Moments to Seize Ceaselessly, Hala Tamim, Founding father of Little Thea Photography, shares the secrets and techniques to her inspirational photos

In an business the place belief, precision and professionalism matter as a lot as creativity, Little Thea Photography has grow to be one of many area’s most recognised studios for new child, maternity, child and household portraits. Founded by Hala Tamim, the studio operates in each Dubai and Beirut and is thought for its cautious strategy to security, technical ability, and persistently excessive requirements.

Over the previous decade, Hala has developed a definite visible fashion and a structured course of that places dad and mom comfy whereas making certain newborns are dealt with with experience. Her work focuses on documenting actual household connections via easy, refined compositions quite than developments or heavy staging.

In this interview, she discusses how Little Thea Photography started, the strategies behind working with newborns, the variations between her Dubai and Beirut studios, and why skilled documentation of early household life has lasting worth.

What first impressed you to create Little Thea Photography and specialize in new child and household portraits?

I began Little Thea Photography 10 years in the past, once I was first pregnant with my daughter, Thea. Since I used to be younger, I all the time loved being round infants and children and labored in lots of group providers for teenagers and I had a unending ardour for images. I due to this fact determined to mix two passions of mine images and infants and therefore created Little Thea Photography.

That second utterly shifted my perspective on time, reminiscence, and the way fleeting the early days actually are. What started as a private journey shortly become a ardour for documenting connection, love, and the fantastic thing about household life. Newborn and household images felt pure to me, as a result of it permits dad and mom to carry on to recollections that move within the blink of an eye fixed. I needed to create photos which can be full of affection and life and households would return to years later and really feel the identical love once more.

Your work captures such tenderness and emotion. How do you strategy photographing newborns who may be unpredictable, delicate, and generally fussy?

Patience, instinct, and security information in each session. Newborns lead the tempo—we by no means rush or pressure poses. We enable time for feeding, soothing, and cuddles and we work with pure actions. Safety is our prime precedence.  Years of expertise enable us to learn every child’s wants, creating a relaxed surroundings the place real, stunning moments naturally unfold.

You function studios in each Dubai and Beirut, two very totally different markets. What distinctive qualities does every metropolis carry to your work and your shoppers?

Beirut brings heat, soul, and emotional depth, whereas Dubai presents variety, magnificence, and a refined worldwide aesthetic. Working between the 2 cities permits me to mix emotion with sophistication and frequently evolve creatively whereas serving totally different cultures and expectations.

Maternity images has grow to be one in every of your signature types. What do you like most about capturing moms-to-be throughout such a transformative time?

Maternity is such a strong, and susceptible time. I really like exhibiting ladies how sturdy and radiant they really are, even when they could not really feel it themselves. It’s about celebrating femininity, life, and the fantastic thing about turning into.

Many dad and mom really feel nervous throughout their child’s first picture session. How do you create a relaxed, protected, and welcoming surroundings for each dad and mom and newborns?

We sluggish the whole lot down. From a heat, quiet studio surroundings to mild steering all through the session, dad and mom are reassured each step of the best way. Our staff is educated not simply in images, however in new child dealing with and care. Trust and security are on the coronary heart of the whole lot we do.

Your photographs have a really distinctive aesthetic, mushy, heat, and intimate. How would you describe your inventive imaginative and prescient, and the way has it advanced over time?

My imaginative and prescient is intimate, emotion-driven and timeless. I intention for photos that really feel intimate and emotional quite than overly posed or fashionable. I concentrate on connection, mild, and storytelling quite than developments. Over the years, my fashion has grow to be extra minimal and refined, permitting actual emotion to take centre stage.

Working with households means growing belief and connection. What do you are feeling is probably the most rewarding a part of capturing these private moments?

Knowing these photos grow to be household heirlooms. When households return years later with one other child and even with grown kids and inform me how significant these photographs have grow to be, it jogs my memory why I do that. I’m not simply taking photographs; I’m preserving recollections that may outlive us.

Can you stroll us via a typical new child session? What occurs behind the scenes that shoppers could not realise?

A new child session often lasts a number of hours, though shoppers could not notice it. There’s loads of preparation – setting the temperature, sanitizing the whole lot, making ready outfits and setups. We transfer slowly, adjusting to the newborn’s rhythm. Sometimes probably the most stunning picture comes from an unplanned second: a stretch, a yawn, a cuddle with mother.

Running a artistic enterprise throughout two nations requires sturdy management. What have been your greatest challenges as a enterprise proprietor, and the way have you ever overcome them?

Consistency and staff administration throughout borders are difficult. Each market has its personal tempo and expectations. I’ve overcome this by constructing sturdy groups, setting clear requirements, and staying deeply concerned creatively and operationally. Passion and construction need to work collectively.

Social media performs an enormous function within the images world at present. How has Instagram or on-line presence influenced your model and helped you attain new households?

Social media has allowed us to share not simply completed photos, however the coronary heart behind our work. It has been an unimaginable storytelling platform for us. We have been in a position to share the emotion behind every session – the quiet moments, the care, and the intention that goes into each picture. It has helped us join with households worldwide and construct belief earlier than they even stroll into the studio. In some ways, it has helped humanize the model, turning Little Thea Photography right into a group quite than only a studio.

What developments are you at the moment seeing in new child and maternity images, and the way do you keep originality whereas assembly consumer expectations?

There’s a shift towards extra pure, lifestyle-inspired imagery and fewer heavy styling. While developments come and go, I keep grounded in what feels genuine to my model. Originality comes from staying true to your imaginative and prescient whereas listening to your shoppers – not copying what everybody else is doing.

Finally, what message would you wish to share with new dad and mom in regards to the significance of documenting these early, fleeting moments?

These moments move sooner than you ever think about. Sleepless nights fade, tiny fingers develop, and in the future you’ll want you may pause time. Photography provides you the possibility to pause time, to recollect the way it felt, not simply the way it regarded. Years from now, these photos shall be a reminder of the place your story started, and that’s actually priceless. Those recollections are priceless.

By Lea Nouhra