Fresh 48 Photography in London: Your Baby's First Hours

A Fresh 48 session is a short, documentary-style shoot in the first 24 to 48 hours after birth — usually in your hospital room, occasionally at home if you had a home birth. Nothing is styled. Your baby is wrapped in the hospital blanket, wearing the little name tag, and looking exactly as they did on their very first day.

Why parents book it

Posed newborn photos capture how tiny your baby was. Fresh 48 photos capture how the day felt — your face the first time you really looked at them, dad's hands, the crumpled hospital sheets, the light through the ward window. Many families book both: Fresh 48 in hospital, then a full session at home on days 5 to 14.

Which North London hospitals I cover

• Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead (NW3)
• UCLH, Bloomsbury — closest for Camden families
• Barnet Hospital (EN5)
• Northwick Park and Chase Farm by arrangement

How it works practically

You or your partner message me once baby has arrived, and I aim to come within 24 to 48 hours. Sessions are short — typically 45 to 60 minutes — and completely led by you. If you're tired, feeding, or recovering from a caesarean, we photograph baby and hands only. Most hospitals are happy with a visiting photographer during normal visiting hours; I always check in with the midwife on the ward first.

What to expect in the photos

• Baby in the hospital cot with the name card
• Tiny details — hands, feet, hair, the little hat
• First cuddles, first feed, siblings meeting the baby
• Quiet, natural editing — no props, no set-ups

What to pack for your Fresh 48 photos

• A plain white or cream muslin to soften the hospital bedding
• One simple babygrow in a neutral colour for a change of look
• A knitted hat or headband if you'd like one detail shot
• Your own dressing gown — it photographs far better than hospital gowns
• Nothing else: the name tag, cot card and blanket are the whole point

After a caesarean, a long labour, or a NICU stay

You never have to sit up, move, or be photographed at all. After a caesarean we usually photograph baby in the cot, your hands, and your partner's first cuddle. If baby is in NICU or on the transitional-care ward, I photograph only what the staff allow and always follow the nurses' lead — a few images of tiny fingers and monitors are often the ones families treasure most.

How much a Fresh 48 session costs

• Fresh 48 starts at £250, including travel to North London hospitals
• 45–60 minutes at the bedside, hand-edited images in a private gallery
• Add it to a Silver or Gold home newborn session at a reduced combined rate
• Delivery is usually within 5–7 days, so you have photos while baby is still tiny

Fresh 48 vs a newborn session — what's the difference?

Fresh 48 is documentary: hospital room, first day, nothing styled. A newborn session happens at home on days 5 to 14, with wraps, props and posed set-ups. Fresh 48 records the day it happened; the newborn session records how impossibly small they were. If you can only choose one, most parents pick the home newborn session — but the pair together tells the whole story.

Booking around an unpredictable date

Because nobody can schedule a birth, I hold Fresh 48 slots loosely around your due date and ask you to text me as soon as baby arrives. I photograph across North London — Hampstead, Camden, Golders Green, Finchley, Hendon, Mill Hill and Colindale — so I can usually reach the ward the same day or the next morning.