The last little stretch of life as three | Maternity family photography in Beverley

We were meant to have photographed this session a little earlier, but the tiniest bit of rain had somehow managed to turn the evening into unbearable humidity. Not exactly ideal conditions for a heavily pregnant mum, an energetic little boy and a photographer who was hoping nobody would actually melt, so we rescheduled and I’m so glad we did! Because the evening we eventually chose was one of those evenings that makes you feel very lucky to have a camera in your hands.

The sun was warm and low over the Westwood, the light was beautiful and golden, and there was hardly anyone else around. It was one of those evenings where you could happily keep wandering long after you were supposed to be heading home. We walked, played, jumped, cuddled, ran around and generally let Patrick do what Patrick does best: keep moving. There were rockets flying somewhere in the background, plenty of games and lots of laughter, with his parents joining in rather than worrying about what they were supposed to do for the camera. They had told me beforehand that none of them felt particularly “photogenic” and wanted the session to feel really relaxed, so that was exactly what we went for. No complicated posing or pressure to get things right, just an evening together and plenty of space for Patrick to be himself.

At one point we stopped to listen to the baby in Mum’s tummy, imagining what he might be up to in there and talking about what Patrick thought his new little brother might be looking forward to when he finally arrived. It was such a sweet little glimpse of the relationship that was already beginning, even before they’d met.

There was something especially meaningful about photographing them here because the Westwood is somewhere they already spend time together as a family. It isn't just a beautiful backdrop, it is part of their everyday life. The cows wandering around in the distance all belong to this little slice of their family story. I love that photographs can hold onto a sense of place as well as people, because years from now, seeing these images may bring back not only what they looked like but where they were, what they did together and what life felt like at this particular point in time.

They had hoped these photographs would make them feel nostalgic, happy and at peace when they looked back on them, and I think that is exactly what this evening has captured. Patrick running through the grass, his parents laughing with him, the warmth of the evening sun and the quiet excitement of knowing that another little boy was on his way. At the time, they thought they still had a little while before everything changed, but just one week after this session, their baby decided he was ready to make his entrance early, but perfectly on time.

Which makes these photographs feel even more precious to look back on. They captured the very last days of being three, before they had any idea quite how soon they would become four. There is something lovely about knowing that this little family spent one of their final evenings as three exactly as they would want to remember it: outside together, playing, laughing, cuddling and making the most of an ordinary evening, just before a whole new chapter began.

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