Hey, I'M MARI-LIIS
Family, newborn, maternity & baby photographer in Hertfordshire and founder of Love Bonds Studio.
I'm a mother before I'm a photographer.
Like every parent, I've watched time quietly reshape childhood.
The tiny details you think you'll never forget somehow fade. The little people you pour so much love into grow and change, becoming their own little personalities. Carrying memories they created with you and gradually finding their own way in the world.
And all the while, your family is changing too. Every year brings a new version of who you are together.
I'm also a grown-up who used to be a child.
I grew up in the non-digital era, when photographs were rare. A once-a-year kind of occasion, if you were lucky. And then, somewhere around my school years, they seemed to stop altogether for a while.
Looking back now, I find myself filling in the gaps in my memories of some of the most transformative years of growing up—the people who were there, the places I belonged and the little moments that shaped me.
There isn't much I can hold on to and nothing I can do about it now.
But it has made me realise just how precious photographs can be.
And how much power we have to change this experience for us and our children.
When you invite me to photograph your family, you can trust that I will approach it with the same care and thoughtfulness I would want for my own family.
FOR ME, PHOTOGRAPHS ARE NEVER “JUST PICTURES.” THEY ARE YOUR LEGACY — A GIFT FOR YOURSELF, YOUR CHILDREN, AND THEIR CHILDREN.
Life before my photography studio
I’ve always been fascinated by people—their stories, their personalities and the little things that make them unique.
In the past, this passion came through in my travel photography — capturing local people, their way of living, the colours, exotic flavours, and art that told the story of their lives and culture. I loved being a storyteller.
And perhaps those years taught me something that now feels very important to my work: the photographs we create aren't really about today. They're about what remains.
Before becoming a full-time family photographer, I spent more than 15 years working in paediatric healthcare.
Working with hundreds of babies, children and families taught me so much about empathy, communication and the wonderfully different ways children experience the world. I've had to help children feel safe, understood and comfortable during some of their most vulnerable moments.
That experience has stayed with me.
These days, I'm a mum in a family with a preschooler and a soon-to-be teenager, and our children have taught me more than I'd probably like to admit. Patience. Letting go. Finding joy in the completely ordinary.
All things that, as someone who naturally loves order, notices every little detail and is much more accustomed to chasing new experiences than slowing down, has definitely had to learn!
Today, I bring that same patience, empathy and understanding into my photography. It helps me connect with children at different ages, recognise when they need a little encouragement and when they simply need space, and create an environment where families can relax and simply enjoy being together.
And families I've photograph can feel the difference.
MY STYLE
Simple, natural and timeless.
My work is centred around the love, connection and relationships that make your family uniquely yours.
I combine the artistry of classic portraiture with a relaxed, natural way of working—gently guiding where it helps and stepping back when it doesn't.
I want your photographs to have personality and feeling, while creating an experience where you and your children feel comfortable and completely yourselves. I use my experience to bring everyone together, encourage natural smiles and notice the little things that make your family special.
Nothing overly styled or dictated by trends—just photographs that feel true to you.
I've also designed the whole experience—from your first enquiry to receiving your finished photographs—with real families and the realities of everyday life in mind. I want bringing everyone together for photographs to feel easy, enjoyable and genuinely worth making time for.
Photographs that make you feel good.
Photographs that bring you back to this chapter of your lives.
Photographs your children can one day look at and see not only who they were, but the people who loved them and where they belonged.
Beautifully considered. Naturally you. Made to last.
EVERY FAMILY DESERVES BEAUTIFUL REMINDERS OF THE LOVE THAT HOLDS THEM TOGETHER.
Bringing you all together for a photograph has never been easier.
Let's make this happen!
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