We have a tendency to hyperfocus on the relationships that clients hired us to photograph, such as celebrating a baby. I often hear, “I don’t care about me—it’s about my baby.” However, if we ignore featuring Mom and Dad, we miss some amazing images.
A New Woman
A mom-to-be is often told that she glows, but that glow does not go away once she has the baby. In fact, it continues to grow. In the portrait on the facing page, I can see that glow. She is a new woman because her life has changed in a very special way. When I look at her face and eyes, I see a magic that was not at the same level before the baby was born; this is a new beginning. It would be an injustice if we only photographed the baby and did not create some portraits that expressed the parents’ emotions as well.
Body Language
This portrait is about the body language of Mom embracing her child—the way her left arm is wrapped snuggly around the baby and the gentleness of the touch of her right hand. The little tilt of Mom’s head toward the baby connects; if she did not do that, the image would fall short of its potential. Without the head tilt, she could be holding anyone’s baby; tipping her head toward the infant conveys that this is her child.
Expressions
I always look for points of physical connection. When these are established, Mom will almost always give me honest, emotion-filled expressions as she feels her love for her baby. The expressions that come from real feelings are not something you can turn on and off. A smile comes when you feel joy; a serious expression comes when the mind is engaged. I encourage photographers to stop asking for expressions and begin creating scenarios and environments that bring them out. That is when you will be able to truly capture the subject.
Additional images from the same session.