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Ella - From Womb to One Candle(24 images)
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This is a story about the first year in the life of my first child, Ella.

These '52' weekly images are accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes. This work describes the journey for my wife Lynda - from expectant, to actual motherhood, and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old.

It is my hope that the viewer is reminded of the...
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  • "Three cylinders of gas and air." A young mother enters the final stage of labour on a labour ward at Kings College Hospital, London. Using the painkiller Pethadine from a cylinder she draws on the mouthpiece to counteract the pain during contractions. A hospital identity tag bearing her name, date of birth and code number is secured to her wrist. She already looks exhausted, tolerating the rythmic stages of birth and she grips tightly a supportive hand. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "7lbs 13oz." On a labour ward at Kings College Hospital, London, a new-born baby girl has been temporarily separated from her mother and placed uncomfortably in a small weighing dish, minutes after taking her first breaths, to record her birth-weight, recording in old imperial pounds and ounces rather than modern metric grams and kilo units. The midwife has clamped a plastic seal on the child's umbilical cord wound which eventually dries and falls off. The crying girl has a mass of black hair but whose ethnicity is caucasian. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • On a labour ward at Kings College Hospital, London, a young mother sits back and rests before being transferred to a bed on the maternity ward. Wearing a hospital gown and an identity wrist tag, leans back exhausted on a wall with eyes closed, reflecting on the last 24 hours of labour, contractions and the birth of her first child, a baby girl who sleeps in a cot next to her mother. Tissues and a drink cups are on the table in front but the new mum is too tired to reach out for a sip. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Brave New World." On a maternity ward at Kings College Hospital, London, a tiny new-born baby girl sleeps in her cot at the foot of her mother's bed. We see the mum's legs and feet pointing towards some curtains against which her infant is wrapped in an NHS shawl to keep her snug and warm. But it's Summer and the bedding is ruffled at the bottom to keep the heat down for an exhausted mother comfortable in an otherwise airless room. It is a scene of serenity and safety, at a time when mother and baby are bonding. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "No Distance Covered." The leathery soles of a new-born 3 day-old baby girl's feet are seen in detail. Her skin is wrinkled and cracked despite applying foot lotion to keep them soft. The tiny toes have yet to support her upright body and walk anywhere because she has been at home from hospital for only a few days. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "A Day Away from Choosing a Name." A baby girl of only two weeks old cranes her neck around to see where her mother's soothing voice is coming from. Wrapped up in a checked blanket to keep her snug and warm, she is learning to recognise familiar sounds, focus on close objects and learn about her own small world. She has a round face with a squashed, button nose and has opened her mouth to bend round in her mum's direction. Her name has yet to be recorded with the local register office, a legal requirement that needs completeting within six weeks after a birth. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • On the living room floor at home, a young mother grabs a few minutes to herself to exercises her pelvic floor muscles three weeks after giving birth to a baby girl who lies asleep in a Moses basket carry cot on the carpet. She rotates her hips to her right, twisting her body to regain strength in her lower torso, still sore from labour. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Anywhere between 3-5am." A mother has brought her three and a half month-old infant into bed and comforts her new baby back to sleep in bed by holding her hand at dawn, after a broken night's rest. We see large adult's fingers encircling the tiny digits of the baby girl who is mercifully sound asleep again, instinctively aware of love and trust. It is a picture of protective parenthood, of a close bond between mother and child in a safe, cosy, warm and idyllic place within the loving family home. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Diptheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, meningitis." A four month-old baby screams with the sharp prick of an innoculation needle administered by a health visitor at a doctor's surgery, London. The post-natal clinic is a health check for the baby and for new mothers to discuss parenting problems with a NHS-qualified midwife and paediatric specialist. She attends to mother and child since they arrived back home from hospital, days after birth and therefore knows all their details and the baby's growth statistics and development curves. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • 'Christmas Comes but once a Year ..' A grandfather holds his tired granddaughter at arms-length while watching a television prgramme at Christmas time. The baby girl is 5 months-old and yawns with a wide, open mouth while the elder relative pouts, looking grumpy. Both are seated on an armchair in the family home's living room. A decorated Christmas tree is seen in the far corner and the curtains behind are drawn. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Then raindrops fell on my head." Looking over the shoulder as a mother pours bath water from a toy seive on to the head of her five month-old baby daughter. The infant looks unsure but otherwise spellbound as the droplets fall, watching them leaving the pot to feel them trickling down. We see the child's trust for her mother and imagine her fascination with tumbling liquid, the feel of it touching her skin. This water is shallow, a child can drown in an inch of water so the mum is supporting the baby's head around the neck in the correct manner. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Eye Contact." A mother peers over the bath to keep watch over her five month-old baby daughter who is lying on a matt, holding a towel to her face. The infant has had her own time in the water and the mum has taken the opportunity to bathe too. They both look into each other's eyes in a picture of love, trust and joy. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Losing the hair I was born with." We look over the darkened shoulder of a mother as she cuts her baby daughter's hair, at home, for the first time. Sitting in her high-chair, the child watches with fascination as the scissors snip away at the tufts of thick, dark hair the girl has had from birth. The experience is clearly enchanting her and she looks with her mouth open, captivated by this strange instrument that she feels trimming her head. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "First ladies." A six month-old infant girl has a shocked look on her face as she plays with a copy of the broadsheet Guardian newspaper whose front page headline photograph is of Hilary Clinton, then First Lady of the United States. Clinton is also looking aghast at something she is experiencing. Coincidentally, the President's wife and the first-born of this family are both first ladies. The child has sunk down into her high-chair, reacting to something her mother has said. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Puddle in Oxleas Wood." A six month-old infant looks out from a baby back carrier frame whilst out on a muddy winter jaunt in Oxleas Wood on Shooters Hill, South London. The girl peers out with a fascination for the outdoors from a warm coat wearing a tiny hat and loose-fitting gloves to view the world while perched high-up on her mother's back who carries her child on the chilly walk. The bare trees and forested landscape can be imagined from the waterlogged puddle that is out of focus to the right. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "The week of Dunblane." Mindful of the Dunblane massacre that week, a baby massage class takes place at a health clinic in south London. Spread across a matt are six babies of varying ages and sizes whose mums are tenderly stroking their infants' bodies and senses with soft, gentle touches over the head, face, shoulders, arms, chest, stomach and legs which is a recommended way of tactile communication between mother and child. Some children are looking up into their mothers' faces, others are looking elsewhere and one is upset but comforted. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old... By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "More than you can chew." A ten month-old infant uses new teeth to bite her mother's nose in the back garden of their Victorian south London terrace home. The mum winces in pain as the child sinks her new milk teeth into her skin but they enjoy a warm summer afternoon, playfully interacting with each other in a moment of parental love and harmony. The girl wears a short-sleeved t-shirt and has plump arms of baby fat, a healthy sign of a contented infant. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Garden ballet." With hands outstretched, a ten month-old infant supports her weight on some garden chairs as she learns to stand on her own two feet. Without the strength in her legs, she loses her balance and her mother stands behind holding her daughter by the waist preventing her from falling over. It is a warm summer afternoon with both mother and child barefoot on the back garden patio and we see the experience of an adult encouraging a developing human being with the confidence to stand erect with back straight. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Flight to Portugal." An eleven month-old child stands on a restaurant table and is held by her mother whilst holidaying on the Algarve, southern Portugal. Caught with side-lit flash and ambient Mediterranean evening light, her with arms and fingers are outstretched and the balancing infant girl who is learning to stand on her own before attempting to walk, pretends to fly in mid-air, relishing a sense of space and freedom. We see the experience of an adult encouraging a developing human being with the confidence to stand erect with back straight. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "On all fours." An eleven month-old infant crawls up some back garden steps and into her parents' house. Her head and shoulders are already hidden as she disappears inside. She is exploring a familiar world, being bold, gaining strength and confidence to move independently to eventually stand upright and walk unaided. Someone has taped a short stick to the upper step to help her position herself downwards when exiting the house backwards. Wearing only a nappy (diaper) it is clearly a warm summer's day. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Homo erectus." At the exact moment that a young human being walks for the first time, an eleven month-old girl infant conquers her fear and takes her first tentative upright unaided steps. After months of building lower leg strength by pushing and leaning against household objects, she now leaves the protective hands of a delighted but nervous mother who relishes the joyous moment of her offspring's great achievement. The girl's legs and hips help propel her forward motion, naturally making her an upright bi-pedal species. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "First shoes in Wales." An eleven month-old infant tries to walk in her first pair of proper rigid shoes whilst on holiday in Snowdonia, North Wales UK. Tentatively taking a few unconfident steps the young girl cries out in surprise, almost falling over. Her mother instinctively grabs her coat hood before she topples into into the pebbles and soft mud of a river bed which would soil her clean clothes. We see a mother preventing her daughter from getting dirty and from hurting herself, a fast reaction to stop injury on a small child. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "Crooked Lady." A twelve month-old girl who has recently learned to walk proudly strides past an elderly lady with balancing arms outstretched while at the Dulwich Show in South London. There is a marked difference between the youthful, upright posture of the young girl to the hunched and bent stance of the old woman who stands supporting herself on a brolley. It is a picture that compares youth with old age, the delight that a person of later years shows to a child whose life reaches far ahead. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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  • "One candle." A family are gathered to celebrate the first birthday of a young child, the back garden of her parent's south London home. The birthday girl reaches out to touch the single lit candle on a chocolate log cake while her grandmother and mother both show her how to blow and extinguish the flame instead. Friends and relatives are sat around the garden on a perfect late-summer afternoon, drinking and laughing on this joyous occasion, a milestone in the first year of any young life. This is from a documentary series of pictures about the first year of the photographer's first child Ella. Accompanied by personal reflections and references from various nursery rhymes, this work describes his wife Lynda's journey from expectant to actual motherhood and for Ella - from new-born to one year-old. By photographer Richard Baker
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