Last week, I got to embark in one of my first newborn sessions. Samuel's mommy was a relative of a Quince birthday girl I photographed last year. She called me and asked me to photograph her son Samuel, who was only 3 weeks old! Aww!
I informed her to be fair, that we didn't normally shoot newborn photos and this would almost be a trial photoshoot. I cut her a deal, monetary-wise, and she agreed to give us a try. She also wanted pics of her older children with Samuel. This sounded like fun!
It was definitely different than my usual photoshoots, and I did as much research as I could for newborn shoots. (Believe me, I have a lot of respect for photographers who do it all the time). My favorite part of this whole experience was how was I going to keep these kids entertained while photographing the baby. In my quick thinking, I had them sit down on my paper black backdrop, and gave them some white chalk and start drawing. I was quite proud of my readiness, and how we incorporated the drawings into the photoshoot.
It was fun, and YES, IT ABSOLUTELY GAVE ME BABY FEVER. I love babies. Any child under 4 is my favorite to play with. Just hand them over to me, and I get happy. With that said, I'm obviously not ready to take on the challenge of motherhood (hence, I only get excited about kids who are under 4). I am an after-school dance teacher, and I love my students more than anything in the world. It's insane how much life they give me. But I know I only spend about 3 1/2 hours with them a week. So, to digress a little from my photoshoot, I wrote a letter to all parents...
Dear Parents,
You are rockstars. All of you. One day, I'll get to put on the superhero costume that has the giant M across the front, and daily save the world that my kids live in. There are days where I say, I could never do what you do. I'm scared in one way, but hopeful in another way. But I'm sure there was at least one time in your pre-parent life that you said the same exact thing. Just know that no one else is doing the job you are... You are that child's parent. No one else gets to say that they're raising your child. They look to you, in times of fear, in times of excitement, sadness, happiness, and so much more. Parents, you are a blessing. You are what your child needs, even if they don't verbally express that.
-Georgia
p.s. Enjoy a sweet photo from our shoot last Friday.
