Maternity

Some maternity photoshoots begin with a location. Others begin with a story. This one began with a dream.

As a documentary photographer, I create maternity photoshoots that feel deeply personal, unposed, and rooted in real connection.

This is the essence of a bespoke maternity photoshoot — a session shaped entirely around meaning, memory, and intention rather than a fixed formula. My favourite sessions are those inspired by a significant place, a quiet dream, or a feeling a client has carried with them for years.

Before every photoshoot, I spend time getting to know my clients. I like to have a phone conversation before we meet, not only to help them feel relaxed and reassured, but also to understand what matters most to them during this chapter of their lives.

When I first spoke to this lovely mum-to-be, she shared how special this pregnancy was to her. Then, almost as an afterthought, she mentioned something she had always imagined for her maternity photographs: a white horse.

Not because she rode horses.

Not because she owned one.

Simply because she had always pictured herself standing in a beautiful landscape, carrying her baby beside a majestic white horse — an image that had stayed quietly at the back of her mind through years of hope, longing, and dreaming of the child she might one day hold in her arms.

She mentioned it almost apologetically, as though she didn’t expect anyone to take the idea seriously.

The moment she said it, my TV Producer instincts kicked in.

Turning an Idea into Reality

Before becoming a photographer, I spent more than a decade working as a Producer-Director in television, creating documentaries for broadcasters including the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and Discovery.

One of the things television taught me is that the most memorable stories often emerge when you’re willing to go the extra mile. You learn how to uncover extraordinary locations, gain access to places others might overlook, and turn ambitious ideas into reality.

So instead of politely smiling and moving on, I started researching.

I contacted local stables, horse owners and equestrian centres. I visited locations, made phone calls and explored countless possibilities.

But something wasn’t quite right.

The horse wasn’t right.

The location wasn’t right.

I knew that if we were going to bring this vision to life, it had to feel truly magical.

Meeting Elvis

Eventually, I found him.

A magnificent white horse named Elvis.

And the setting was every bit as special. Nestled within the Surrey countryside, Birchwood Farm in Woldingham is home to 250 acres of rolling fields and ancient woodland, where horses live freely and thrive in a natural environment. It felt wild, timeless and wonderfully untouched.

Before suggesting the location to my client, I wanted to experience it for myself.

As I walked through the farm, I found myself thinking less about the scenery and more about the feeling of the place. There was a rare sense of calm and freedom that perfectly reflected the vision my client had shared with me.

It quickly became clear that the location revealed its true magic at sunset, when golden light swept across the landscape and created the soft, ethereal atmosphere I had been searching for.

I knew immediately.

This was the place.

The perfect setting for the maternity photoshoot she had been dreaming of.

“You Actually Found a White Horse?”

When I called my client to tell her, she could hardly believe it.

She later admitted that she never expected anyone to take her idea seriously.

To her, it was simply a fantasy.

To me, it was the beginning of a story.

And that’s exactly why I love creating bespoke maternity photography experiences.

The photographs themselves are important, of course. But what makes them truly meaningful is the story behind them.

Years from now, when she looks back at these images, she won’t just remember being pregnant.

She’ll remember the excitement of sharing a dream.

She’ll remember that someone listened.

She’ll remember standing beside Elvis as the sun set over the Surrey hills, waiting to meet her baby.

From Woodland to Light

We arrived at 6:30 and parked near the edge of the forest, taking a quiet moment to settle in before starting.

I began in the woodland, where the softer light allowed me to work gently among the trees and shape the atmosphere.

Elvis was remarkably calm throughout — steady, patient, and completely at ease with everything happening around him.

This helped set the tone for this bespoke maternity photoshoot.

It took time for my client to fully relax and feel safe beside such a powerful presence.

With patience and gentle pacing, that trust gradually came.

As the evening progressed, we moved into the open fields.

We timed it perfectly with the shift into warm golden light that transforms the landscape.

In that moment, everything aligned, and the atmosphere became truly magical.

What is a bespoke maternity photoshoot?

Every journey into motherhood is different.

For many women, a maternity photoshoot in Surrey is about preserving a chapter that has been imagined long before it arrives — filled with hopes, expectations, dreams and visions of what it might feel like to finally carry your child.

And then one day, you are living it.

You feel your baby move. You begin to picture the life that awaits you. The transformation is both quiet and profound, powerful and life-changing all at once.

That is why I believe maternity photography should be about so much more than beautiful photographs.

It should be about capturing what this moment feels like to you.

Your story.

Your journey.

The details, dreams and emotions that have shaped your path to motherhood.

Some of my clients choose locations that hold special meaning. Others want to include beloved pets, family traditions, or elements that reflect who they are and the life they are about to welcome their baby into.

My role is not simply to take photographs.

It is to listen.

To understand what makes this chapter meaningful to you.

To create images that feel personal, authentic and deeply connected to your experience of becoming a mother.

That is the essence of a custom maternity photoshoot in Surrey — an approach rooted in listening, intention and storytelling rather than repetition or formula.

Because years from now, when you look back at these photographs, I want you to remember not only how this season of life looked, but how it felt.

And sometimes, that means standing beside Elvis, a majestic white horse, in a golden field at sunset — living a moment you once only dared to imagine.

Looking for a tailored Maternity Photoshoot in Surrey?

If you’re expecting a baby and would love a personalised maternity photoshoot in Surrey that feels personal, meaningful and completely tailored to your story, I’d love to hear your ideas.

Whether it’s a favourite location, a treasured family tradition, or a dream you’ve carried for years, let’s create something beautiful together.

Because the most meaningful photographs aren’t just about how a moment looked. They’re about how it felt.