10 Days Old

There’s nothing quite like looking at a newborn baby. They’re so squishy and they make little squirmy moves and sounds. They don’t do anything and yet they do somethingbecause when I’m around a newborn baby all I can do is stare at them. Their little toes and fingers, the swirl on the top of their head. The little snorting sounds they make as they adjust themselves. They’re mesmerizing.

Not enough to make me want to have another one though. Let’s not get too caught up in the wonder!

But really, I find myself thinking about the miracle of life when I look at a newborn, isn’t that just what you’re supposed to do? And a couple of days ago I had the joy of photographing one of these fresh, squishy newborn babies. His name is Joseph and in the photo’s he’s 10 days old.

I’ve photographed newborns before but I wanted to capture him in a classic way, so I did a bit of research before the shoot. I reached out to my cousin Jenna for some advice because she photographs newborns and does an amazing job. She pointed me toward another photographer which led me to another and it was inspiring and overwhelming and made my head spin just a bit.

But, what I learned was that patience is the biggest key to the experience of photographing a newborn. Without that, you’re lost in a sea of frustration. Being prepared for the accidental mess due to being without a diaper, having the room nice and warm and maybe even going as far as to play womb sounds throughout the session. I did all of these things in preparation but nothing can really prepare you for the actual experience.

I had the beautiful cream colored blanket draped over the bean bag, the backdrop all set. Julie brought Joseph over, took off his clothes and placed him on the blanket, ready to go, and….he pooped. 30 seconds into the shoot. What can you do but rinse and blow dry the blanket while they take a feeding break and get set back up. I think that just made everything easier for me. We had the worst out of the way in the beginning. I felt like we couldn’t go anywhere but up from there!

I definitely have a new found respect for newborn photographers. For the people who specialize in only photographing newborns. The ones that have been doing it for a long time, who have the babies safety in mind above all else, they have a gift, a true talent.

I do love the images from this shoot. Knowing that I captured this amazing moment in time. It goes so quickly, that “just out of the womb” look. It only lasts for a few days. They start growing and changing and before you can even blink because you’re so exhausted and in a daze from all that just occurred it’s over, gone.

Joseph, you have a beautiful family who are in love with you and will help guide your way. Welcome to this crazy world.