Tee brought her little boy Jack along for a session at Taitua Arboretum, just the two of them. His dad was meant to be there too but couldn't make it on the day, so it turned into a mum and baby morning instead.


Jack is six months old and has just started sitting up on his own, which meant for everything else he needed to be close to mum. That worked out perfectly. There were cuddles on the bench, cuddles on the path, cuddles on the bridge. He wasn't going anywhere without her and honestly, some of the best shots came from that.


We had been watching the weather all week because it had been raining for days, but it cleared up right when we needed it to. The light through the trees at Taitua was beautiful, that soft green canopy filtering everything down.


Jack was so alert the whole time. Big blue eyes taking everything in. He loved being lifted up in the air and you can see it in his face, that pure delight when mum swings you up and you're suddenly looking down at the world.


The detail shots from this one are some of my favourites. Tiny feet on the boardwalk, little hands wrapped around fingers. Those are the things you forget so quickly and they're gone before you know it.


There's something about a session with just mum and baby that has its own energy. It's quieter, slower, more intimate. Tee was so natural with him and the connection between them is all through these photos.


This is exactly the kind of morning I love photographing. No rush, no pressure, just a mum and her boy enjoying an hour together in a beautiful spot.


— Tony

Black and white photo of a smiling mother holding her baby outdoors in a garden setting.
Smiling mother holding her blue-eyed baby outdoors, both dressed in green and yellow, sharing a tender moment.
Black and white photo of a smiling woman holding a baby on a leafy forest path.
A mother holds her baby on a leaf-covered path surrounded by lush green bamboo trees.
Black and white photo of a smiling woman holding a baby on a tree-lined path outdoors.
Black and white photo of a smiling mother holding her baby boy outdoors in a garden setting.
Adorable baby in a yellow outfit sitting outdoors on a surface, smiling at the camera with a green background.
Mother carrying smiling baby in green striped wrap carrier outdoors on a nature path.
Black and white photo of a happy smiling baby sitting upright wearing a casual onesie outfit.
Black and white portrait of an adorable baby sitting cross-legged on a white surface, looking up curiously.
Smiling baby in yellow shirt being held by adult with tattoo and ring outdoors.
Black and white photo of a mother sitting on a bench with her baby in a peaceful outdoor park setting.
A mother sits on a wooden bench in a park, tenderly touching foreheads with her baby dressed in yellow.
Black and white photo of a mother sitting outdoors, joyfully lifting her smiling baby up in the air.
Black and white photo of a smiling woman sitting on a wooden bench outdoors, holding a baby on her lap.
A smiling mother with a tattoo lifts her happy baby in a yellow onesie outdoors among lush green trees.
Black and white photo of a mother holding her newborn baby's tiny hand, a tender moment of new parenthood.
Close-up of two hands gently clasped together, wearing a ring and bracelet, resting on blue jeans.
Black and white photo of a parent cradling a newborn baby's tiny feet in tattooed hands.
Close-up of a baby in yellow outfit gently holding an adult's hand with a small arrow tattoo on the wrist.
Black and white photo of a young mother tenderly holding her smiling baby outdoors.
A mother in a green striped shirt holds her blue-eyed baby in a yellow onesie outdoors.
Black and white photo of a mother holding her baby on a wooden bridge surrounded by lush greenery.
A mother crouches down helping her baby take first steps on a leaf-covered path in a lush green park.
A smiling mother in a green striped shirt holds her baby in a yellow onesie outdoors near a stone bridge.
Mother holding baby on a leafy wooden bridge path surrounded by lush green trees in autumn.
Close-up black and white photo of a baby's tiny bare feet standing on a textured metal grate surface.
Black and white photo of a mother kneeling on a bridge, gently holding her toddler's hands outdoors.
Black and white photo of a mother holding her baby on a wooden bridge surrounded by trees.
Mother in green striped shirt holds baby in yellow outfit on outdoor bridge surrounded by autumn leaves.
Mother holding baby on wooden bridge surrounded by lush green trees in a park.
Mother in green shirt holds baby in yellow outfit on wooden bridge path surrounded by lush green trees.
Black and white photo of a mother sitting on a log holding her baby in a lush forest setting.
Mother sitting on log cradling baby in yellow outfit in forest setting.
Black and white photo of a parent lovingly lifting a smiling baby outdoors with bokeh background.
A mother tenderly kisses her smiling baby outdoors, both dressed casually amid lush green foliage.
A mother tenderly cuddles her blue-eyed baby outdoors, both dressed casually in a warm, natural setting.
Black and white photo of a mother tenderly holding her baby close, touching foreheads in a loving outdoor moment.