50 Essential Portrait Photographers: Jillian Kirby of Lucy Lime Studios

Seems like the Fraser Valley has a lot of talented photographers – I just had to add a few to the Essential 50 Portrait Photographer list. Jillian Kirby is a newborn specialty photographer who has teamed up with Shannon Stevenson, the child and family specialist, to create Lucy Lime, a unique baby and child photography studio that’s now been open for a year.

Why did you get into photography?

I’ve been doing photography for about 18 years but didn’t start shooting people until about three years ago. It didn’t take long to realize that my passion lied with newborns and I immediately started working towards the goal of specializing.

Tell us a bit about your company.

Shannon Stevenson and I have come together to form the Fraser Valley’’s first child-specialized photography team. Lucy Lime Studios was born through a vision both of us shared. Our goal was to bring fun, fresh, modern child photography to the Fraser Valley… something you used to have to travel downtown to get. A “Lucy” session is relaxed, candid, natural and all about revealing the unique relationships only you and your family share.

How would you characterize your style of photography?

My style is classic and modern all in one. I have a very contemporary style of photographing babies but I keep it simple. I use very minimal props and the ones I do use are neutral, classic, and never detract attention away from the true subject of the image. I feel that the newborn should be front and centre and nothing in the image should be competing for your attention. In that way, the images remain classic and should never date.

Who are your clients?

Our clients are young families, expectant mothers, women and men who realize that these fleeting moments with their babies are gone in a heartbeat. Our clients feel the desire to freeze these moments in time and remember the details always as they look at their wall displays, flip through their albums and scroll through the images on their computer.

What should your mom clients expect when working with you?

My moms are very new moms – sometimes first time moms. They can expect a calm, relaxed photo experience. I’ve been a mom to two newborns myself and photographed over 100 newborns in the past two years. They can be confident while I photograph their baby that I have the experience photographing and handling newborns that only a specialist can offer.