Magical photos of newborns

'The baby whisperer': Magical photos of newborns captured by mortgage broker-turned-photographer

Mortgage broker Maria Murray did not even realise she was looking for a career change until she got professional photos taken of her baby and was disappointed by the result. Ten years on, her ownadorable photos of smiling newborns have brought smiles to the faces of hundreds of parents. Maria - dubbed the baby whisperer by some of her clients - has an uncanny ability to capture the moment joy seems to be etched on the little ones' faces. Since leaving life in the City, she has gone on to become one of Britain's best baby portrait photographers, with celebrities and even royalty calling on her talents. The 36-year-old, from North Waltham, Hampshire, caught the photography bug soon after her daughter Isabelle was born. Maria, who won UK Portrait Photographer of the Year 2006, said she first decided to get behind the lens after being disappointed with some photos of her own baby daughter. Now her photographs of newborns have become so popular she can do more than 250 shoots with them a year. As these amazing, naturally-lit, pictures show it's Maria's beautiful style capturing the little ones' innocence which have made her so popular. Her photos are similar to those of Philadelphia photographer Dan Cueller who waits until the very moment the babies drop off to sleep to capture the perfect picture. Nebraskan sisters Tracy Raver and Kelley Ryden, also shoot babies when they are fewer than 10 days old. They take photos of the children in woollen cocoons they knit themselves. Despite certain perils of the job - including having her lenses weed on - Maria said she wouldn't go back to the work in the City for anything. She said: 'I left the City so I could have time to see my child and it was actually when I had some very bad photographs of her as a baby done on the High Street that I decided I'd give it a go myself. I haven't looked back since and after taking my own pictures of Isabelle I was then asked to do photos by mums at my local playgroup and it went on from there. I photograph newborns, and actually older children to teenagers, but it's my work with newborns and under 5's that has become well known.'

بالصور ... أحـــلام الطفولة البريئة

الأطفـــــال متعة الحياة وحـلاوتها

ليس بوسع أي شيء في العالم أن يجعلك تشعر بمعنى الأبوة أو الأمومة إلا إذا عشت تلك التجربة بشكلها الحقيقي. اقرأ ما شئت من الكتب عن الأبوة والأطفال, ولن تقبض على تلك المعاني التي تفيض في النفس عندما تضع طفلك بين ذراعيك. شاهد ما شئت من برامج الأمومة والطفولة, غير وجود طفلك أمام عينيك له معنى آخر تماما . إنها حياة جديدة تأتي مع الطفل الأول فتغير الكثير من الأولويات, وتقلب الكثير من المفاهيم بالنسبة إلى كل من الرجل والمرأة. عندما يأتي الطفل تأتي معه حاجاته ومشكلاته, ويأتي معه رزقه أيضا , كما يقال . وتتسم حاجات الأطفال بأنها فورية وملحة ولا تنتظر كثيرا حتى تتم حتى تتم تلبيتها. وعلى الأب والأم أن يتأقلما مع واقع تكون الألوية فيه لحاجات الطفل قبل حاجات أي منهما . عليهما أن يتعودا أن متطلباتهما الخاصة