I am now away from the studio and will return on Tuesday the 31st of May ( assuming the ash cloud behaves itself - and I don't get stuck out in Iceland!) . Please note my current availability is now for mid September onwards. I am in the process of relocating to Hampshire, so there are many changes on the horizon. I will keep you all posted!

It's been almost a week since the Baby Show, and what a hectic week it has been! I am finally catching up on my emails , although proofs and orders still have extended lead times. Thank you all who came to visit my stand, and I am delighted with everyone's positive reaction to the new branding. All the information emails have now been sent, so if you are missing yours please do get in touch with me as soon as possible.

I am still updating the Maria Murray Photography website, which includes images of babies that are not newborn, older children and some location and family photography. That site should be back online next week sometime.

My availability is now extremely limited in the upcoming months - the next free appointment is on the 2nd of June. I have also made a decision not to take on any further weekend appointments fro 2011. If you are booked in already , or an existing client on the Beginnings scheme that I know historically cannot make weekdays, then of course I will accommodate you. However, no new bookings will be taken for weekends unless we have already agreed on dates.

If you are pregnant and considering a shoot in the short term, please contact me as I may be able to accommodate some evening sessions. Please, please remember to book for your newborn session as soon as you can after your 20 weeks scan as we book so far in advance.

I am now away from the studio and unable to answer any calls or emails until Monday. I am exhibiting at the the Excel baby Show this weekend, so if you are coming please do come over for a quick chat - it would be lovely to meet you!

I am very excited to announce the re-branding of the maternity & newborn side of Maria Murray Photography. Don't worry - I am not going anywhere, but simply giving my newborn & maternity photography a separate website and new branding. You may ask why? Well, I felt that my current branding & logo did not necessarily go very well with the soft newborn images that I love so much. Newborn sessions are extra special to me, and very different to a regular session, and my absolutely favorite to shoot. I hope you love the new branding as much as I do!  Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. The new website is also up, so please check out www.sweetbambini.co.uk . There is still plenty of work to do with loading on images, but hoping it will be finished soon.The main website has been taken down for the next week for a refresh and an update, but please feel free to browse through this blog, there are pages and pages of images.

As the saying goes, a change is as good as a rest...I hope to have time to rest soon! I have 5 appointments left for March, 4 for April, and the first half of May is almost fully booked so please do get in touch in plenty of time if you would like a session. My next available weekend session is the the 4th of June. Hope to see you in the studio soon!

Just a quick note to let you know that I am away from the studio, on a course. The studio will re open on the 11 of February.

I am posting this with permission of Lili's mummy and daddy, hoping to help raise some donations for a very worthwhile cause.

This morning this lovely angel was laid to rest - aged just 23 months. Lili was tragically taken away 2 weeks ago by meningitis. Her heart breaking story can be seen and donations made via the following link LITTLE HAVEN. Please donate if you can - I know from mummy herself that the Little Haven hospice was a great help to the family at this very sad time, and they need all the funding possible.

I have photographed Lili 3 times in the last 23 months, and she was a beautiful, bright little girl, a joy to have around. My thoughts and prayers are with mummy, daddy and twin brother Lukas. I wanted to share with you a beautiful reading which really touched me from this mornings service, by Henry Van Dyke.

We are standing upon the seashore.
A ship at our side spreads her sails to the morning breeze,

And starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.
And we stand and watch her until

At length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where

the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone our my side says;
"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"
Gone from our sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was

When she left our side and she is just as able to bear her
Load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in us, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at our side says,

"Oh, she's gone!", there are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shouts of
"Here she comes!" We've been waiting"