The Dawn of Parenthood | Emily & Brad

A perfect, warm spring evening on the beach; the sand between our toes, the waves dancing at our feet, the sun painting the sky shades of pink...

I walked away at the end of this session with my skin tingling and a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest. It could not have been more beautiful...

We had rescheduled the session from just a few weeks earlier, when Mother Nature was not in her best mood; freezing cold, gusty wind and sideways rain. But it was meant to be, as we were graced on this night with the most pristine weather; the air so still, the ocean surprisingly warm; and the excitement of Emily and Brad for their approaching journey into parenthood radiating.

We began the session up on the clifftop at Gull Rock, where the views over Maslin Beach are something else. Emily was feeling a little nervous in front of the camera, as do we all. I quickly worked out that if I asked her to look towards Brad, she would soon be smiling from ear to ear, a sparkle in her eye. She began to ease into it and we captured some of my favourite images of the session.

We then walked down the many steps to the beach, but before heading over to greet the waves, we stopped by the cliff face; a wall of sandstone.

I threw on my wide-angle lense to capture the impressive wall along with all of its colours and textures. Emily and Brad standing in front, a nice contrast.

From here, we began to stroll the beach as I gently directed the two of them. They made my job very easy...

They had that kind of love that feels almost tangible. That kind of 'new love' where you can't keep your eyes (or hands) off each other.

The way he looked at her.

The way she blushed.

Emily changed into her second outfit; a bikini with a white shirt, unbuttoned so we could see her beautiful baby bump. We took some more photos on the sand and then walked alongside the water.

After capturing some beautifully intimate images, we had a bit of fun and went deeper into the water. The couple were surprised on a few occasions by larger than expected waves, which made for some great shots!

The sun finally went below the horizon line and we were blessed with the most beautiful and soft warm light. Emily and Brad took some deep breaths, soaking in these last incredible moments of their session together.

It began to now get a little cold, particularly for Emily, who was basically just in her swimmers, so we got out of the water and headed back up the cliff, with some last pauses for some photos in the soft 'blue hour' light.

Just one week later (a little earlier than expected) Emily and Brad got to welcome their little boy into the world.

It is such an incredible honour, every time I get invited into peoples lives, to document this monumental time for them. Whether it be your first or your fourth baby, it deserves to be captured. On your own, with your partner, or with your children. You might not think that it's worth it, or perhaps you don't feel like being photographed because you don't feel or look yourself. But, I promise you that you won't regret it.

Capture it. If not for you, then for them.