Willow and Bear Photography provides creativity and comfort with their way of capturing dreamy newborns. They have various props, sets, and adorable outfits to fully realise their clients’ vision for the shoot.

We appreciate that the studio contains a baby area, which is fully stocked with nappies, wipes, a Tommee Tippee bottle machine, and changing mats. And to further lessen the overwhelm for the mum and baby, they include a lot of breaks in the session, plus refreshments like tea, coffee, wine, and juice.

Many of their former clients we surveyed were all praises for the natural photos and the overall comfortable shoot. Kirsteen, the studio’s newborn photographer, has been called a ‘baby whisperer’ by many families, as she was instrumental in getting the babies in their natural yet aesthetic poses!

We’re just iffy about the longer wait time some people mentioned, as it may take longer than the initially estimated two hours for editing to be finished.

Great for shoots including pets

“I had an amazing experience from start to finish at Willow & Bear Photography. The makeup and hair artist was a lovely touch and she made me feel beautiful + there was a lovely selection of gowns and outfits to try out. I’m not very confident in my pregnancy body but the girls made me feel beautiful and comfortable the whole way through. The studio was also really nice and welcoming and the girls were also very patient with my dog and toddler getting in photos. Loved the experience and can’t wait to see the pics. Thank you!”

Lynsey Savelio, Google Review

Maternity shoot

“I had a brilliant experience at Willow & Bear for my maternity photo shoot. The team made me feel very relaxed. I loved having my make up and hair done. I felt surprisingly comfortable during the photoshoot due to being guided on how to stand. I was so pleased with the pictures, such a variety to choose from & I came away with a few that I’ll treasure. Thank you to everyone who made the experience so enjoyable.”

Laura Gautrey, Google Review

Baby Art Studios entered our radar as it’s quite a popular newborn photography studio franchise, with 12 locations in the UK. 

We dropped by their Ancoats studio to see what they have to offer. Nika, the photographer for the newborn shoot they were prepping, was hands-on and welcoming. 

We hung around for a bit to take a peek and found how effective the team is in handling nervous mums and unpredictable babies. Overall, we weren’t surprised to see glowing feedback from folks who availed of their newborn photography sessions. 

Their portfolio is impressively varied, with photos ranging from dramatic to whimsical. The team is flexible, too, since they accommodate newborns from 1 to 28 days instead of the usual 2 weeks.

They also have reasonable rates and an easy booking process, which can all be done by filling out a form on their website. All-in-all, Baby Art Studio is a cracking choice for newborn photography. We just wish that they offered in-home shoots for utmost convenience. 

Amazing experience

“We had an amazing experience with our photoshoots, so far we have had the maternity and newborn shoots and the photos are absolutely stunning, better than we could have imagined, thank you so much xx”

Jodie Smith, Reviews.io Review

It’s the little things

“We’ve just had a newborn photoshoot with Stu today and it was amazing. Stu was so good with our baby, getting her in position and taking his time. The selection of clothing, headbands and the little things to make the photos were so good. I allowed Stu to use his vision and do what he thought was the best. We also had some family photos and he was also so good with our toddler. She’s not easy to please at 2 years old, no is her favourite word but Stu won her over and she was a natural in her photos. I can’t wait to see the photos that he put on. Seeing the welcome sign (photo added) in the room as we walked in made me smile. It’s the little things. Thank you so much Stu, I can’t wait to see the photos and I can’t wait for our next shoot.”

Natalie Ruse, Reviews.io Review

Baby Boutique With Vanessa is a family-focused photography service, with offerings that include newborn shoots, cake smash, family portraits, bump to baby, pet portraits, and more.

For her newborn shoots, she only does at-home sessions, which is very practical for new mums and dads! For this particular service, her packages include one-hour, two-hour, and three-hour shoots, with varying inclusions.

In our books, the best value would be the two-hour shoots, which include three setups and 15 edited images. Outfits and poses are also included in this package. 

We must mention, however, that her rates are on the higher side. For instance, some clients were disappointed by Vanessa’s basic package, which only included one setup and five edited images.

Nonetheless, given the quality of Vanessa’s work, we think she offers fantastic value. Plus, the convenience she offers by holding the shoots in her clients’ homes is a plus.

A fantastic experience!

“If you’re questioning whether to book here or not – just do it! You won’t be disappointed. From the start of the booking right up to the appointment, Baby Boutique [takes] the time to get to know exactly what you want from your photoshoot. They let you view all of their backdrops prior to your appointment so you can decide which you like, and they want to get as much detail from you about your wants and expectations. We went for a cake smash photoshoot, so we needed to provide details of what we’d like the cake to look like. I asked for blue-ombre, and the cake was stunning! The studio, although small, is wonderfully laid-out to create a beautiful little open space. Its bright colours and large windows create a lovely atmosphere, and the textured wall by the baby changing table was a favourite of our sons! Ella was our photographer, and she made us feel so relaxed and comfortable during the appointment. She gave guidance during the photoshoot to be able to capture the best pictures of our son. She was so patient with us when we were trying to cut down 200 photos to 10 (11 as we paid for an extra one, haha). She was so easy to talk to and have a laugh with, and she was great with our son too. The photos Ella took were absolutely stunning, it was so difficult to choose our favourites! We can’t wait to see the finalised versions in the next 2 weeks, and we’re already talking about what our next photoshoot with Baby Boutique will be – we can’t wait to return!! Thank you so much for everything xxx”

Jennie King, Booking.page Review

Great even on the 3rd!

“3rd experience of the Baby Boutique now over the last 3-4 years – my niece, nephew, and now my own baby girls Studio Session! Our little girl warmed to Vanessa straight away and we had endless giggles through the whole session! Photographer just knew the perfect backdrop/props to our outfits! Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend and looking forward to returning again in the future for more shoots!”

Javeria Kiran, Facebook Review

If we can sum up Dora Horvath Photography’s newborn photos into a word, it would be ‘magazine-worthy’! Dora’s setups and outputs are stunning, with a depth and crispness that belong to gallery walls. 

From what we’ve seen, it’s not surprising she garnered a bronze award from the Guild of Photographers! She’s also a one-stop shop, as her studio also offers prints, wall art collections, framing, and more. 

While her rates seem higher than most, it’s notable that she offers payment plans. It’s also worth noting that her Gold package even includes a sitter, a £100 credit for wall art purchases, and 20 6” x 4” prints, among others. 

Another impressive offering is the Wrapped Newborn Mini Session, which is just that—the newborn wrapped on the posing table. This is ideal for 3-week-olds and younger, and though it’s limited to one setup, the session includes five edited photos (which are stunning, by the way). 

Just a heads up: should you be interested, do have a set decision because the initial deposit is non-refundable.

Highly recommend for newborn/family photoshoots

“Dora and her husband are a friendly, professional and highly expert team. From our initial enquiry, Dora was very communicative and helpful, making our decision to go ahead with her easy. During our photoshoot, Dora and her husband made every effort to make us feel comfortable, and at ease working with our newborn and toddler with such grace and understanding, making for a relaxed atmosphere and enjoyable photoshoot. We are very impressed with the high quality and skill of the pictures, which have perfectly captured a beautiful moment in our lives. We definitely will be shooting with Dora again in the future!”

Nigel and Lauretta, Google Review

Making birthdays memorable

“We had photos taken of our one year old today by Dora and her husband and I am so glad we did.  Dora is extremely professional, accommodating, friendly and thorough. They both instantly made me and my daughter feel at ease. They have a beautiful set up with various different backgrounds that are all brilliant. Thank you so very much for making our daughters birthday even more special, we are truly grateful and so excited to see the pictures of her. I would highly recommend to anyone 😊Hannah, Ed and Laina 😊”

Jade Hannah, Facebook Review

Carolina Crolla Photography mentioned that newborn photography may be seen as a luxury. Given their pricey rates, it’s no wonder.

However, we must mention that their mid- and top-tier packages already include gallery-mounted photo prints, with the latter even including 10 unmounted 10×8 prints, 20 7×5 prints, a personalized video slideshow, and more. 

They define luxury, all right, and it’s worth it, given their offerings and high-quality output. Her setups range from the usual newborn who are swaddled, unclothed, or tucked in blankets, to more whimsical ones where the baby sleeps on a moon or is carried by a stork, among others.

As for their studio in Station Bridge, we love how bright, spacious, and airy it looks. While it doesn’t have a private room for the mum and baby, there are cozy sofas for breaks.

Given Carolina Crolla Photography’s exemplary services, it’s no surprise that she’s in high demand. Her packages have limited availability, so we appreciate that she accepts bookings as early as the 20-week scan. 

Would recommend to friends and family

“Carina has captured some amazing photographs of my newborn and our family. She is incredibly talented at what she does and the quality is second to none. Carina contacted me before the shoot to discuss what I wanted and she really took this into account on the day. I had picked out a few from Carina’s library that I liked and she did all of these for me. Carina was so patient and lovely at the photoshoot (my three older children definitely didn’t make her job very easy, haha!) But she still managed to capture some amazing family photos too alongside the newborn photos. Would recommend Carina to all my friends and family. Would love to have more photos done with her in the future.”

Aimee Louise Bowden, Google Review

Incredible pictures

“The pictures are incredible Carina, you did an amazing job & was so incredibly patient with mini man when he wasn’t being very cooperative 🤦🏼‍♀️ & loved the fact you let my special bear be part of the shoot too, especially the amazing picture of him holding it & smiling – meant the world to me 🥹🥹Thank you so much for the experience & the end result – we love them 🥰🥰”

Julia Hessing, Facebook Review