A Very London Maternity Shoot.

A few months ago I got an email from Bridget asking me if I would take some pictures of her and her husband Rory, partly to document this stage of her pregnancy and partly as a record of their time in London. Bridget and Rory are from South Africa but have spent the last year here and have completely fallen in love with the city. 

My first impulse (as is always the case when someone asks me to do something new) was to say no. The truth is, I'm fairly of scared of photographing grown ups unless they're distracted by something small like getting married. I photograph kids, kids like my jokes and share their cheese with me, adults tend to notice that I talk too much and walk into inanimate objects, frequently. But I said yes, because, well, do things that scare you. I needn't have been such a pansy. I had the loveliest morning with Bridget and Rory, who despite being a little nervous themselves were an absolute delight to photograph; their love for each other and their excitement about their impending arrival being huge enough to overcome any camera-shyness. 

It was the perfect January morning when we met up, every single day in London should look this crisp and clear and bright. (It doesn't, but it should.) Rory works right by Westminster and he and Bridget live right by Tower Bridge, so they really wanted to take in some of the sights that are part of their every day in London. We started at Waterloo and walked along Embankment towards St Thomas' Hospital where Bridget will be giving birth and which was bathed in the most perfect light that morning. I would be willing to bet that no more beautiful photographs have ever been taken in front of what might be the ugliest hospital in London.

After walking across Westminster Bridge we hopped in a taxi to the Tower of London and meandered slowly across Tower Bridge, the light and colours blowing me away. I'd kind of fallen out of love with London recently (winter, flu, noisy neighbours) but all was forgiven as I stood on that bridge, drinking in that crazy beautiful view. Finally we picked up Bridget and Rory's two pugs and strolled through the streets of Bermondsey, an area I'd never been to before but which felt spookily familiar, looking as it does distinctly like bits of New York. 

As I said goodbye to Bridget and Rory and headed off towards London Bridge station, I felt a hundred times lighter than I had in weeks. The sun, the sky, the incredible landmarks of this amazing city that we have found ourselves living in and the excitement of two people about to have their first baby; all of those things felt like a shot of something invigorating to a body and brain bogged down in the damp, dark gloom of winter and introspection. I left feeling so grateful to these two for letting me document such a beautiful blessed time in their lives and for waking me up to the joy of living where we do. And more than a little pleased with myself for getting better at saying yes to the things that scare me.