appropriate makeup and hair styling (with various looks) by the talented Susan Donoghue, fresh flowers, gorgeous white dresses by Stella M'Lia (based in Greenwich), and necklace accessories from Ella & Henry (New Canaan).

I wanted the images to look very natural and used a mix of sunlight streaming through my Studio windows and artificial light from my Profoto strobe. Each look was meticulously styled (dress, hair, flowers). I also used a vintage 50mm Nikon lens to add an emotive quality to the images, which I had to manually focus for every shot. Photographing this way is more akin to using film, where each shot takes considerable time and effort, but the results are well worth it.

Most of all, it was wonderful to work with such a great team. Everyone came together to create photographs that showcase Ava's beauty, in a way that is both creative and simple in it's approach.

Images from this photoshoot are featured in the La Belle Kidz magazine (Summer 2017 issue).