Some of my favourite family and baby images

PORTFOLIO

Newborn photographer, London

Newborn photographer, London

Family photo shoot, Tooting photographer

Family photographer London

Family photo shoot, Tooting photographer

Baby photographer London

Family photo shoot, counting toes, Tooting photographer

Autumn family shoots, Tooting photographer now booking

Spring family and children sessions outdoors, Tooting photographer

Family photographer London

Newborn photographer London

Outdoor baby & family photo shoot, Tooting

Family photoshoot, South London

Family photographer London

Mum and Baby special moments photographs

Family visit in Osterley Park, National Trust

Newborn photographer, London

Newborn photographer, London

Family photographer, London

Baby photoshoot, Tooting Bec

Newborn photo shoot, Tooting Bec

Outdoor baby & family photo shoot, Tooting

Outdoor baby & family photo shoot, Tooting

Family photo shoot, min-session, Tooting Bec

Event photography, London photographer

Something I enjoy in my spare time, underwater photography!

Published in Vogue Italia.

Vogue Italia, Laura Shimili Mears Photography

LONDON

lauraphotographylondon

Being near the sea, one of the pleasures is to eat

Being near the sea, one of the pleasures is to eat sea food.

@themusselhouse.al has really nice mussels that are grown in the Lake of Butrint. And since they’re grown in fresh water as opposed to salty water the mussels are bigger.

The Lake of Butrint is another amazing natural resource in Albania and so close to Greece and Corfu that is has been over the centuries a coveted place.

Greek colons from Corfu created the first colony in Butrint which is now an archeological ruin that can be visited (not far from the lake of Butrint). After the Greeks came the Romans who built villas for their senators in Butrint. One of the ruins in Butrint is a big villa that once belonged to a Roman senator and is complete with baths, mosaic etc.
After the Romans came the Byzantine empire after which Butrint fell into disrepair and forgotten and remained covered for many years until it was uncovered by an Italian archaeologist in the 1930s.

The Mussel House is such a great place to visit (whether you go to the site of Butrint or not) that we drove from the village we are staying in Palase for 2 hours each way to eat the mussels. They were yum and even the boys tried them.
Lots of tourists come to this part of albania from Corfu on the ferry, to Saranda on a day trip and visit the ruins and the Mussel House. Not so many this summer due to the current pandemic.

Hopefully next year it will be a popular place again with tourists.

We visited the ruins of the castle of Himara. Hi

We visited the ruins of the castle of Himara.

Himara is one of the towns on the southern coast of Albania, which has a long history that goes all the way to antiquity. During the ottoman rule Himara was not invaded and remained autonomous. After the First World War, the town became part of Albania officially.

Both languages greek and albanian are spoken in Himare.

The castle itself is medieval but has ruins that go way back from 3500 B.C.

Inside the castle there is also a nice little café with stunning views.

What we do and where we go when in the South of Al

What we do and where we go when in the South of Albania.

I’ve decided to share some of the things we do when we visit the south of albania as posting on stories I have had lots of messages and people asking where we are.

Of course this year it is all different sadly due to coronavirus and there aren’t that many tourists from other countries, visiting the south of albania as usual.

So although a great destination for families with children, perhaps something to consider for future years for families from the UK.

We know the area well and I can recommend places to visit, eat and drink (something I might put together as a blog soon).

First in the series, to be followed by more 😊❤️.

Wishing you all a weekend filled with joy!

One more from the lavender shoots of this lovely c

One more from the lavender shoots of this lovely couple and a behind the scenes if you swipe right.

The summer is my favourite season, I have memories of it filled with sun and light when I was growing up.

It is still one of my favourite seasons and I really love the general feeling of abundance and happiness it brings.

What is your favourite season?

Some of the flowers and fruit my parents have been

Some of the flowers and fruit my parents have been growing in the house in the south of Albania. They have spent so much time looking after these over the years.
Pears and hazelnuts and some of the flowers varieties.

It has been such a long time since we saw my parents last, since Christmas but luckily the wait is over!! ❤️❤️

The special occasions that mark our lives and that

The special occasions that mark our lives and that we celebrate with joy and love 💓
This little one turning 1!!!

And what a great way to remember the special milestone through family photographs.

I have been doing a combination of doorstep and garden or park, family photographs recently. A reflection of what we are allowed to do in terms of restrictions I guess.

Get in touch to check availability for photographs for your family.

Do you like flying up in the air? That’s a quest

Do you like flying up in the air? That’s a question I ask at each of my family sessions and very rarely (almost never) I hear a “no” as a response 😃

Most children will love to be thrown up in the air and safely caught by their parents.
It’s such a thrill and sometimes even a little too exciting.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the summer holidays. I have been a little quiet on here and loving spending time with the family and my parents whom I had not seen since Christmas. Very grateful for it 🙏

Every moment we spend in this life is so precious and so worth of documenting for its unique memories.

My diary is open and I am currently taking bookings for August.

Get in touch if you’d like me to help you document your unique memories ❤️

End of school year and a reason to jump with joy!!

End of school year and a reason to jump with joy!!!

Finally the home learning is over and we can all rest and relax. As much as we can obviously with the children being around 😅🤪🙄

But for now no more printing of the sheets, constantly reminding my eldest to finish off without yet another distraction. Taking photos of the work and sending it off etc etc.

Who knew home schooling would be such a challenge. Not that I ever had any doubts but I don’t think we will continue unless we really have no other option.
Are you also thrilled to see the back of home learning??? 🤔😂❤️

When life in lockdown becomes a very memorable tim

When life in lockdown becomes a very memorable time that is shared with other people than just your family.

I loved taking photos of this family who were going to say goodbye to their lovely au pair who had been with them during the lockdown.

As we start to come back to a form of normality, going back in time to these moments feels even more memorable.

And to remember this time even more in photographs we are planning together with @amandasummonsphotography to launch a “share your story of lockdown” on Instagram during August.

Plans to hold an exhibition at St George’s in the autumn are being discussed and progressed and we want to involve the community in our project. We will do a proper announcement in due course but we want to invite everyone living in South West London to share their photographs of lockdown and what it meant to them and we will pick a number of the photographs to include in the exhibition.

Let’s see your photos of the lockdown.

From last year’s summer in Dhermi, South of Alba

From last year’s summer in Dhermi, South of Albania.

The popular bar and restaurant @havana.dhermi that has been there since the beginning.

We used to go to this beach when there was nothing but Havana and some sheep and horses roaming free from the villages up in mountains.

Now it’s a completely different place.

What are your summer plans?

After the lavender shoots last week I also did som

After the lavender shoots last week I also did some selfies with my camera and tripod and a remote.

It can be quite tricky to get the right focus with the remote as you don’t know where the camera is focusing and if there is movement the focus can change.

So some shots are good some are completely off. Swipe to see the behind the scenes 😂😂

Lavender maternity shoot at Mayfield Lavender farm

Lavender maternity shoot at Mayfield Lavender farm.

This lovely couple are expecting their first baby, how exciting!!!

I’ve just hit publish on the blog with more info and photos from their session which I absolutely loved.

Link in bio 💜💜

Bringing a new child into the world is no mean feat right?

What are the 3 things you wish for your children to carry with them all the time?

For my two boys I wish they always feel:
- love
- care
- being themselves.

Let me know yours 👇🤩😍

There is so much beauty and joy all around us. W

There is so much beauty and joy all around us.

We make choices all the time and how we choose to spend our time is the most important. Do we chose to spend our time to feel lighter or heavier? Do we choose to spend our time doing things that are good for us, inspire us to be our higher self?
Do we use our eyes to see and appreciate all that is in us and around us.
Trying my hand at some macro photography at @mayfieldlavender

Running and freezing game. A quick sneak peek fr

Running and freezing game.

A quick sneak peek from the lavender shoots yesterday.

Will send the galleries off in the week, there are some sweet pics in there.

Also as I asked 🤣 the weather was perfect not too hot, sunny and cloudy. How can it get any better?

A little video from Mayfield Lavender Farm where I

A little video from Mayfield Lavender Farm where I did some of the lavender sessions of the season.

A maternity shoot and a family.

It’s looking lovely and the lavender is in bloom.

I’ll be here again on Thursday and have 2 spots available at 6pm and 6.30pm.

Message me if you’d like to reserve one ☝️ 😍

07934788100.

Laura x

I am thrilled to be one of the 100 nationwide phot

I am thrilled to be one of the 100 nationwide photographers on the 2020 Vision Project who collectively will help make healthcare workers visible through beautiful portrait photography!

https://www.2020visionproject.co.uk

This project is about capturing human connection and creating a meaningful healthcare tribute to the people behind the masks.

I have 2 ladies already booked in and am looking for 4 more healthcare workers in south West London to offer them a very unique portrait session for this project.

I want to capture their particular story and create a visual tribute.

Do you know a healthcare hero that you would love to nominate? Can you share this with your friends so that they can nominate a healthcare hero?

Send me a message or comment or text me on 07934788100.

This photo is of the lovely Granny Sue as she is known in Balham. She runs a collective of volunteers that help and chat to people diagnosed with cancer at St George’s Hospital, the Can Chat. What a great job they do!

Long post alert!!! Every year on the same day, w

Long post alert!!!

Every year on the same day, which is the birthday of my youngest son I am reminded of an amazing gift I received with his birth.

I feel so strong and empowered by it that even 6 years later I get emotional and yesterday I rewrote my blog about it (link in bio).

If I can make one small change for another pregnant mum by sharing my story then I would feel that I’ve achieved something big.

Being pregnant and giving birth is a time when we feel vulnerable and in the hands of others and of professionals. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

Birth and labour can be positive and empowering and something that is totally within our reach. Our bodies are designed for it and there are many tools and people that can help.

For me it was my amazing doula, Callie Fountain from Second Nurture and Maggie Howell’s Natal Hypnotherapy tracks (available on iTunes). Also the book Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan #monganmethod

Elliot was born at home unplanned and only after 2 hours of active labour without meds and only with my husband and me and the ambulance crew in the last 20 minutes.

It was such an amazing experience that turned me from being paralysed with fear to believing that I can do it, I can give birth without meds and fear.

And since I did that I have felt that I can do ANYTHING.

Full story is on the blog. I’d love to hear your birth stories and happy to share all the things that worked for me in the chat.

To find out more about Maggie Howell go to @maggiebhowell and my doula Callie Fontain from Second Nurture @calliefontain ❤️❤️❤️

I love peonies, they’re one of my favourite flow

I love peonies, they’re one of my favourite flowers. These were from @freddiesflowers ❤️❤️ I love how they are so small in the bud but they unfold and become these magnificent flowers in bloom.
Self care tips.
I’d love to know how do you take care of yourself? What do you to recharge and replenish?

I have been doing meditation this week, walks and bike rides with the boys and a bit of reading here and there. Currently reading Elon Musk which is interesting (SpaceX, Tesla and his previous companies that made him millionaire). I’d love to read your tips ❤️

When do you think is the best time for lavender?

When do you think is the best time for lavender?
Mayfield lavender farm in Banstead where I will be doing my “lavender photoshoots” this year says that the best time to see the lavender is from the very end of June to the middle of August.

Have you ever been to the farm ? It’s a lovely place where you can see lavender, buy plants, food & drinks. You can also choose to go on a tractor ride across the fields which we did and the boys loved it.
It also gets really busy at the weekend so best time to go is early morning or late evening.

I’m doing lavender fields photoshoots there in July, 2 Saturday mornings 11th & 18 July and 2 late evenings 10th July & 16th July.
Some slots are gone but there are still some left.
Message me if you love a lavender shoot so you don’t miss out!

I am so excited that I have had a photo accepted a

I am so excited that I have had a photo accepted and published by Vogue Italia Online (check out my previous post)!! To celebrate I have decided to go crazy and share the love with you all!! For 2 days, one in June and one in July I am offering "Headshots and portraits" with NO SESSION FEE.
This means that you only pay £75 for:
- The photoshoot
- A gallery to choose from
- I have also added two final edited images instead of one.
Isn't that a great way to celebrate with me?
The "Headshots and portraits" will be in Balham and can be in the studio or outdoors (nearby). This offer is only valid on those 2 days and is very limited. *** To redeem this offer, book your session by messaging me. The booking is confirmed with a £50 prepayment *** Tag your friends that would be interested.
Especially for the July date (after barbers and hairdressers will have opened) which I expect will be very popular 😁❤️

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