The joy of photographing this little munchkin came to me mid summer. Anya is just over 3 months old in these photos. She is definitely a daddy’s girl. She’s soothed by his voice and smiles when he holds her hand.

The crucial first year times to photograph babies is generally as follows. The first opportunity is about 5-9 days. These are the photos when you put them in the palm of your hand (or put a cute hat on them and put them in a small vase or bowl : ) The next stage is right after 3 months, when they start to lift up their head while lying on their stomach. Next big change is when they are able to sit up. This is great, because they still can’t run away at this point. : ) The last one year mark to photograph babies, is at the year mark, because that is when they usually start to stand. It really depends on the parent what they want photographed, or document, but really all stages are exciting.

During all shoots there is that one picture that at first looks like a failure, but then you realize that it’s beautiful, although not necessarily a standard of beauty. Of course I’m talking about the picture on the right. I love how the four hands add to the drama of the crying and emotion of the photo.