Beautiful, Beautiful Boy

Close your eyes. Have no fear. The monster’s gone, he’s on the run, and your daddy’s here. Life experience takes us into unknown and uncomfortable territories—places we do not want to go and do our best to avoid. Plowing new ground is always tricky and requires great effort. Yet, uncovering a new environment is the only way we can plant new seeds and grow.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “We gain the strength of the temptation we resist.” This past week, I overcame the temptation to run from a lovely young couple’s request to photograph their newborn baby boy Rowan. When Apryl and Adam asked me if I would capture this moment for all time, I felt honored yet afraid.

Newborn photography is, in my opinion, the hardest of all. Photographing infants should be done in a studio—we had to do it at the farm. The images you typically see are so soft and cuddly because, in the studio, you can control the light. The couple requested we use only the available, through the window light, and in the harsh afternoon full sun. Newborn photographers have special equipment for posing the infant: posing trampolines, mothers heartbeat as white noise to calm the infant critter, pacifiers, very large softboxes for flash and fixed hot lights, backdrops, and all kinds of props to make the child look something out of a fairytale fantasy. When I look at some of those images of a baby asleep in a pea-pod with a stem for a cap, I think if this kid could speak, what would they say? 

We did our best armed with just a few grandmother-made blankets, an old suitcase, a sheepskin, a milking bucket, some hay bales, a couple of baby lambs, and a camera. Even the light was against us; it was afternoon, full sun, cloudless sky with bright white snow to magnify the sun’s intensity. We did use a sheet to soften the light through the window. We did not have a scrim to soften the light, For the outdoors shoot, to keep the family from squinting. We had no strobe lights to fill the harsh shadows; a cloud or two would have helped.

Against all odds, we set out to capture this joyous occasion and this beautiful family. I always say I am not a photographer; I am a storyteller.” So we decided to tell the story of a beautiful, beautiful baby boy Rowan, a future farmer and rancher. We wanted to capture the environment and lifestyle of Rowan’s family, cats, dogs, lambs, and all in the farmhouse and by the barn in the hay. 

I think we accomplished our goal. Rowan only had to be in a milk bucket and a suitcase—he would have preferred just being busy eating, pooping, and sleeping—he was a very good wide-eyed typical boy. 

I salute all newborn baby photographers; if you read this article, I hope you enjoy these images. Please feel free to comment. I also salute Rowan for being the beautiful, beautiful, darling boy and his loving family. 

Final comment: We learned a lot, grew a lot, pressed the boundaries, and overcame our doubts. Welcome to the world, Rowan!

“Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” ~ John Lennon 1981

 

Close your eyes,

Have no fear,

The monster’s gone,

He’s on the run

And your daddy’s here,

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,

Beautiful boy,

Before you go to sleep,

Say a little prayer,

Every day

In every way,

It’s getting better and better,

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,

Beautiful boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,

I can hardly wait

To see you to come of age,

But I guess we’ll both

Just have to be patient,

‘Cause it’s a long way to go,

A hard row to hoe

Yes, it’s a long way to go

But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,

Take my hand,

Life is what happens to you,

While you’re busy making other plans,

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,

Beautiful boy,

Before you go to sleep,

Say a little prayer,

Every day

In every way,

It’s getting better and better,

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,

Beautiful boy,