There is nothing more exciting than have the opportunity to photograph a tiny, newborn life. Wrinkled little feet and foreheads. Tiny little fingers and toes. Tiny body parts that need a macro lens to capture. I find photographing infants to be exhilarating! The only thing better than capturing a precious moment of one tiny life is having the opportunity to capture the moments of two tiny lives.Last weekend I began, what I hope will be a year-long (or even longer) photography opportunity. I will be turning precious moments with this set of fraternal, brother and sister twins into timeless portraits. As any sibling set, one is often easier to photograph than the other. One sits, one wants to stand. One laughs, the other wants to pout. One loves their portrait taken, the other feels as if their soul is being stolen. Even with these tiny, five-week old cuties, one was a willing participant while the other was not a happy camper. No matter what, happy or sad, a five-week old, six pound infant is precious.
The session started with mom, dad, big sister and of course, the twins in tow. A five person family can fit comfortably in my small home studio. Portrait request from the parents: A portrait with the twins together and a portrait of the big sister with the twins. Easy? Sure! So, I set to work setting up the shots. I don't know about you, but days before a shoot I visualize what I want from a portrait session and get a good image of what it will be like. However, nine times out of ten, I go with whatever the situation, or in a photographers case, subject, throws at me. Literally sometimes!
The twins were easy enough to photograph. All snuggled up in their white onsies and blankets, I could easily capture their new little lives that consisted of a whole month and a handful of days. Quite a privilege if you ask me. Big sister was proud and smiled from ear to ear the entire session. Trying to get her NOT to smile for a serious pose was a feat in and of itself. It's tough to make a happy girl look serious.
I don't know if you've ever done a portrait of a newborn before. A typical newborn session consists of posing, crying, feeding, more crying, more feeding, diaper changes, clothing changes, more crying, crying, crying... Sounds fun doesn't it? It is in fact one of the most fun genres of photography I get to do. The twin portrait session consisted of all of these things...times two. However, with the calm demeanor of the parents everything went smoothly and I was able to get many shots between the infants' "must dos."
After the portrait session was over, I asked the parents if I could have the opportunity to photograph these little souls each month for their first year and maybe even beyond. It is my dream as a photographer to capture the moments in a life over the course of time and to be able to have the opportunity to do this with twins would be fantastic. They agreed.
So, my journey begins today with the post of the twins going head to head in this portrait. Mom and Dad said that in the womb they were often in this position so this is clearly a great way to begin our photo journalistic journey together. I hope you'll join me each month in celebrating their lives.
