Free Group Breastfeeding Photoshoot in Worcestershire - 2026
- Aug 10
- 7 min read
Why I organise an annual breastfeeding photoshoot?
Every year, around World Breastfeeding Week, I bring a group of breastfeeding mums and their babies together somewhere beautiful in Worcestershire.
What started as an idea for a photoshoot has become something much more meaningful than I ever expected.
This year was the third time I organised the gathering, and we met for a summer evening in Malvern. There were tiny babies, older babies and quite a few toddlers, along with their mums, a few familiar faces and plenty of women meeting each other for the first time.
There was breastfeeding, of course. But there was also conversation, laughter, relaxation, connection and a lot of support.
And then, as the sun started to set, I photographed it all!
This is SO much more than a photoshoot.
The women who arrive don't necessarily know each other.
But then they sit together.
They talk.
They share their stories.
And they realise that something they thought was just their experience has actually been experienced by someone else too.
I think there is something incredibly powerful about putting a group of women in a beautiful outdoor space and giving them the opportunity to simply be around other mothers who understand.
Motherhood can sometimes feel surprisingly lonely. Breastfeeding can feel lonely too, particularly when things don't go according to plan.
Some of the mums at this year's gathering had found breastfeeding relatively straightforward. For others, it had been incredibly difficult. Some had experienced physical challenges, feeding difficulties or moments when they weren't sure they would be able to continue.
Yet they were all there.
Feeding their babies.
Feeding their toddlers.
Sharing their stories.
Supporting one another.
That is the part of this project that has become just as important to me as the photographs themselves.
Why I started the breastfeeding photoshoot
I'm a maternity, baby and family photographer in Worcester, and most of my work involves photographing... motherhood. But breastfeeding has always been something particularly personal to me. I breastfed my own son, and although I loved that part of our relationship, I also know that breastfeeding isn't always straightforward. There can be challenges, exhaustion, uncertainty and an enormous amount of pressure surrounding how, where and for how long you feed your baby.
When I look back at photographs from those first days and weeks with my son, I wish I had more. At the time, I wasn't a professional photographer. I was simply living my life as a very happy and very sleep-deprived new mum.
I didn't think about documenting everything. And I certainly didn't think enough about photographing the tiny details: his hands on my skin, the weight of him against me, the way he curled into my body and fell asleep...
Those moments disappear incredibly quickly. That's one of the reasons I want mothers to have these photographs. Not just photographs of what breastfeeding looked like. Photographs that remind them of how it FELT.
Breastfeeding beyond six months.
One thing that really stood out to me this year was the number of older babies and toddlers who came along. I definitely didn't expect half of the children to be over a year old!
And this led to some really interesting conversations between the mums about breastfeeding beyond six months.
About feeding an older baby in public and feeling self-conscious.
About being asked, "Are you STILL breastfeeding?"
About wondering whether other people think your child is too old.
About feeling as though there is some invisible deadline when breastfeeding is suddenly supposed to stop.
I understand this personally. When my son stopped breastfeeding at 12 months, someone said to me: "Good, you stopped. Were you going to breastfeed him forever?!"
Looking back, I really wish I'd replied: "No, I was planning to stop when he's getting married." 😂
Because really, why do we feel the need to comment? Breastfeeding is a relationship between a mother and her child. When that relationship ends is not something that needs to be decided by a stranger, a relative or someone standing nearby in a café.
The World Health Organization recommends introducing complementary foods at around six months while continuing breastfeeding for up to two years or longer, for as long as both mother and child want to.
And as Zoe explained beautifully after this year's gathering, what many of us have been taught to think of as "unusual" or "too long" is, biologically and globally, well within the normal range.
I think that matters.
Because there is a mum somewhere feeding her toddler who thinks she's the only one.
There is another mum who feels uncomfortable feeding her older baby in public.
There is someone wondering whether other people understand.
And perhaps she'll come across one of these photographs and think:
Oh. I'm not the only one.
Maybe that will make her feel a little more confident.
Maybe she'll decide to continue for longer.
Or maybe she'll simply feel reassured that there is nothing wrong with the way she has chosen to feed her child.
That's one of the reasons I want these photographs to be seen.
Making breastfeeding visible.
Breastfeeding photography isn't about creating perfect, staged images.
It's about showing real mothers and babies.
Tiny hands.
Bare feet.
Messy hair.
Sleepy babies.
Toddlers who don't want to sit still.
Mums laughing.
Mums feeding.
Mums cuddling their children.
All the little things that make up real motherhood.
And I think representation matters. If the only photographs we see of breastfeeding are of tiny newborn babies, it can reinforce the idea that breastfeeding somehow has an expiry date once a baby becomes more mobile. I want to show something different.
I want a mother feeding her toddler to see another mother doing the same and think, "That's normal."
I want a mum-to-be to see these photographs and understand that breastfeeding can be a beautiful part of motherhood, while also knowing that every breastfeeding journey is different.
And I want the mothers who took part to have photographs of something that was a huge part of their own story.
A beautiful evening in Malvern.
This year's event took place in Malvern on a summer evening, and we couldn't have asked for better light. The previous two events took place mid morning and I wanted to bring a sunset vision to life this year. After all, we are having the longest driest and hottest summer ever.
Before we started photographing, Zoe from Zoe Meachem Yoga, Birth & Postnatal held a beautiful relaxation and connection circle for the mums.
Becky from Feeding Together who is an infant feeding specialist midwife, lactation consultant (IBCLC) & Tongue-Tie Practitioner located in Kidderminster, Worcestershire., brought her breastfeeding knowledge and support.
Kate from Nurture Families brought her wonderfully reassuring presence, toys and plenty of entertainment for the toddlers. Kate runs weekely stay and play sessions at the Fold and sessions for dad and their babies every other Sunday.
Then we headed into the evening light.
Mums fed their babies.
Mums fed their toddlers.
Children ran around.
There were cuddles, smiles, laughter and plenty of little interruptions.
And that was exactly how it should be. The photographs weren't about making everyone sit perfectly still. They were about capturing the connection between these mothers and their children.
What the mums thought.
Afterwards, the mums shared some incredibly lovely feedback.
One mum told me:
"Whether our journeys have been easy, complicated or somewhere in between we all share a beautiful connection. The combined hours of breastfeeding that we have given to our babies highlights the strength, resilience and determination we all share!"
Another mum said:
"It was so special to be surrounded by so many mums who are all in the same season of life, but at different stages of their breastfeeding journeys. There was such a lovely sense of support and community."
Another told me:
"The group shots are just gorgeous but having the individual photos is so special, a memory to hold on to forever."
And one mum summed up the evening beautifully:
"It was definitely an evening I'll remember in years to come — very calm, friendly and the perfect place."
That means an enormous amount to me. Because I don't want this to simply be a day when I take some nice photographs. I want the women who come to leave feeling that they were part of something.
Three years of this little project.
When I organised the first breastfeeding photoshoot, I thought of it primarily as a photography project. Three years later, I realise it has become something much bigger and fills me with joy and pride.
It's a gathering of women.
It's a place where breastfeeding stories can be shared without judgement.
It's a chance for mums to meet other mums who understand.
It's a way of making breastfeeding visible in all its different forms.
And, hopefully, it's a collection of photographs that might reach another mother somewhere and make her feel a little less alone.
As one of the mums said so beautifully:
"Our breastfeeding journey won't last forever, but it's a chapter of motherhood I'll treasure for the rest of my life."
As a mum who breastfed my own son, I couldn't have put it better myself.
I'm so glad I was able to do it.
I'm so glad it was part of our story.
And I'm incredibly grateful that, through my work as a motherhood photographer in Worcester, I now get to document these stories for other mothers too.
2025 photoshoot above
Breastfeeding and motherhood photography in Worcester and Worcestershire.
This annual event is free for the mums who attend, and the photographs are created specifically to support breastfeeding awareness and representation. I organise it around World Breastfeeding Week because I want the images to be seen when conversations about breastfeeding are happening around the world. I hope they encourage a mum-to-be to consider breastfeeding. I hope they encourage another mum to continue for a little longer if that is what she wants. I hope they make a mother feeding her toddler feel less self-conscious. And most of all, I hope they remind mothers that their breastfeeding journey belongs to them. Whether it lasted three days, three months, three years or somewhere in between, it was part of their motherhood story. And those stories deserve to be photographed.
If you'd like to see more of my work as a motherhood photographer in Worcester, you'll find maternity, newborn and family photography across Worcestershire on my website.
And if you're still breastfeeding in July next year, perhaps I'll see you at the next one.
Karina
