One-year photos at Bumpkins

You probably wouldn’t know it to look at most of the photos that I post on this blog – but I’m actually a pretty good photographer. I have a full-frame DSLR – I even know how to use it. Plus, I’ve dabbled in professional photography too.

When I was pregnant, I spent hours browsing baby photos on Pinterest, getting all sorts of ideas on how I would pose my little girl when she arrived. Oh, the baskets I would put her in and the bows she would wear on her head!

Then she arrived and I discovered the true meaning of “exhausted”.

My poor DSLR was left forgotten in its case and my high-quality camera phone became my photography tool du jour.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love all the photos I’ve taken of Pumpkin over the last year and there are plenty that are frame-worthy – but I am kicking myself a bit for not biting the bullet and getting some proper professional shots done when she was very tiny.

That’s probably why, when I went to the Baby Show last year, I was so easily persuaded by the sales girls at the Bumpkins photography stand (also: I was tired and hungry).

But, for just £35, I left the stand with an appointment for a photo shoot at their studio on the Sunday before Pumpkin’s first birthday, as well as a promise of three free prints (one framed) and £25 of credit.

I was determined to get at least one very high-quality photo of my daughter on her first birthday.

So, the day for the shoot finally rolled around on Sunday – but when we got up, I wasn’t really feeling like going. We all had a bit of a cold, it was freezing out and transport was not on my side.

Also, Pumpkin had some SERIOUS bed hair that I wasn’t sure I was ever going to tame.

Side note: never plan to go anywhere in London on a Sunday if you’re relying on public transport.

Get comfortable, kid. We’ve got a journey ahead of us!

I’m not going to go through all of my transportation woes. But it required a train to London Bridge, a Tube ride north to King’s Cross, a trip on the Piccadilly line south-east and then a 1.5 mile walk. Oh, and more elevator rides than I could keep track of – four alone for the interchange at King’s Cross.

Yes, there’s actually a map for the lift system at King’s Cross

Luckily, the journey actually went fairly smoothly and we arrived with more than an hour to spare.

Brits drive on the wrong side of the road and have two taps in sinks when one will do – but they sure got things right when it came to tea!

Even better, Pumpkin fell asleep just as I was passing by a Costa Coffee. So, I turned the pram around and went inside. I had the loveliest cup of tea and a nice lemon tart while she snoozed and I think that helped us both feel much better by the time we needed to go to the Bumpkins studio.

Pumpkin was still asleep when we arrived and we were about half an hour early. I decided to go inside and see if there was anywhere we could wait since it was quite chilly out.

Luckily for us, the previous appointment hadn’t shown up – so they were happy to see us. I laid out the baby’s clothing options and woke her up.

The Bumpkins studio is very well equipped, with a big area painted white for photos, as well as a second section with several rolls of backgrounds. There’s all sorts of lighting equipment and they have loads of props too.

There is also a baby changing table and a makeup area.

Once Pumpkin was awake and had her first outfit on, the photographer got to work. She had some great ideas and obviously knew what she was doing in order to get the baby to look at her and smile.
Her camera was also tethered to two computers and I could hear her assistants clicking away as she snapped. They were busy culling out the not-so-good images and editing the keepers.

Another assistant was busy setting up props, herding the baby and helping keep her balanced on top of things like stacks of suitcases and crates.

I have to say, I felt absolutely exhausted by the end of the shoot – and I wasn’t even the one doing all the work! I got Pumpkin changed again while they finished working on the photos, and then we went into another room to look at the images and choose my favourites for printing.

The images were all displayed on a big flat-screen telly while I sipped on another cup of tea and Pumpkin made a complete mess with her cup of water. The woman who helped me narrow down the options was very kind and helped me clean everything up without blinking – and she even offered me some chocolate too.

In the end, choosing only a couple of prints and leaving the rest behind proved to be too hard, and I shelled out the money for a CD of high-res photos.

The package I got actually included another session within the next year, also with a CD of images. So, while it ended up being a pretty pricey day, Pumpkin’s two-year portraits are already paid for and I think we got some pretty good value – not to mention some wonderful photographs.

St Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge

Oh, and our trip home was much easier. We managed to get a bus to cut down on the walking and I rerouted my trip home so we didn’t have to go to King’s Cross again.

The new route home did mean that we had to walk along the South Bank for a way, but it was a clear night and I haven’t been out to enjoy the city lights in a long time.

The Shard and Tower Bridge in the distance

While getting to the photography studio was a bit of a hassle, I’m so glad that we went. The pictures are all wonderful and I was really impressed with their friendly service – getting to go home with the pictures that day was another bonus.

If you’re looking for studio-style children’s photography in London, I would highly recommend Bumpkins. If you’re travelling from East London, though, take a car (there seemed to be plenty of parking) – or make a day of your trip west – and don’t trust TFL to get you anywhere on Sunday. 🙂

Disclosure: I received the original photo package at a discount for booking at the Baby Show, but I paid full-price for the package that I bought in the end, and nobody at Bumpkins knew that I’m a blogger – all opinions expressed are 100% my own.

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