Jessica Beesly
All work 01

Newborn & Family Photography in Portsmouth

Newborn · Family · Milestone · Portrait

I'm a newborn and family photographer in Portsmouth, working in daylight and never in a rush. Sessions run at the pace of whoever is in front of the camera: a baby in the first fortnight, a toddler turning two, a whole family on a plain backdrop, or the kitten who lives with them. We can shoot in the studio or at your house, whichever you'd rather.

Wide black-and-white frame of a sleeping newborn, fists raised on a fleecy blanketView larger
Newborn in a cream wrap lying in a wreath of dried roses on pink boardsView largerNewborn asleep in a wooden bowl ringed with deep red autumn rosesView largerClose detail of a newborn's feet and hand emerging from a knitted brown wrapView larger

Newborn

Newborn sessions are led by the baby. We feed, settle and wait for the quiet stretches, and nothing gets posed further than a baby is happy to go. Most of what's on this page was photographed in the first fortnight, though not all of it.

Newborn swaddled in lilac in a white bowl beside a script sign reading sixteen daysView largerWide-eyed newborn in a lilac wrap on pink, lavender sprigs alongsideView larger
Black-and-white detail of a baby's fist curled around an adult's fingerView largerBlack-and-white detail of a newborn's feet cradled in two tattooed adult handsView largerSquare black-and-white crop of a couple holding their newborn between themView largerNewborn swaddled in white, photographed from above in a teal fur nestView larger
Panoramic frame of a wide-awake newborn spotlit on a dark grey blanketView larger
Black-and-white portrait of a couple forehead to forehead, holding their newbornView largerFamily of five on white, two parents with an older boy, a girl and a newbornView largerBlack-and-white detail of a newborn's hand held between two adult handsView larger
Black-and-white portrait of a sleeping newborn nestled in a deep fleece blanketView larger
Newborn asleep in a wooden bowl with a crocheted teddy and eucalyptusView largerCloser landscape crop of a sleeping newborn swaddled in white in a teal fur nestView largerBlack-and-white portrait of an older child leaning cheek to cheek with a newbornView larger
Panoramic frame of a newborn asleep in a cream wrap beside a crocheted teddyView larger
Toddler with pigtails, hands pressed to her cheeks, against a silver sequin backdropView largerToddler in a floral dress blowing bubbles from a yellow wand on lilacView larger

Turning two

Milestone sessions book the same way as newborn ones, only with a lot more standing up. This second birthday shoot ran on a light-up number two, a foil balloon taller than its owner, a pot of bubbles and a sequin backdrop. It moved at exactly the speed a two-year-old wanted to move.

Toddler sitting beside a light-up number two and pink balloons at a birthday shootView largerToddler waving beside a giant rose-gold number two balloon on pinkView larger
Close studio portrait of a laughing toddler in a floral striped dressView largerToddler grinning with both fists raised against a lilac backdropView largerUpright studio portrait of a toddler looking straight into the cameraView largerBlack-and-white portrait of an older child lying beside a sleeping newbornView larger
Panoramic frame of an alert newborn wrapped in sage green on a matching pillowView larger
Young child in a poppy-print top resting on a cream cushion, smiling upwardView largerStudio portrait of a black kitten sitting upright against a white backdropView largerBlack kitten stretched out on a white blanket, looking towards the cameraView larger
Two young children side by side on white, both laughing at the cameraView largerFamily of four on white, the parents and two girls turned towards one anotherView larger
Two girls lying on white, chins propped on their hands, smilingView largerBlack-and-white family group of four lying down, chins resting on their handsView largerBlack-and-white family of four on black, huddled together and laughingView larger
Panoramic frame of a sleeping newborn in a lilac wrap with a small toy bunnyView larger

In the studio

Most of this work is made in the studio, on plain white, on black, or on a dressed set. Families come in together: parents, older brothers and sisters, four and five at a time, and now and then a pet. One black kitten got the same white backdrop as everybody else. Whole shoots are laid out as multi-frame collages and contact sheets, and retouching stays honest. Skin, creases and newborn flakiness are left alone. I only tidy away the stray distraction.

Black-and-white portrait of an adult cradling and kissing a newborn's headView largerNewborn asleep in a floral nest holding a wooden disc reading hello worldView larger
Newborn asleep in a white tub on a rustic wooden set dressed with pink bloomsView largerNewborn wrapped in cream, seen from above in a bowl ringed with pink dahliasView largerNewborn in a pink wrap asleep on faux fur amid pink blossom and foliageView larger
Close detail of a newborn's feet resting against a felted pink heartView largerToddler in a pink jumper leaning against an adult's shoulder on a white backdropView largerFive-frame collage of a newborn shoot in cream wraps, an older child holding the babyView larger
Five-frame collage on sage green of a newborn in a leaf-print wrap, clock and disc alongsideView largerContact-sheet grid of thirteen black-and-white portraits around a central family groupView larger
Panoramic frame of a newborn asleep in a floral wrap on pink, ringed with leavesView larger

Book a session

Tell me a bit about your family and what you'd like photographed. A due date, a birthday, everyone in one room for once. We'll find a date that suits.

Get in touch