Photography by Petra

Photography by Petra Family and newborn photographer & personal branding for businesses
Leigh on Sea, Essex Hi! I am Petra, I am a photographer and mum of 3. I appreciate them.

Life is busy but not sure I would have it any other way. I am lucky enough to work from home (in Leigh on Sea) but I do location and shoots in client’s homes too. I have been in the photography industry since 2006 and found a love for newborns in 2011 when my first was born. Portraiture is what I do best however I get excited just about any project, big or small. I dipped my toe into birth photogr

aphy 6 years ago and was lucky enough to capture some amazing moments for parents meeting their babies for the first time. I am hoping to continue this journey once my littlest is a bit bigger. I'm people photographer and offer maternity, newborn and family photoshoots, and I also do commercial work (see my other account ). I use natural light in my work (99% of the time). My mission is to capture real, authentic images that will remind you of what once was and will be shared and passed onto your children. Every photographer have a style and it will always shine through but listening to my clients' vision and ideas is important to me. They are your images, right? I always hope that my work will evoke emotions in my clients and the moments we capture together will have lasting effect and put smile on their faces every time they get a glance of their images. Photos give me the feeling that I could hold an instant of time, emotion and memory right there. Less is definitely more for me and keeps the collection of images interesting and more captivating. To me photographs are a beautiful reminder of what life once was. I have so many I look back on with such gratitude! It’s so easy to forget those times, whatever, whoever and whenever you were, so let me capture those precious moments for you. To check availability please contact me here.

Sometimes it’s hard to think about marketing our own business beyond the features, who, what and how. Totally guilty of ...
11/06/2026

Sometimes it’s hard to think about marketing our own business beyond the features, who, what and how. Totally guilty of it myself and I find it so much easier to come up with ideas for content for my clients’ businesses than my own 🤣

The photoshoot - and even before that, the preparation, are such integral part in setting the intentions for beyond the shoot, thinking deeper about what brand stories we want to tell and how.

The inspiration and momentum from the shoot will help and inspire but good strategy that is intentional and more importantly sustainable, is going to take it further.

Hence the Image strategy power hour. It’s an add-on to your brand session and the feedback so far is amazing. You can find more about it on my website.

Now, as for this session. We definitely wanted to go beyond the obvious.
Let me introduce you to the warmest and friendliest guy - Robert aka is exactly the math teacher I’d have love to have as a kid and I’m not surprise his clients love being taught by him. His online 121 and group sessions are focused on supporting students to achieve better grades for their GCSE (and more) but also better understanding where they need to focus their efforts through his own platform that was developed and designed to show accurately the predicted grades per topic. Having my own kid taking mocks next week, this was very interesting discovery at the right time! He offers some resources for free, including his YouTube videos. Max had a go at some papers and loved using it (and allowed me to take some photos for my client - that’s a win win in my book!) Highly recommend.

If you want to get ready with content before the summer hits us (though not today ☔️), reach out and let’s have a no- obligation discovery call to see if I’m good fit for your business.

Sometimes my clients take me to places I never knew existed on my doorstep. This wildflower field looked whimsical in Ju...
08/06/2026

Sometimes my clients take me to places I never knew existed on my doorstep. This wildflower field looked whimsical in July. Please someone take me there again!
It’s the kind of romantic spot for maternity shoot or where kids could have fun. My instinct is to allow them to lead the way - not trying to fold them into something they are not. Lifestyle family photoshoot sits somewhere between portrait and documentary photography. Positioned, not posed. Prompted rather than directed. And your energy at these sessions matters. I don’t bribe your children to smile at me. We move, play, be silly or I whip out some joke if they are older (I’m also terrible at them, they laugh at me instead!).
Every session is different because it will reflect your family, your personalities and your own energy.
Family photoshoots are not about knowing what to do - you kind of know how to play with your kids, you just need a little help to do it in front of the camera. But once you’re in it, the session flies by.

Availability in June and July: 20 + 27 Jun late PM, 4 July early AM or late PM, 18 July early AM, 25 July early AM or late PM

13/05/2026

Don’t have a headshot taken that you actually like?

It’s almost never about how you look. It’s the not knowing what to do, where to look, how to be natural when someone points a camera at you. You worry that the result won’t match your vision 👀

Brand photoshoots are so much more than pretty portraits of you. I’ll prepare with you, guide you on the day and we’ll co-create together.

The best result comes from both of us being fully invested in the outcome. And by the time we’re done, you’ll have images you’re genuinely proud to use. Images that show who you are, what you do and what it actually feels like to work with you. The kind you reach for confidently rather than scroll past apologetically 🫣

Curious how we could capture your business? I offer no-obligation discovery calls. These alone hold so much value, inspiration and tons of ideas from me. DM to book.

What makes this collaborations so great is the actual working together.When we do, it’s always with intention and withou...
08/05/2026

What makes this collaborations so great is the actual working together.

When we do, it’s always with intention and without pressure. It is away from our “normal” work and if I’m being honest, I doubt that I’d take the time or the opportunity to create something out of my ordinary otherwise. And I always learn something new everytime I see Claire.

Here are the newcomers to our current print collection. You can find them through the link in bio or follow .studios for new releases.
Px

06/05/2026

Me hard at work and a true reflection of the amount of cups I consumed today.
Who else is considering 20C on thermostat? 👀

If I had to choose, this would be one of my favourite setups for a family photo with a newborn at clients’ homes or my s...
20/04/2026

If I had to choose, this would be one of my favourite setups for a family photo with a newborn at clients’ homes or my studio, it never disappoints.

It’s great with bouncy and excited child but it also works for a toddler who doesn’t want to interact with their new baby or are feeling little shy or needy in a moment.

Toddlers especially can be oftentimes unpredictable (obvs depending on age and personality) but they are naturally curious, love their parents’ attention and playing. We don’t need to force, we just get the opposite effect, sometimes reverse psychology works, sometimes playful distractions are called for, often decided in a moment, always going with the flow.

The best advice I can offer to any shoot with kids is to keep the expectations light which allows them to be themselves and from my experience, stepping back when needed takes the pressure off and chances are they will come round much quicker.

If you’d love a newborn shoot but worry about the overwhelm, I’ve written a blog post on how to prepare for a newborn photoshoot with older siblings. I hope you find it helpful.

Planning ahead also helps, book your newborn shoot as early as you want with your due date and once baby arrives, we’ll find the perfect time together.

Baby already here? DM me for availability next couple of weeks. I’d love to capture your new arrival.

Just a few things I notice people say and here is what I think about it 🫠In case you’re wondering as this is something t...
13/04/2026

Just a few things I notice people say and here is what I think about it 🫠

In case you’re wondering as this is something that worries me sometimes with captions, images and clients’ words don’t match here, it’s a random selection 🤪

Any of these landed?

27/03/2026

I’m cringing at this but in those moments it’s the last thing on my mind!

Let me explain…

I pride myself to make everyone in front of my camera to feel the most comfortable. With me. Because when that happens, the ease follows through the photos. So no stiff or awkward poses.

But. Sometimes I hyper focus on something that I observe in my client’ gesture, posture, smile, hand placement, tilt of the head… and want to make it just teeny bit better. It reminds me of a newborn shoot where I take a safety shot and then adjust.. the angle, their hands, the pose, stretch fabric etc.

With headshots? I imagine them as your first impression online so it’s important that your personality, gestures or quirks are included. So I’d adjust hair if sticking (easier than editing them out after!) and even head sometimes 🫣 if my instructions are too jumbled 🤪 It’s not unheard of!

Most of the time though, I allow for the flow, show poses that enhance or flatter your body shape and encourage you to use them however they feel comfortable.

Hands in or out? I love to include them as they convey personality, warmth and storytelling - great for branding, editorial and creative portraits too but I know some of my corporate clients disagree 🤣

There is way with hands to make them look natural, not outdated or hiding features but no strict formula to headshots, I see everyone individually and try my best to create headshots that have the essence of you in them 💫

If full branding shoot is not for you, updating your headshots can make a huge difference to you in confidence and visibility.

DM me to book yours!

Address

Dundonald Drive
Leigh-on-Sea
SS91NA

Telephone

+447857348755

Website

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