As I start to wind down the business for the Christmas holidays and reflect on the year, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all so much for supporting me this year. I have had a truly amazing year business wise, one that I could never have imagined, even this time last year and I could not have done it all without you. So thank you all so much, whether you have had a session with me this year, recommended me to a friend, or just been there to support me on social media. I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a super happy 2024. 2023 what a year!This year has been absolutely incredible for me. Whilst I am good at setting my goals and aspirations for the year, this year has been so much more than I ever expected it to be! Here are a few of Samantha Prewett Photography's highlights from 2023:
However, you cant win at absolutely everything, and this year came with some life lessons, the main one being that I cant do everything! In September I set up TikTok and got rather excited about it all, until I quickly realised that I didnt actually like it, and it was sucking up far too much of my time. I have also ditched Twitter (or X as it is now called) this year as it just dosent work for me and I do not find it interesting! 2024 - What is happening2024 will be kickstarted with my 11th Birthday celebration in January. No party this year, but I will be having a sale/offer so please do keep an eye out out for that. I have planned 2 baby events for 2024, you can find out more, and register your interest as a business here. And of course, due to this years huge success, Christmas mini sessions will start in October. Once again, thank you for all of your support and I hope you and your families have a fantastic Christmas and New Year.
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Christmas is an expensive time so I have put together this list of FREE events and activities that you can do with the Children in December to help everyone out a bit. Bournemouth Winter Wonderland 17th November - 1st DecemberBack for 2023 Bournemouth is once again home to a fantastic festive trail featuring replica Christmas trees from around the world plus a multitude of enchanting illuminations and installations. Free Christmas Movies at CastlepointThis year Castlepoint is putting on lots of activities as part of their Festive Point event. Festive Point can be found on the lower level of Castlepoint near Mountain Warehouse. The movies are completely free to watch. 2nd December 2pm - The Grinch 9th December 4pm - Home Alone 16th December 1pm - Christmas Carol 23rd December 2pm - Elf Poole Maritime Lights Trail - 25th November - 2nd JanuaryThe Poole Maritime Lights Trail is back again this year. The beautiful light displays run all along the Quay and up the high street. For more information please visit their website. Local Christmas LightsOne of our favourite things to do is to drive around and see all the houses decorated for Christmas. Some of the best local displays are at Runton Road in Parkstone Byron Road in New Milton Corfe Castle When you visit please park nearby not the street if you can and enjoy them by foot. Christmas at Colin's Nest Cafe, Poole - 20th DecemberFree Christmas event at Colin's nest cafe. Please visit their facebook page for more information. Branksome & Rossmore Community Fridge 4th Birthday PartyCome and join and celebrate the 4th birthday of the community fridge! FREE cupcakes for all and FREE wrapped gifts for the children. Come and find out how the community fridge can help you. Santa's helpers at West Howe community fridge with FREE giftsVisit the Henry Brown Youth Centre to find out about the community fridge and receive a FREE present from Santa's helpers. Please note Santa will not be present at this event. Please visit their facebook page for more information. Christmas Cooking Workshops 18th & 19th December West HoweThe Friendly Food Club are back at the Henry Brown for FREE Christmas cooking! These family cooking sessions are always really popular, so early booking is essential. Monday 18th December and Tuesday 19th December 11am - 1pm Email admin@westhowe.net to book, with the number of adults and children you wish to book for, any allergies or dietary requirements, and a contact phone number. These sessions are in conjunction with Dorset Community Foundation, thanks to their generous funding. FREE Face Painting at Bournemouth Christmas MarketFREE festive face painting by Pixie Paint & Laurie Lloyd at the Alpine Lodge in Bournemouth Square. 3rd, 10th and 17th December 11am-1pm. Artic Adventure - Poole Dolphin CentreJoin in all throughout December for stories, games, and winter crafts in the snowy wonderland that'll make the season merry and bright for your little explorers. It's a free, first come, first served experience. Sunday 10th Thursday 14th Saturday 16th Sunday 17th Monday 18th Tuesday 19th Wednesday 20th Thursday 21st Friday 22nd Saturday 23rd Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, excluding Thursday: 11 – 4 pm Thursday: 2pm – 7pm Please visit their website for more information. If you know of any other FREE local events please do leave a comment so that others can find out about them too.
All information is correct at time of publishing, please check with event providers before travelling to events. I hope you all have a wonderful christmas making memories with your little ones. I often get asked what to bring or how to prepare for your baby photography session with me here in my beautiful studio in Poole, Dorset. The short answer is that you do not to bring anything or prepare in anyway. If you have specific clothing or photos that you would like this guide may help you. However, otherwise I have everything that you should need here. What should we bring to our baby photography session?Please bring your normal change bag with nappies, spare clothes and milk if needed. You may wish to bring along a few favourite outfits, however this is completely up to you, I have some in the studio and plenty of lovely wraps for you to choose from when you arrive. I have a coffee machine in the studio for you to enjoy, as well as cold water and snacks. What should we wear ourselves to our baby photography session?Again, this is completely up to you. If you would like some photos of yourselves with your baby you might want to think about what you are wearing. It might be helpful to know that my background is pure white. Or you can have a less formal photo snuggled up with your baby on my lovely grey studio sofa. This really depends on how you would like the photos to look. How should we prepare for our baby photography session?You will have looked at my portfolio before booking your baby photography session with me you will know the type of images to expect when you visit the studio. I will ask you when you arrive if you have any particular props/colours that you would like to use . If you have not had chance to decide I can show you my beautiful collection of props, wraps and outfits and you can choose when you are here so please do not worry. My images all follow the same natural, neutral style so I do find that most people are happy for me to choose what to use but please do let me know if you have any preferences. If you have any more questions about a newborn photography session you might like to read my baby photography FAQs page.
Or please do get in touch, I would love to hear from you as I love talking to clients before their baby photography session. Last weekend I hosted the 6th Poole Baby Event at the Dolphin Centre in Poole. It was such a busy day with lots of amazing local baby related businesses getting together to put on a display of their products and services and holding taster classes and talks throughout the day. Sarah from Biscuits By Sarah B sponsored the event and all day she gave out free hot drinks and showed lots of lovely people how to decorate their own biscuits. Sarah from Little Leaps Sensory & Sign provided a baby play corner which everyone loved. We held a tombola style raffle for SPRING Support and raised over £160! There was lots of advice on hand from everything baby related from slings to nappies to breastfeeding. There were also some taster classes from Fledgling Love Baby Massage and Bourne Calm Hypnobirthing. We had 14 charities and businesses attend on the day. How awesome are these booby cakes! They went down a treat! Little Leaps Sensory and Sign's play area was a huge hit with the babies and toddlers. So many people of ALL ages enjoyed decorating biscuits with Sarah. We are currently planning the 2024 Baby Events but dates have not yet been set. If you are a business who are interested in attending please do get in touch to register your interest. Disclaimer : These are not professional photos they are just a collection of some of the photos that we all took on the day on our phones. I did not take my camera along to the event this time.
I get really excited when clients ask if they can bring their parents to their family photography sessions. Yes of course! These are my favourite type of family sessions. I know how much these beautiful memories will grow in value over time, as every year passes you will treasure them even more. No one ever regrets having an extended family photography session. And the best part, there is no extra cost, I do not charge per person so it really is the more the merrier! These precious moments captured between grandparents and their grandchildren are absolutely priceless. And knowing what joy they will bring over the years makes my job even more special. The perfect locationPerhaps you have a favourite place to go to together as a family that already has lots of lovely memories? Or I have a list of my favourite locations that I love to go to to create beautiful family memories. The perfect giftI sell a lot of gift vouchers for family generation sessions, the most popular being grandparents milestone birthdays or wedding anniversaries. People also like to buy photography vouchers for gifts for Christmas.
I have beautiful printed vouchers that can be sent out in the post, which are perfect for family members to gift. 5Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of my job is watching the tiny babies that I photograph grow up and turn into their own little characters. Whilst my main focus on newborn photography , I absolutely love photographing families too. I often see babies come back for their first birthday, and some families continue their journey with me long that, so to the families that have chosen me to capture their story time and time again I am forever grateful, this is my ultimate reward. One particular little client has recently been to me for his 15th photography session, and he is only 6 years old! I wanted to share some of his beautiful memories with you all from his photography sessions over the past 6 years. He has had every sort of session that I offer from newborn to family to all the special ones in-between; daffodils, bluebells and even his watermelon smash for his 1st birthday. I first met him back in 2017 for his new born photography session after meeting his parents at a baby event that I attended in Upton just beforehand when they were expecting him. Later on that year he was my first ever outdoor Christmas baby! In 2018 he came came for a bluebell photography session. Bluebell photo sessions in Dorset are my most popular outdoor sessions. I do mini sessions in evenings in April/May. Shortly after the bluebells was his first birthday session. I was so excited that his Mum chose my signature watermelon smash session to celebrate. I was lucky enough to see him again for a third time in 2018 for his Christmas photography session. Our next session was in Spring 2019 , when I started offering Daffodil photography sessions. Shortly after that we met again at the Bluebells. In the summer of 2019 he turned 2 and we celebrated with a family photography session at Sandbanks beach, my favourite outdoor location in Dorset. We met for a 4th time in 2019 for his third Christmas photography session. in 2020 Covid got in our way of so many things and we almost missed out entirely this year! But we just managed to get a mini session in just before Christmas, yay! In 2021 we managed to get a bluebell session in and then again a Christmas one. I can't believe he is now at school! In 2022 we met at the daffodils again. We enjoyed playing in the flowers and getting some more up to date precious memories. In December 2022 we met at Wareham forest again for our annual Christmas photography session. I can't believe how much he has grown since we last met in the Spring! In October 2023 he came to my studio for the first time for his annual Christmas photography session. We had lots of fun! Here is to capturing many more adventures as you grow! I can't wait for our next session together whenever that may be.
Is anyone else as excited as me for October half term? I think a break is definitely due and we absolutely love this time of the year. My kids seem to be more excited about Halloween than Christmas, I think it might be all the sweets! As usual, I have put together a list of FREE events and things to do across Dorset this half term to keep the kids amused without spending a fortune. I hope you enjoy it, and please share it with your friends. Mr Merlin show in Blandford. 23rd October - 11amCome to the Corn Exchange in Blandford for a FREE Mr Merlin and Okey Dokey the Dragon show at 11am. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Tesco - House of HalloweenFollow the clues, find the six members of the Spooky Squad and solve the puzzle to win a prize and inspire all your Halloween celebrations this year. You can also sample delicious food and drink. The Halloween party is taking place on these dates: Tesco Fleets corner, Poole - 21st October Tesco Riverside, Bournemouth - 20th October For more information please visit the Tesco website. The Parks Foundation, FREE events throughout OctoberThe Parks Foundation offers lots of free outdoor events for the family across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Above are just a few of the locations that they offer events at. For more information please visit their facebook page. Castlepoint's 20th Birthday PartyCastlepoint turns 20 years old on 27th October. Save the date and join in 27th & 28th October from 11am - 4pm for our 20th Birthday party outside M&S. Activities will include; Hand outs including free gifts, exclusive discounts and more. Join us every hour at 20 past the hour on both event days between 11am - 4pm to receive a free birthday gift on us. Giant ‘2 0’ installation partnering with Arts University Bournemouth. - Branded cupcakes partnering with @scarlettbakescakes Enjoy a glass of Nozeco Live music Check out their facebook page for more information. Winchester Winch Word HuntOk so technically, Winchester is in Hampshire, but its less than an hour away from Poole and makes a great day out if you are looking to go a little further a field for a change. This October and during the school half-term week(s), there is a free and fun-filled, Halloween-themed trail around the city. The Spooky Winch Word Hunt will run from Saturday 14th October to Tuesday 31st October 2023. Enjoy taking part in the trail and once completed enter a prize draw to win a Halloween-inspired hamper. Before heading out across the city, collect a copy of the Spooky Winch trail sheet from The Visitor Information Centre, The Arc or Winchester City Museum. Hard copies of the trail sheets will be available to collect at these venues from Saturday 14 October 2023. The city centre will be split into nine areas and each area will have its own coloured pumpkin sign. Using the map on the trail sheet, explore the mysterious and eerie cobbled streets of Winchester and seek out all nine Halloween-themed words, hidden in pumpkin signs displayed in the windows of local businesses. Once you've found all nine words, return your completed trail sheet to either of these three locations – The Visitor Information Centre, The Arc or Winchester City Museum, to collect a Halloween-themed treat and be entered into the prize draw to win a Halloween-inspired hamper, filled with lots of great gifts, kindly donated by local businesses. Halloween at Brewery Square, DorchesterFancy Dress: Show off your scariest or most creative costumes! Pumpkin Carving Competition: Carve your way to victory! Trick or Treat: Satisfy your sweet tooth Stilt Walkers: Prepare to be amazed by our eerie entertainers! Music: Dance the time away to hauntingly good tunes! Balloon Modelling: Get twisted with spooky balloon creations! And lots more! Don't miss out on the Halloween event of the year. Mark your calendars, invite your friends, and check their facebook page for more updates. FREE children's events at BCP librariesBournemouth, Poole and Christchurch libraries have some great FREE events going on during October half term. For more information or to book a space, please visit their website.
Christmas is fast approaching and what better way to celebrate than a fun, beautiful photography session for your little ones. After 10 years of providing Christmas outdoor photography sessions, this year I am excited to announce the launch of a brand new type of Christmas session, in my photography studio in Poole, Dorset! Last week I had a few little ones in the studio to test out my new set and I think it is fair to say that they absolutely loved it. I wanted to provide much more than just a photoshoot, so we had milk and cookies, and even snowball fights! Christmas photography sessions are just £95, last up to 20 minutes and you get a minimum of 3 digital images included. Christmas photography sessions are now open to book and spaces are filling up fast. If you book your session before 8th October, you will receive a FREE set of beautiful hand decorated biscuits from Biscuits by Sarah B!
A few weeks ago I met a lovely family at Hengistbury Head in Bournemouth to capture the latest part of their family story. I met them there 2 years ago when their first born was one , and I had the pleasure of seeing them all again with their new addition who has also just celebrated his first birthday. It means so much to be asked back to photograph beautiful growing families and I am excited to be able to share some of their beautiful images with you all. It was a bit of a windy day so we decided to stay off the actual beach, and look for some more sheltered spots for photos. Fortunately Hengistbury Head has absolutely stunning sand dunes and greenery on the cliffs so we did not miss out at all. I love sand photos with greenery in, I always look for these spots during family photography sessions. Outdoor family photography sessions are the perfect opportunity to get some lovely snuggly family photos, some gorgeous natural portraits of the children and also some fun photos of them playing. They get to run around whilst I follow them capturing some beautiful moments that I know will be treasured for many years to come. I had a lovely time with this family capturing these beautiful memories for them. Hengistbury Head is becoming an ever popular choice for outdoor family photography sessions and I am sure that you can see why. If you would like more information on my family photography sessions please check out the family photography page on my website. I would love to capture some beautiful memories for you and your family to cherish.
Last week my lovely friend Sarah who runs baby signing and sensory classes celebrated her first business birthday and she invited me along to capture the fun. I first met Sarah almost a year ago when she attended the Poole Baby Event last October and she has been to all of the events since. She kindly came along to my 10th birthday party back in January to run a class for the babies who came to the studio to celebrate with me. The party took place at Nicks Farm in Bournemouth and Crawl and Climb supplied a lovely little farm themed soft play set up. Sarah was of course on hand for lots of singing and signing fun throughout. It is not a party without cake! There was cake and other treats to be enjoyed. If you are interested in finding out more about the classes Sarah has shared this information: Little Leaps Sensory & Sign was founded in 2022 to bring a fun baby sign language class to the South Coast. There are many benefits to learning baby sign language for both parent/carer and child. Not only is it a great bonding experience, but it also allows your baby to communicate with you before they can talk. This will reduce frustrations for your baby and for you. Research has also shown that learning baby sign language improves speech and language development. Babies can start signing back anywhere from 8 months onwards, but it is great to expose them at a younger age as they will start to understand the meanings of signs from around 5/6 months old. At Little Leaps Sensory & Sign we believe that learning baby sign language should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for all. We run six or seven week courses and once enrolled, each six week course over the year will be different. This will help you and your baby to build on your Little Leaps journey. If you attended the party I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy looking through the photos. There are many more, so keep an eye out on Little Leaps Sensory and Sign Facebook and Instagram accounts.
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