A Photographer’s Point of View: Photos I Treasured As a New Mom

When I came home from the hospital with my new baby, I felt like my whole world was turned upside down! All I wanted to do was love my baby, and the last thing that was on my mind was taking pictures- even as a photographer.  I had been taking pictures of other people’s babies for many years, but the thought of taking pictures of my own was a little overwhelming. It felt like the most important occasion of my life, and I was like a deer in the headlights! The best idea I came up with was to trust other people to capture it.  I took lots of pictures too, but the ones I treasure most were taken by other people- partly because I’m in them! Don’t make the mistake of only taking pictures and not letting other get pictures of you.

Here is a picture my husband took of my baby Cassandra and me that I will always treasure- even though it’s blurry and I look absolutely exhausted.  I was! There was no fancy photo session when we came home where I got all dolled up. No way. I was barely sleeping, nursing the baby around the clock, and I am glad to have visual proof of the way I felt- so deeply in love, that I could care less what I looked like.  I always try to suggest that parents get these “messy” photos even if they feel like they look terrible because they are all part of the memory!  You can get prettied up later.

Then my smart photographer friend and mom offered to take pictures of me at her studio.  It seemed like too much but I figured, what kind of photographer would I be if I didn’t have “real” pictures taken of us?  It was a long drive and a challenging day to get my baby happy enough to not be screaming her head off, but  it was worth every minute. I love these pictures and will treasure them for the rest of my life!!

Photos by Joan Stewart

Another picture I will treasure forever is this candid that my intern took of me when I was trying to run my photo business from home while taking care of baby.  I would bounce on a yoga ball and hold Cassandra with one arm to try to get her to sleep while I would try to respond to emails with one hand (Notice I used the word “try” twice in that sentence. It was rarely successful and sometimes it would take all day to respond to 5 emails.).  The phone would ring and then I’d have to check my calendar to schedule something, and the baby would wake up, start slipping down, and crying, and oh well, I guess that’s all the work I was going to get done anyways!  (There was definitely a bunch of laundry and/or unread mail falling off the table that I cropped out.

Another favorite photo from that time was a shot that my friend took of us in our backyard: my husband Jesse, Cassandra and myself.  It took me all day to get ready for this, and I was so proud of myself that I washed my hair that day! I would count this photo among some of my most priceless possessions.  I have never been more exhausted, happy and in love in my whole life. 

Photo by Mary Mervis

Anita Buzzy Prentiss is a portrait photographer, mom, and has owned Buzzy Photography for over 23 years.  She sees the best in people and specializes in capturing beauty, magic and love and creating photos you will treasure forever.  www.buzzyphoto.com