CINCINNATI — This newborn will put you in your place with just one look. Little Trent has a mean side-eye that could make a grown-up shiver.
Lauren Carson, the owner of Drawing in Light Photography, said she’s never photographed a baby like him.
"I don’t think I’ve ever had a baby as expressive with as intense eye contact along with it," Carson said.
She’s been photographing newborns for a decade, but Trent’s photo session was a new experience. Giving looks is something his mom is accustomed to as well.
"That’s just a normal face for him," Carson said. "It wasn’t anything unusual that she had seen before, so I think she was glad we were able to document it."
Carson posted several photos on social media, and people can’t get enough. Her Facebook post has more than 155,000 likes and 35,000 shares.
"It has been wild — I never would have guessed in a million years that it would have gone to this level," she said. "My inbox is very full right now, so I’m still filtering through messages. I haven’t gotten quite a few people asking about sessions."
She has been photographing newborns for a decade, so she has gotten good at styling and capturing them at the right moment.
"I can’t make a baby smile, I can’t make a baby make expressive faces, it’s just it happens," Carson said. "And I’ve gotten really good at being able to capture it the moment it happens. Those fleeting smiles and the looks, and making eye contact like that is something I’ve gotten really good at over the years of being able to, you know, taking a picture at that exact moment."
Carson said the photo shoot lasted two hours, which is typical for a newborn.
“He was perfectly comfortable. He wasn’t upset. He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t fussing. He was just scowling,” Carson said.
She said she first got into photography to take better pictures of her children. Now, it’s turned into a business.
Carson said photographing newborns takes a lot of patience, but the photos are worth it in the end.
"It’s definitely a very specialized niche," Carson said. "The expressive quirky babies are always my favorite babies."
She has several different props, outfits, and accessories she uses for each of her shoots to match the unique personality of each baby.
Carson said she specializes in newborns and toddlers, but she will take photos of older children as well. Sounds like little Trent will have to come and recreate his viral photos when he turns 18.
