Photo op.

"Peering out of tiny eyes
The grubby hands that gripped the rail
Wiped the window clean of frost
As the morning air laid on the latch."

It's been a while since I became a new born father---I am very happy to report it will never happen again. At least I sure hope not. But, I am more than fine with holding, or being a part of a new life, as long as I can hand the baby back to the parents.

It seems these days being a new parent requires a lot more research than what I recall; sure we had the same issues of health and wellness, but the internet has brought on so much information it's hard to believe children make it into this world without an "app, mouse, or ipad" in their hands when they arrive in this world. (I suspect they are familiar with some of the sounds they hear around the computer---whether it's music, Skype, or whatever is going on when Mom is online.)

One area that has changed, at least of what I recall, is the desire to capture every aspect of the pregnancy. When we had our children, we of course, had photos taken. Some were in the delivery room---you will not see these as my wife would kill me---and others were taken after the baby was born. We took 1000's but we also purchased the ones from the photographers in the hospital. Why? I still am not sure.

But there is a new trend---one that I didn't realize was as big as it is. They are the maternity photos; Mom wants to show her bundle of joy while they are still bundled, and we as photographers are more than happy to take them. We don't even have to encourage the baby to smile, look at us, or open their eyes. 

As easy as it might seem, it's not. 

Recently I answered an advertisement to take maternity photos; I had taken new born shots so I figured, "I can do this." Yeah, right. I did so much research to look for creative ideas---more than I have ever done for a photo shoot. But I am glad I did. It's not like these photos are the greatest I have taken, but I also know they are really important to the people you are taking them for--and they are trusting you to capture the experience. No pressure.

We met the couple last weekend; she was in her 9th month. What was so nice about the photo shoot was her willingness to help us capture the memory she wanted. We asked, "Would you let us do this?" She said, "Sure." The shoot went on for 2 hours. It was actually a lot of fun, but...then there is the next step. You have to show them the photos and hope they like them. There really are no retakes when time is limited--fortunately we got the thumbs up.

The photo above was one I liked. Sure, the baby is still waiting to make an entrance, but due to technology---way beyond what we had a few years ago--you can actually see the baby. It's called "4-D" and it is very cool. I liked this photo because no matter how many times I said, "smile," I knew the baby was probably beaming---almost as much as his parents. Yes it's a boy.

Thanks for stopping by.