Milly’s Glengarry newborn photos were the sweetest way to pass a morning!
Newborn photos with Moment.us aren’t a case of looking pretty and posing. That might seem alarming to some, right? My family work, like my wedding work (excluding portraits in both cases), is undirected. I’m not telling you what to do, what lights to turn on or off, or asking you to repeat activities.
In its best form, I’m capturing actions and reactions in the same photo so that you can understand the story without needing a caption. It’s a case of endlessly working on my sense of storytelling, understanding the timing that is needed to catch action at exactly the right time, and pulling together the right combination of photos so that you’re left with an impactful collection that cuts right to the heart of who your family is.
Making moment-driven family photos, in my case, means that I watch and listen to what’s happening around me in an effort to begin to understand your family’s dynamic. I try to learn – as quickly as I can – who is the sensitive one; which parent goes soft in the eyes when they look at their children; who is most likely to do a flying superhero jump off the back of the couch; who will quietly sneak off for a snack and then loudly spill the Goldfish crackers all over the floor. Documentary family photos mean that I’m hunting for moments – actions, gestures, reactions, and expressions – that are unique to your family.
When I’m visiting for a newborn session, the moments I’m hunting are subtle and quiet. When the baby is the first-born, these moments are about parents delighting in everything their new child does. These moments are tender touches; little exchanged glances of disbelief over the fact that you’ve created this perfect little human; laughter at the burps such a perfect little human can produce.
How does Mom help her baby latch while feeding? How does Dad cope during those moments of feeling uncertain about what he’s supposed to do to help? What’s the look in Dad’s eyes when he’s reaching to take his son from Mom’s hands to burp him? How does Mom laugh when she grips those two tiny ankles between her fingers to change a diaper full of so much more mess than she thought a small person capable of producing? How do Mom and Dad balance simultaneously holding a fussing baby and making a meal? Each of these moments produces so many more questions and each session is about trying to provide visual proof of the answers I find. Each family answers each string of questions in a way that is entirely unique to them.
Have a look below to see what happened when I joined Sean, Aly, and Milly.
Milly
Not only are you an absolute cherub of a baby, but the most adorable scenes unfolded while I was with you.
You see, you were born to have a sidekick, and his name is Lenny. He’s excited that you’re here and, if current habits are anything to go by, he’ll likely never willingly leave your side. Lenny adores everything about you: your smell, your little fingers, all of the “stuff” that comes with having you in the house, the way you squall when you’re annoyed. After a few minutes of being disinterested in my presence, he made it known that he expected to be able to keep you company the entire time I was with you, and I was more than happy to let him have his way.
The other truly marvelous thing that happened while I was visiting was that I got to see just how wonderful your mom and dad already are as parents. Your dad caught me by surprise with just how comfortable he is when you’re in his arms. He’s relaxed and peaceful in a way that I haven’t seen him before, even if you’re letting your displeasure about anything be known. It takes a special kind of dad to not panic when a squalling newborn is in his arms, but he hung onto you and took it in stride. That can only mean good things for you in the years to come, baby girl.
And your mom…..well. I mean it when I say that she can’t stop looking at you. Her shoulders relax, she grins endlessly, and her voice is filled simultaneously with tenderness and laughter. She’s most at ease when you’re with her and I can see her instincts coming to the surface in so many ways. I have no doubt that your parents are going to spend their lives making you feel safe, valued, loved.
One day, years from now, you might realise that you filled a Milly-sized hole in your mom and dad’s hearts the moment you were born. You might see the way that your mom looks at you or the way that your dad grins when he talks about you. I hope you do. It’s something really special to witness.
You are so loved, Milly. Here’s how I know:
I’m Ang. I’m a documentary family photographer offering coverage like this casual at-home Cornwall newborn session, as well as other moment-driven, family-positive sessions throughout SD&G. Laughter is important in my life and in my work and I want to show you the beauty, the humour and the little moments of connection in your everyday. Want to see more sessions like these Glengarry newborn photos to get an idea of just what happens during my time with you? Start here!
