The arrival of a new born baby is a special event, and for reasons you probably would not expect, this was a very significant day.
I spent the morning with a friend in hospice care. It was near the end and she had lost her sight that morning. When she needed a drink from her can of soda pop, I would hand it to her. She asked me to hold her hand, which I did. We talked about many things.
When I left the hospice center and got in my car, I just sat there for a while to collect my thoughts and gather my emotions. Just as I was ready to drive out of the parking lot, my phone rang. It was Selina. She told me she was on the way to the hospital and she tole me to meet her and her husband there.
Weeks earlier she had made arrangements with her doctor and the hospital for me to photograph the arrival of their baby boy. I made sure I did not schedule any out of town photo shoots or trips for the weeks right before and after her due date. As for my local shoots, I let everyone before I booked a shoot that if I got THE phone call mid-shoot, I would drop everything and head for the hospital. Everyone was ok with that.
Selina is a model so she also wanted to do a “baby bump” shoot before her due date. We did that February 27, just 5 days earlier.
So I went directly from the hospice center to the hospital delivery room.
When their son arrived it was an amazing moment and I felt so privileged to be there to photograph the event. Selina gave me permission to post photos online.
In retrospect, I could not think of anything better to do after leaving hospice that morning. Saying goodbye to one friend and welcoming a new life into the world was a true “Circle of Life” moment.
Not only is this my favorite image for March 4, it is one of my all time favorite photos.
I did everything in color, but I happen to like the black and white version better. At least today. Ask me tomorrow and I might change my mind.
Here he is just a few minutes old.
Proud papa.
This is far and a way one of my favorite photo shoots.
Links
Series: Favorite Photos by Date – all about this series
Favorite Photo, February 27 – Selina, “baby bump” photo shoot