Photographer Judges
Along with the top-10 most popular images voted for by the public, we have a panel of judges made up of 5 professional photographers, our Sponsors and 5 Mums. The image with the most ‘likes’ receives 10 points, the 10th most popular image receives 1 point. This is repeated with the result from our 5 ‘Mum’ judges, ‘Sponsors’ and our 5 ‘professional photographer’ judges.
The scores are then collated and marked out of a total score of 40 points. The top 5 babies with the most points each will receive a £50 Boots voucher and entry into our Baby of the Year competition to win £5000!
Featured below are the Photographers on our judging panel:
Justine McMillan
My name is Justine and I’m really excited about being a judge in the Baby of the Month competition. I love looking through the hundreds of entries received, so this will be fun! I have been a photographer for 23 years, starting with weddings and families, progressing to babies over the years. I now specialise in Newborn and early years photography from my studio just outside of Kingston upon Hull.
I think being a mum myself, I automatically have something in common with my customers, which helps build a rapport through shared experiences. It’s really important to find out what Mum (and Dad) expects from the photoshoot and not just to churn out the same thing each time. I spend time chatting to customers on the phone and in the studio to find out what makes them tick, and getting to know baby. Then it’s time to start, and I find I have a natural ability (and a range of silly noises and faces) that brings out those beautiful baby smiles and expressions.
A contented baby is key to beautiful portraits, so I advise parents to relax, be silly to help baby laugh, and don’t worry if baby needs changing or feeding or has a little ‘accident’ on a prop, it’s all part of the job!
Matthew Preston
My name is Matthew Preston, and I own and operate my own studio in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Although I also work with family groups and pets, the majority of my work is with babies, and I have been fortunate enough to have had winners and runners up in the Baby of the Month competition. I always enjoy looking at all the entries and constantly find myself inspired by what other photographers are creating.
To prepare for your baby’s session, please do have a look at your photographer’s website or Facebook page to get some ideas of the types of poses and styles of images which can be created, and feel free to discuss any ideas you may have with your photographer.
Emma Bell
I’m very excited to have been chosen as a Baby of the Month judge! I joined Barrett & Coe as a photographer back in 2020, and I now manage one of Barrett & Coe’s busiest studios! I have the privilege of photographing amazing families and babies on a daily basis, it truly is the best job.
I’m honoured to have had both winners and top-10 finalists in the competition over the last few years, and I’m excited to be able to help judge our future entrants. My best advice is to trust in your photographer, they will be able to guide you through your session and advise on outfits and items to bring along to get the most out of your experience.
Mike Thornton
I have a great deal of experience, not only in baby photography but also with weddings, PR/commercial work in London and around the UK.
I love photographing babies. I believe success with babies is all about self-confidence and being very aware how mum feels in the studio; a baby’s mood is often very closely linked to Mum’s!
It is also hugely important to time a session around sleeping and feeding patterns and not to rush a session.
Faye Collyer Rolls
What an honour it is to be selected as an Baby of the Month judge! The calibre and standard of photography is so high I know this is going to be a tough job!
I run a busy family portrait studio in Brighton and have a team of photographers here who work with, well anything you can imagine! We love photographing Maternity to New Born, Little Angels to Little Monsters! As a qualified member of the Master Photographers Association your photography session couldn’t be in better hands than with us!
We just love photographing people, especially little people, so it is a privilege to be working with Baby of the Month and Emma’s Diary along with many other baby photographers in the UK who are entering the competition! It’s really great for our customers and a buzz if you win – I should know, I won it several times since 2015!