Why a Portfolio Review is the Fastest Way to Improve Your Newborn Photography

I was a wedding photographer for over 16 years. I was good but I wanted to be better.

I wanted to shoot in a documentary style and was told by more than one person that you either had it or you did not. That documentary photography was something innate rather than something learned.

I thought that was rubbish.

So I sought out the best people I could find and I invested seriously in learning from them. Online workshops, in person workshops, a week long intensive, a day shooting on the streets alongside them and portfolio reviews of my own work. I did all of it.

The photographers I worked with were not just good. They were exceptional.

Paul Rogers, an ex Sunday Times photojournalist turned documentary wedding photographer whose work stopped me in my tracks the first time I saw it. Two Mann, extraordinary Canadian photographers who see light and moment completely differently from anyone else I had encountered. Kevin Mullins, a brilliant wedding photojournalist and street photographer with an instinct for the decisive moment. And Jeff Ascough, famous for his black and white documentary style and his grumpiness. His very talented wife Sarah was there too and I learned as much from her as from anyone.

The Portfolio Reviews Were the Most Useful of All of It

Out of everything I did, the online workshops, the in person intensives, the street photography days, the portfolio reviews were the single most immediately useful investment I made.

Not because they told me I was terrible. Because they gave me one or two specific things to think about. Small observations about what I could have done differently in a particular image. A slightly different angle. A moment I missed. A composition that almost worked but did not quite.

And the next time I was in a similar situation I had Paul or Kevin or Erika's voice in my head telling me what to do.

That is what a good portfolio review does. It does not just give you feedback on images you have already taken. It changes how you see and how you shoot from that point forward.

I still critique my own work after every session. I look at what worked and what did not and I identify one or two things to do differently next time. Small improvements made consistently over time are how you get from good to exceptional. It is not glamorous but it is how it works.

What Improvement Actually Looks Like

Here is a real example from my own work from 2019

This is one of my own early images. The connection between mum and baby is real and the light is well controlled. I loved it at the time and so did the parents.

But looking at it now I can see exactly what I would change. I would have asked mum to wear a white top and remove her watch. I would have put white bloomers on the baby to cover the nappy. And I would have reduced the redness in the baby's skin, not completely, but enough to give the image a softer more timeless feel while keeping the warmth and colour in those adorable cheeks.

This is the same image re-edited with those changes applied in post processing. No reshooting. No changing the moment. Just different choices that lift the image significantly.

And this is a recent image of a similar pose at my current standard. The result of consistent practice, deliberate critique and small improvements made session after session over many years.

That progression is available to every photographer who is willing to look honestly at their work and make the changes. You do not need years. You just need someone experienced to point you in the right direction and the commitment to act on what they tell you.

Introducing Råd

Råd is a Norwegian, Swedish and Danish word. It means advice. That is exactly what this is.

I am Scottish, not Scandinavian. Two mini breaks in Copenhagen do not quite qualify. But I have always been drawn to the simplicity, calm and quiet confidence of Scandinavian design and photography and that inspiration is at the heart of everything I do at Mabel & Møøse. It felt right to give this new offering a name that reflects that.

Råd is a 45 minute one to one online portfolio review session where we look at your newborn photography together and I give you honest constructive feedback on how to improve it.

Before the session you send me a selection of your images, direct me to your website, your Instagram account or a client gallery, or do both. There is no set number of images. I will look at your work carefully before the call and come prepared with specific observations and suggestions.

On the call I share my screen and we go through your images together. You can ask questions at any point and I will give you practical advice on exactly how to make the changes I am suggesting.

After the call I will send you a full recording of the session so you have a permanent reference to come back to whenever you need it. No scribbling notes during the session. Just an honest conversation followed by everything you need to act on it.

Who Råd Is For

Råd is for photographers who have started shooting newborns, have a small or growing body of work and want to know honestly where they can improve and how to do it.

It is also for photographers who are already shooting newborns but want to move towards a more minimal natural lifestyle style and are not sure what needs to change to get there.

And it is a natural next step for anyone who has attended one of my Haven workshops and wants friendly honest feedback on the improvements they have already put into practice and how to take their work even further.

You do not need a large portfolio. You do not need to be shooting regularly. You just need some work to show and a genuine desire to get better.

Råd is £95 for a 45 minute session including your full session recording. Sessions are limited each month.

If this sounds like exactly what you need, I would love to hear from you.