Rethinking Newborn Photos
>> Sunday, October 9, 2011 –
newborns,
redding birth photographer,
redding newborn photographer
Me snuggling with Charlie. Can't you just feel that sweet, warm newborn breath?
With our little guy here, newborn photos have been on my mind. Over the past few weeks I have come across dozens and dozens of photos of newborns stuffed into, or propped on top of, every item you can think of. I've seen babies balancing precariously on guitars and motorcycles, stuffed into cowboy boots and crammed into gumball jars. Others have been tied up with bows, balancing on balls, and hung from nets.I get it. Teeny tiny newborns are adorable when crammed into teeny tiny things.
But to all you mothers everywhere: can we please stop and think for a minute? In 50 years, when our newborn days are long gone, which photos are going to bring us back to this precious time and remind us what having a newborn feels like? Which photos will stop us in our tracks and get us right in the gut? The cute pictures of our baby in a pumpkin? Maybe.
But maybe not.
Part of me worries that all of these newborn props (especially pictures like one I saw last week of a baby's head coming out of a GLASS vase full of gumballs??) will be the matching denim of yesterday. Trendy as can be right now, but MIGHT make us cringe in 10 years.
Why don't we stop trying to manufacture beauty and capture the beauty that is already there?
But you know what this means right? You mothers are going to have to GET IN THE PHOTOS. I don't care if you feel chubby. I don't care if you have mascara strewn across your face or your hair is a mess. And TRUST ME your 80 yr. old self, or your children's children won't care either.
By all means, squeeze your newborn in whatever container you have lying around. But I beg you to please think about hiring someone to take some photos of you and your baby in your home snuggling, feeding and sleeping. As unpolished as it may be. Because THAT is what having a newborn is all about. Bed head and all.
I have a sneaky suspicion that your 80 yr. old self will want to thank me. Feel free to send me a thank you note in 40 years. With a cookie.
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True, true. You're photos tell stories, instead of recreate or pretend to. Thanks for sharing...plus you also have the gift of voicing into words too! Lovely photos. Who took the one of you??
Amen! The newborn phase is so fleeting. All newborns (and their mamas) deserve a photo that takes their breath away (in a good way).
I love your work, and I love what you've written here.
That's your job as a photographer, Melissa... not only to capture the truth through your lens and help people see THAT as true beauty, but also to educate your clients and your readers and help them understand your "photography philosophy" as my friend calls it.
Just like matching denim, I think photographers and their clients fall prey to cheesy photography trends because they assume it's what is expected, and they don't know better. We've got to change that (well, you've got to change that)... or just hope that people see straight through that vase of gumballs (gumballs? really?) and hire us instead.
Wow, totally agree. What a great post.
I love this more than I could ever express. It literally makes me choke up Miss. Love you.
love it, love it.
I think that fun photos are ok. But you really need the other too. And I wish I had realized when my kids were little how important it was for me to be in the photo too...my mom died over a decade ago, and I treasure every picture we have of her. Curlers, bathrobe, napping, all of them...
I just had my 2nd child 2 days ago and this is exactly what we will do for photos. I think the Anne Geddes style images are way overdone and good for selling flowered headbands and teddy bear hats, but not for telling the story of a family.
Simply stunning. Both the pictures and the writing. SO true!
Indeed, you are correct. The make up, the hair... none of that matters. It's capturing the moment. All of those things are PART of a newborn. My only regret is I didn't stumble upon this 4 weeks ago when we were welcoming our son into the world. You are so right and your pictures make me a little teary-eyed as I know the exact feelings these pictures are capturing. They are stunning.
You've got so nice blog, and how fantastic pictures ! :) I just love it.
http://withphotography.blogspot.com/
A-freaking-men.
I think you are right, so glad you wrote this! Some of the popular newborn photos are cute, but most of them make me cringe- I cringe automatically feeling like they might fall, or that they must have been cold...the photos don't evoke a warm feeling from me.
your photos are lovely!
Wow, I could not agree more! As a photographer, I often cringe when I see some of the super posed newborn shots. There is nothing more sweet than to see how your sweet newborn snuggled your bosom, how you smelled their head 100x a day (just because you could), or how you gazed as their precious body wrapped snuggly.
Thank you so much for making this enlightening post on lifestyle photography. It was very worthwhile!
To show how small our son was we captured him lying across his Dad's forearm & his head in the palm of his hand! It is SOOOOOO sweet & precious! And i am in the pictures to but i just asked that we strayed away from my tummy down! Or i had my son in front of my baby to block my bulge!
Melissa. I love this and I love the documentary style. Great article which is powerful and yet to the point. Very inspiring to me also as a pro portrait photographer. Thank you for sharing ��