Baby Shepherd's Newborn Shoot

Have you ever met a 12 day old baby who could stay awake through 3 1/2 hours of shushing, swaddling, rocking, and 4 feedings?  I have.  His name is Shepherd.  Isn't he cute?  And alert?



This photo shoot did not go as planned.   What I had planned was shots of a sleepy, snoozy newborn, all cuddled up. 



I think my main problem was that although I cranked up the central heat and a little space heater, it just wasn't warm enough.  Unfortunately, the room in my house with the best light is also the least well insulated.  And it happened to be 50 deg F outside that day.  



About 2 hours before this shoot, I dropped my camera (GASP) and damaged the auto-focus function of my favorite lens.  I was beyond disappointed.  

Still, I really like some of these images.  Though they are not how I'd envisioned them, they're cute and they capture Shepherd's sweetness at this young age. 



This shot (above) is actually a composite of several different images. 



It's unsafe to perch baby in a basket without a hand to steady him, so you have to crop out the steadying hands. 



I fashioned this wood floor from some of the planks under our dining room table.  And then I stretched a bed sheet over a piece of MDF and placed a spare piece of baseboard at the bottom. 



I'm amazed at how big Elliot is.  Still less than 3 months old, but he seems so much older.  His face is so mature.  Holding Shepherd was fun.  He is teeny tiny.




Sweet little thing.



Sweet little feet.



Shepherd, you're a handsome little one.