A newborn baby's photo shoot in Cincinnati, Ohio, went trending after the photographer shared images of the baby's humorously grouchy expression online.
Newborn Photo Shoot Goes Viral
The baby, Trent, was just 7 days old when his mom, Jessica Mundy, took him for a photo session with photographer Lauren Carson earlier this month.
Carson posted the photos of Trent on her Facebook photography account and explained why this shoot was particularly memorable for her compared to others she had done.
In a post the previous week, Carson wrote, "I've been photographing newborns for a decade and have captured hundreds of babies with a variety of great expressions, but none, and I mean NONE, compared to the looks this sweet guy gave me."
The post rapidly went trending, accumulating over 150,000 likes. In an interview, Carson mentioned that the session started as a typical newborn shoot.
"Mom brought the baby in, and he was wide awake at the start," Carson explained. "So we swaddled him up and got him ready... we laid him down and just went with it."
She described how Trent posed for the camera, saying, "He started making those faces, and I just captured them as they happened. I try to capture all the expressions I can with newborns because they can be quite unpredictable."
Contrary to his expressions in the photos, Carson said Trent wasn't grumpy during the shoot. "He was perfectly content," she explained. "He wasn't fussy or crying. He was just making faces at us... he was a great baby."
Photographer Describes "Most Expressive" Baby She Ever Photographed
Carson said that in terms of expressions, Trent was the "most expressive" baby she had ever photographed. "I've captured lots of expressions over the years-smiles, awkward faces-but none as consistent as his, especially with eye contact," she added.
"He had fantastic eye contact along with his expressions." When Trent started making his faces during the shoot, Carson said she and Trent's mom began laughing, with Mundy noting that these expressions were typical for Trent.
Carson remembered Mundy telling her, "He has made those faces before." They were able to get more traditional newborn pictures after he fell asleep, Carson said. While she knew the pictures would be famous because they were cute, she didn't anticipate this level of recognition.
She said the best part of photographing newborns is knowing that "these tiny little people" will grow up to become whoever they are destined to be.
"There's so much potential in this little person, and to see the little quirks of personality and appreciate them is just a lot of fun," Carson said.
After sharing the photos online, Carson said they quickly garnered attention, with millions of views so far, and the feedback has been "overwhelmingly positive."
"A lot of people find it funny," she said. "Many have commented on what they think he might be thinking, saying he looks like a grumpy old man." Carson also noted that other parents have related to her photos of baby Trent.
"People have been sharing pictures of their kids making funny faces," Carson said, adding, "It's been entertaining for me to watch from my side."