Jo-Anne Cavanagh Photography

Double Delight

2011-05-19T20:07:00.005+01:00

Twins have always held a fascination for me. When I was a little girl, I had a secret dream that I'd been one of a twin, separated at birth, and one day my twin sister and I would be reunited. Then I grew up and realised that my wonderful and loving parents were telling the truth after all, and that I was (un) fortunately one of a kind. I would have liked to have had twins, although my heart did skip a beat at the thought that my second child was almost a twin ( a second yolk sac showed up on our first scan, with no heart beat) and thankfully he is the only one of him we have!

But I have always been drawn to twins, marveling at the miracle of two babies growing inside their mum, sometimes so alike only a mum can tell them apart, and sometimes so different, like these two sweet girls. But no matter if they're identical or not, the bond shared by twins is one that's a delight to watch, a mystery to figure out and an absolute honour to photograph. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet and photograph your girls Donna, and with them barely one week old you set the bar for new mums very high indeed!

Sweet Baby Millie

2011-05-04T18:22:00.012+01:00

I have another friend from school who recently had a baby girl, so I cornered her and asked if I could take pictures of her gorgeous sweet chunky baby girl. Here she is, in all her newborn squishyness!

When I saw her birthmark I squealed - what a perfect little target for kisses ♥ ♥ ♥

This shot was one of those moments in photography that you could never predict. I got her into position, lifted my camera and as I pressed the shutter she had this little wind smile. Her mum and I both gasped, we knew straight away that this would be our favourite image.

In newborn photography circles, photographers often have tiny babies in impossible poses, and amateur photographers try to (dangerously) recreate them. This shot is a composite of two, and in each shot the baby's head was being supported from the side by her mum. A newborn's neck is not strong enough to support their head like this, so please don't try put your baby in this pose.

Love those little wrinkles on her back.

They lose that loose skin on her heads so quickly, I love to capture the little rolls of soft downy baby heads!

And it's all in the details that we forget so quickly, the flaky feet and hands, the little millia spots on their noses, their soft downy ears and delicate little eyelashes. Thank you so much for letting me take pictures of your sweet little girl Jo and Sean, she's a keeper!

Holly is Eight (and a half!)

2011-04-25T15:20:00.005+01:00

I haven't been taking on any photography clients for a while now. I'm really happy with the work I do at my kids school, and I keep busy with making cakes, doing odd crafts, horse riding and house work, that it seems the only photos I have to post to my blog are the ones of my kids.

Well, we have been having the most glorious Easter break, perfect sunny days and lazy afternoons. I took Holly out yesterday for her eighth set of Pink Dress photos - eighth! How did she get so big? The dress no longer trails on the ground, she's so tall.

Liam's Beach Chair, age Five

2010-08-29T21:11:00.007+01:00

When I started Liam's Beach Chair series five years ago, we were living with my in-laws at their seaside home. It was easy to pick a good day, when the beach wasn't too crowded, to take him down and do his pictures. The following years required a bit more planning, but as he was in preschool and I wasn't working, it was easy enough to do.

This year, however, I had him in full time school and me working every lunch time. It was a lot trickier to get him down to take his fifth year pictures, especially seeing as we've had one of the loveliest summers in years so weekends meant the beaches were packed! But, finally, I got him down to the beach and we did his shoot.

My little man, aged five.

Holly is Seven (and a half)

2010-05-28T10:13:00.009+01:00

A few weeks ago we were having our first spell of beautiful weather, so I seized the day and took Holly out for her latest pink dress session. It really has been working well waiting for nice weather, rather than trying to shoot them in the middle of winter when it's her birthday. After struggling at first - her with knowing how to pose and me with trying to get something different - I put her new cow-girl hat on and she came alive! She can come across as shy at first, but deep down she loves to show off and perform, and with this hat on she just started playing and having fun.

She's growing up so quickly, I can't believe she's going to be eight on her next birthday!

Holly at six.
Holly at five.
Holly at four is right at the bottom of the blog page, and I wasn't blogging yet when I did her first three!

In Daddy's Tie

2010-02-23T14:26:00.005Z

This is the same adorable boy baby in the round basket a few posts down. He is getting cuter and cuter by the day, and always has a huge smile for me when I say hello. I'm lucky enough to live across the way from him, so I get a smile often ;-)

{Because the dad is important, I got his face in one shot too!}

I saw this shot on a fellow photographer's blog ages ago, and kept it in mind for when a boy baby came along that was the right age for trying it out on. Thanks Liz and Steve, he's perfect!

Baby Sweetness in a Red Stripy Hat

2009-12-20T18:27:00.007Z

Isn't this little cherub the sweetest thing ever in his red stripy hat? The very first time I saw him on the school run wearing it, I knew, I simply had to take his pictures and he had to be wearing his hat! It's a special little hat to his mum too, as it was the very first thing he wore, even before they'd cleaned him up and dressed him, the nurses asked for a hat for him because his little head was cold. What a darling, he was so sweet to photograph, and slept all morning.

Dimples! Oh how I love dimples!

I love the little details of newborns, the fuzzy hair that still softens their ears and foreheads and shoulder blades, their wrinkly bodies, their flaky feet and little button noses. But best of all is their lovely smell when you cuddle them and get them ready for a shot. Thanks Lizzie, for letting me get my fix with your gorgeous new baby boy!

Babe in the Woods

2009-10-04T14:20:00.000+01:00

This was probably my most expensive prop to date...when one of my photography forum friends found it at Hobby Lobby in the States, it quickly became the most sought after basket ever. After a mad scramble I think every Hobby Lobby sold out within a week, and these baskets were shipped out across the States, and in my case, across the world!

I've used it once before, but I must say, I love how natural and organic it looks in the great outdoors, as if there was nothing strange about finding an infant fast asleep amongst the grasses. Thanks for letting me try this Liz, it's going to be one of my all time favourite images ;-)

Look Who's Four!

2009-09-16T20:34:00.000+01:00

Okay, so technically he's four and 3 months already, and I took these images back in July, but I have only just got around to processing them. The little guy and I went down to the beach while his big sister was at holiday club to do his fourth beach chair installment, and we had a lovely day. It was so much fun driving down with him, singing Mama Mia at full volume, chatting with just him, for an hour there and an hour back. The wind was howling something terrible, and in fact my very last frame shows him rubbing his eye - which quickly went bright red and necessitated a hasty retreat to Grandpa's house.

I loved these jeans on him, and I do believe he should wear navy tops as much as possible - doesn't he look gorgeous? Sadly, he's growing so fast there's no way they'll fit him for much longer, so it's nice to know I've got him on camera wearing them ;-)

The Magic of Twins

2009-07-09T19:01:00.000+01:00

I had the honour of photographing these two beautiful baby girls a few weeks ago. They were such little angels, sleeping like I've never had a baby sleep for me before, squishy and bendy just the way they were when they were born ten days earlier, perfect for taking photos!

Little miss f. even let me get 'the pose' which in baby photography circles means the impossible position of the baby sleeping with it's head in it's arms. This is the first time I've managed it and I've tried three times before.

I did something a little different with miss h. so that the girls each have a unique image, as well as the ones of them together and the ones of them mirroring each other.

Thank you Calvin and Sarah for letting me into your home, to catch a glimpse of the magical, albeit hectic, world of twins.

Family

2009-06-20T11:02:00.000+01:00

I had the pleasure of photographing this family just over a year ago, when little miss c was newborn. They asked me to take their family portraits when family were visiting from Australia. I had my work cut out for me, with three little ones who were on the go non-stop! Shooting in full sunlight on the downs was tricky too, but the view was beautiful and I think we captured some lovely moments.
I have a twins shoot next week, little girls who were born a week ago, and I can't wait to try out some sweet twin poses I've seen. Keep an eye out for them in a week or two!

Something a little different

2009-05-14T17:33:00.000+01:00

I saw something similar to this image a while ago on TwoPeas, and it's always been at the back of my mind to try something similar when I do a bump to baby session. Of course, getting a bump to photograph has been near impossible - why is it that pregnant women think they're big and fat with their gorgeous bumps and refuse to let me anywhere near them with a camera?

Luckily though, a friend was willing to let me capture her a few weeks before she was due, and then of course once little baby P was born, I did her newborn shots too. This shot is a composite of two images - a nice close up of the bump, with the mum's arms cradling it, and a curled up newborn shot. Getting it into position with the baby in proportion to the bump was quite tricky, but I'm pleased with the result. I've always struggled to relate pregnancy with a baby - part of me still believes my Ob/Gyn was a master magician, who magic'd my babies from thin air! This image kind of lets us imagine that there really is a baby inside there.

The hands forming a heart on the bump is a popular shot, and I like to folow through with the hands forming a heart with the baby's feet.

Thanks for letting me take photos of your precious bundle of pink Becky, it always makes me happy when people like their portraits.

Miss Molly

2009-04-27T13:58:00.001+01:00

I love newborns. They are by far my favourite subject to photograph. I love that I'm so much better at getting them to sleep now than when my daughter was born - I used to feel so overwhelmed when realtives could soothe her and get her to sleep in minutes where I'd been trying for hours. Now, with the newborns I photograph, I get to remind myself that not only have I developed as a photographer, but I've come a long way as a mother too. This little cherub did not like my new basket at all, but once we figured out she just wanted to be snuggled in a blanket, she slept and slept.

Look Who's Six...

2009-04-07T22:53:00.000+01:00

...and a half! My mom suggested waiting until the spring to do Holly's pink dress photo shoot. Taking her into the woods in the middle of the English winter in a light summer frock with chiffon scarf was not much fun - and I'd strip down to similar layers to get an idea of how cold it was - VERY!
So, here we are, spring is most definitely here, and Holly was really keen to head out to do her sixth installment of the pink dress photos. I shot over 200 frames, because every time I asked if she was done and did she want to head home, she'd go off and twirl or float the scarf out or do something beautiful and I'd end up shooting a few more frames! These are from the last few, when the sun was low and I could get some pretty back lit images. Nana, more to follow soon, I promise!

A Walk in the Woods

2009-04-05T21:50:00.000+01:00

Every time I go somewhere new in England, I fall in love again. I could happily move to the country side, to a little village where you know everyone and you can walk to the local shops. This family's home in a quaint little part of Surrey was no exception, and they were lovely people too. Miss P and her little brother were such cuties, and did very well walking around the woods with me pointing a camera at them every time they moved!

A Little Vintage Love...

2009-03-30T22:04:00.000+01:00

Do you remember the Kim Anderson posters and greeting cards from the 80's? My sister and I loved them, we had more than a few stuck up on our walls. I was asked to recreate the look with these gorgeous children, and with the styling and their cute cute faces I couldn't exactly fail, now could I? Once again the fabulous Vintage Kiss Me Hard action proves itself, giving these the perfect amount of grungy vintage nostalgia.

The Best Way to Start the Year...

2009-01-27T14:14:00.001Z

...is by having a family like this to photograph! These boys are as sweet as they look, little e. has the cutest voice and I could have eaten him up when I heard him singing Jingle Bells, little d. was so good, and just loved the sheepskin! Thanks N & D for letting me capture your family portraits, I had a blast!

Fun Cousins!

2009-01-13T18:05:00.000Z

I shot these sweet cousins last year, but because the photos were to be a surprise Christmas gift for their grandmother, the family asked me not to post them here before she'd seen her gift.
Well, we are now weeks after Christmas, and I'm finally getting back into the swing of things so here they are! Oh for the lovely weather again, I'm so ready for this winter to move on now.

Gosh it's been a while...

2008-12-16T14:35:00.000Z

I haven't shared new shots in so long. I have actually taken a bit of a breather from photography because this time of year is always so insanely busy for everyone. added to that, this English winter light just doesn't help.I'm either going to have to get a set of lights or hold off until spring!
I have one family that I'll share after Christmas, the photos are gifts and they don't want to spoil the surprise before then. In the meantime, here are a couple of my favourites from a recent session.

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice...

2008-10-02T20:00:00.000+01:00

Thank you to the delightful miss f. and her family for their patience waiting for their proofs. I had such a tough time editing these down, so I'm afraid they have quite a few to choose from!
After not using my little Freecycle chair for ages, I've used it in three consecutive shoots now... but don't you just love the quirky and sweet way miss f sits in it? Hope you like these as much as I do ;-)

Could she be any Sweeter?

2008-09-24T22:40:00.000+01:00

When little miss h. arrived for her session with her mum and dad, I just fell in love. She has the sweetest smile, the cutest giggle, and the cheekiest grin ever! It was so much fun working with her, even if she made her mum and dad work hard for her smiles. There are actually lots of smiley pics, It seems that I've selected more serious shots to post here. Perhaps I'll grab a smiley one...

A Windy newborn...

2008-08-29T15:51:00.001+01:00

...makes for the sweetest smiles in a photo session! This little guy's mum assures me that he hadn't started smiling yet, but was full of wind for his shoot. I'm not so sure, he sure looks happy to see his daddy!

more of the delightful miss a.

2008-07-29T08:03:00.000+01:00

What more can I say, she's just a little sweetheart! I can just imagine how beautiful she's going to be when she's all grown up. Thanks for letting me photograph her, S & G.

We're up to Date now!

2008-07-28T12:44:00.000+01:00

Well, for the regular visitors to my blog, you'll know that I'm working on a project with each of my children to chronicle their growth and development. With my daughter, I photograph her wearing the same dress every year,with my son, we take him down to the beach and photograph him with his little chair. With him, I've tried capturing him in a similar pose every year, so that his height in relation to the chair shows how much he's grown, and it's only now, with three photographs to compare, that I can really see how his profile is changing, how his face is losing his baby fat, and just how grown up he's becoming! Scroll right down to see his earlier installments.

Sneak Peak!

2008-07-10T21:34:00.000+01:00

All I can say is "Wow!" What a beautiful family, I can't get over little baby a's expression, and her beautiful mum. My husband came in towards the end of the shoot and commented afterwards that they looked like a couple straight out of a Bollywood Movie. I'm still working on processing the rest of the shoot, but I couldn't resist a little sneak peak!

Quadruplets!

2008-06-27T13:38:00.000+01:00

It's not everyday I get to photograph quads, and this little bunch are extra special because they make me a great-granny, according to my daughter. She says, "Well, I'm Rosie's mummy, so you must be her granny." And therefore, Rosie's kittens make me a great-granny! They were born between 8am and 10:30am, one is coloured like her mum, two are stripy grey tabbies and one splodgy tan and white and black cat, who is the spitting image of Rosie's cat-mum!

For more on the furries check out my Salt and Pepper blog.

Rosie two days ago.

And yes, as soon as Rosie can, she will be visiting the vet. We felt this would be a wonderful learning experience for the children, but we're certainly not irresponsible. Two kittens have already got homes, and I'm confident we will re-home the other two.

How Cute is This?

2008-06-20T18:39:00.000+01:00

Actually, you can't even begin to imagine how cute she really is. You could just eat her up, and Oh! the little baby sounds she makes! I love her expression in the teacup, it's just the sweetest thing!

Matt's Family

2008-06-11T09:24:00.000+01:00

I wish I could have photographed Matt's family for real, but this was a close second. I would love to meet Matt in person one day, and to take photos of his little daughter, Madeline. If you haven't read about Matt, I recommend that you do, but don't go when you're hungry (his tales of restaurants and Pierogies and food will drive you nuts!) Oh, and take a box of tissues with.

Miss Bunny

2008-06-05T20:32:00.000+01:00

This little sweetheart was such a cutie, her parents nicknamed her Bunny and we had fun doing the washing line shot with all her bunny outfits and toy. She has the most piercing blue eyes, and lovely parents!

Meet My Family

2008-05-04T23:42:00.000+01:00

So, if you check out Heather's blog, you'll see she is the queen of these little wooden people, personalised to look like a family. Well, she inspired me to create my own family, so here we are! We are actually all wearing real outfits, I think I should take a photo of us in the same outfits! (although the wooden people behave better and are a bit more photogenic than I am!)
You don't get the scale from these images, but they're not even 2.5" tall.

Britain's Got Teacups!

2008-04-25T21:31:00.000+01:00

I've had my eye on the over-sized teacups my American counterparts have been using for over a year now, wishing I could find a way of getting myself one. Well, shipping costs were just way too expensive, and I didn't know anyone crossing the pond willing to bring one home for me. So, you can just imagine how excited I was to discover my local garden center had these gorgeous spotty ones in stock! A friend dropped by with her almost 8 month old, and I was so excited to see that he still fits!

...To Babe!

2008-04-25T21:27:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit behind lately, but here are some more from the delightful Miss C 's session.

Just a sneak peak, I'm still busy processing these but I couldn't resist posting just one so long!

From Bump...

2008-04-19T16:16:00.000+01:00

I did the newborn shoot this morning, so I thought it was about time I put some of the maternity session up! I still can't get over the miracle of birth - that inside the mum's bump a beautiful baby girl was growing, living, dreaming...

Cute and Gorgeous!

2008-04-18T19:19:00.001+01:00

When I met the mother of these twin girls, I told her that I simply had to photograph them, so I was super excited to be able to go a week later. They are the sweetest babies, I could spend all day watching them, holding them, and being in total awe of the miracle of twins. I loved being able to photograph them, thank you, Michelle and Stuart!

Morgan la Fey

2008-04-17T18:34:00.000+01:00

When I saw the shots of little miss i. with the daisy chain on, it made me think of Morgan la Fey from the tales of Arthur and Merlin. She has the most gorgeous freckles, and a super cute nature. When she stuck her tongue out at me as a joke, I took a photo of her and showed her. Little did I know it would be one of my favourites! I met up with her mum, a fellow Pea, for a lovely spring walk at Fox Corner.

The Power of Peas!

2008-04-10T18:02:00.000+01:00

I went for a walk with a friend through the local agricultural college, and snapped this shot of my daughter, which I just love. So, I posted it on TwoPeas, asking anyone who wanted to play with textures to have a go...and just look at what they came up with! I'm posting my original, for comparison's sake.

Sweet Tilly

2008-03-27T12:15:00.000Z

I was asked to photograph a boy and his puppy as a birthday present for his mum, and I owe a fellow Pea thanks for inspiring the shoot with her son and his puppy shots, which she'd posted on TwoPeas! So here's my take with Tilly, the sweetest lab puppy ever, and mr S, who adores her.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T13:04:00.000Z

Happy Valentine's Day! My kids had great fun polishing off this box of chocolates after the shoot. And I also want to say a very happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

ABC!

2008-02-11T11:58:00.000Z

The challenge was set on Two Peas to photograph the whole alphabet with objects from around the house. I had tons of fun taking part, and here is my version! It happened purely by luck that it starts and ends on a picture of my DS, who's preschool teachers will be getting a copy! Click on it to enlarge.

And a few more...

2008-02-02T07:34:00.001Z

It was great meeting another family from home, and I had so fun photographing them. The kids were such stars, mr t. asking me so many clever questions about my backdrop and camera and flash, and his sister made the sweetest angel.

Sneak Peak!

2008-01-22T18:51:00.000Z

I had to post just one little sneak peak shot of the latest family I photographed. Little mr t. and miss a. were the sweetest kids, as individuals and as siblings. I've had this idea for a shot for ages, and I was so chuffed to finally have a family to try it on! Nadine, I hope you like it, and I'm working hard to finish the rest!

Before and After

2008-01-09T16:29:00.000Z

I hadn't posted these maternity pictures yet, and I just finished processing the baby pictures from this morning's shoot! This little cherub is almost 5 weeks old, and with her big sister's rosebud lips, promises to be another gorgeous little girl. There is something about a sleeping newborn that makes the rest of the world come to a complete standstill.

Another Family shoot

2008-01-08T09:59:00.000Z

This family are friends of the last family I did. I love the shot of little T hugging all his bears, it was quite unprompted that he gathered them all up and ran off with them! I used Renée's Vintage Kiss Me Hard action on it, sometimes that action just fits an image like a glove! He wasn't too sure about posing alone for me, but had a blast when his Mum and Dad threw him in the air!

I got my wings!

2008-01-03T16:42:00.000Z

I've seen so many gorgeous angel children in photographs that I decided I had to get myself some wings too! Thanks to a fellow Pea I found an Ebay seller, and my wings arrived last week. Holly reluctantly posed again for me, so now I want to find some sweet little girls I can turn into angels!

Holly is Growing Up

2007-12-31T22:02:00.000Z

I can't believe how quickly Holly is growing up. When I started her pink dress photos 5 years ago, I couldn't have imagined how she'd change over the years. Even this year, I didn't think there'd be such a change from last year, but there is, she is definitely growing up!

Isn't this little guy just a cutie?

2007-12-15T21:21:00.000Z

I took some family portraits for this lovely couple, their son was such a sweetie, and the cleverest little thing! He can sign so many words, I was amazed at how Baby signing really works! I'm hoping to photograph them again in the spring, but for now, here's a few from our first session.

Santa Claus is coming to Town!

2007-11-26T20:01:00.001Z

I had a little shoot the other day for some Christmas card photos for two families. It was a funny, chaotic and crazy morning, but I think everyone agreed, Santa's little helpers were very good and gave us some gorgeous images to choose from!

If I wasn't a photographer...

2007-11-09T20:15:00.000Z

...Could I be a cake-maker? My daughter turns five on Sunday, and set me the daunting task of making her a Barbie cake to celebrate! The baking of the cake was probably the most difficult part, fondant makes folds automatically, thereby making the skirt look quite realistic, and the piping is fun and easy to do. I am quite pleased with the result, although next year I think cupcakes will be in order!

mr smARTy pants

2007-11-07T11:56:00.001Z

Nine weeks old and so adorable. This little guy slept like an angel for his photos, and looked like one too! Shot in their living room which has the loveliest bay window for natural light, I wish I could do all my shoots there!

Sisters

2007-10-11T20:21:00.001+01:00

Recognise the armchair? Scroll down! I photographed a friends' daughters and finally got to use the chair. The girls are lovely, and although I felt enormous pressure to take nice shots (my friend had a terrible experience with her girls' last photo shoot) I was really happy with the results and I think they are too. Taken at the same location as Sandy's family's, it is probably going to become one of the favourite spots!

Remember the Maternity Shoot?

2007-10-08T11:57:00.000+01:00

Well, the baby is here! He's actually four weeks old in these shots, and what a cutie. He slept so soundly on the sheepskin, and was not impressed when his Mummy picked him up for the sitting shot, so he poo'ed and wee'ed all over her!

Sandy's Family Photo Shoot

2007-09-17T14:30:00.000+01:00

Not only did I have lots of fun photographing Sandy's family, but I really enjoyed the location, and can't wait to take my own family there. Sandy and John have a lovely family, the boys are so sweet and fun, and Sandy's elegant mum was able to join them for the shoot before her return to SA.

Rosie the Kitten

2007-09-04T13:59:00.000+01:00

So we have finally gotten a new kitten, Holly has been asking for one for so long, and she is tickled pink with Rosie! She now asks me to take new photos of her with Rosie nearly every day, and I actually thought these were quite sweet. I used Lady Ren's actions again, mostly Gentle Boost and Glow, with a couple of Vanilla Creams too!

The Last of Summer

2007-08-30T15:08:00.000+01:00

Well, if there's one thing I've learned living in England, it's that when the sun is shining get outdoors with the kids! So we hit the park on Tuesday and I took these pictures of my sister's friends' kids.

More from the maternity shoot

2007-08-21T18:42:00.000+01:00

I really like the two different shots with each sibling, the older girl being the dreamier, softer one, and the younger (soon to be middle!) son more playful. The funny thing was, although the mother and I had planned the tummy shot, we hadn't told her son yet what we wanted - he just spontaneously lifted his shirt to show his belly! I can't wait for the newborn session, not too long now!

My Fabulous Freecycle Armchair

2007-08-20T23:06:00.001+01:00

Can you believe this gorgeous little chair is kiddy size? I have been busy re-upholstering it, so far so good, although the hand-stitched bits are getting tricky. Hopefully it will feature as a photo prop....not sure how just yet, but I cant wait to play around.

Let's get this show on the road

2007-08-20T18:44:00.000+01:00

So, being completely new to the Blogging game, I'm just going to jump right in and see if this works. I took these shots as part of a maternity session for a friend, and I really loved the dreamy look of this one, so I wanted to play with some cool actions I got from Renee Oakenfull. This one's called Vintage Kiss Me Hard, and I ran it on both the original colour version and my B&W conversion.