Maybe Matilda: The Wearying Life of a Baby Model

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Wearying Life of a Baby Model

 I was looking through some older photos last night of my little guy modeling my hats for my etsy shop, and couldn't stop laughing . . . maybe it was partially due to the sugar rush from my last-minute-9:30-at-night cookie-baking spree (when will I learn that those are always a bad idea?), but definitely in part because if you check out my shop, you'll see cute little pictures like these:

 (yeah, that's my son in a girl's hat . . . what? He doesn't know the difference. And let's be honest here, up until a certain age, babies are pretty gender-neutral. Would you have guessed he's a boy in that flower hat?)

But what you don't see are the hundreds of duds that we take before getting that one good shot:
So, as a bit of a public service announcement on behalf of my little model Forrest, we'd like you to know just how dang difficult his life as a baby model can be.

Focusing on batting those big blue eyes and giving a sweet gummy smile can be difficult when you'd rather taste the props:

And the product itself must be carefully inspected . . . quality control, people!

Of course, there's always the issue of distractions--who wants to smile at mom when there's a bug to examine right over there?
Or a mirror on the wall with a handsome fellow inside?

A model can't choose the times of his photo shoots, and sometimes they just don't jive with your mood. Some days you might feel like shouting instead of smiling:

Or you might be overcome with an uncontrollable case of the giggles mid-shoot:

And let's get real. No matter how delicious your little face looks most of the time, some days just aren't your finest, appearance-wise:

Even when you are looking particularly scrumptious, temptations abound. Like those tasty fingers dangling conveniently right on the end of your arm . . . go ahead, give them a suck or two:

And by golly, you do your best, but sometimes the product just won't cooperate with you:


Did we mention how exhausting this job can be?

So now that you know that there's an awful lot of this . . .

. . . behind every one of these:

. . . I'm sure you'll appreciate it so much more.

24 comments :

  1. Oh Forrest is just gorgeous! What brilliant photos though, definitley worth the effort!

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  2. Too adorable - I just ewant to squeeze (softly) his little cheeck : )

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  3. I think this has to be the cutest blog post i have ever read <3 xxx

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  4. sooooo precious! he is such a handsome little model! i think those kinds of pictures are the best, they show all their little personality!

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  5. He is so so so cute I just can't get over it! And seriously I want every single one of those hats!

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  6. He's such a cutie! I'm sure he'll the cherish the photos of himself wearing the girly hats and headbands when he's 15... :)

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  7. Super cute! I'm envious of your patience, lol. I usually just settle for posting the duds where all kids are looking in different directions, one is crying, or perhaps the photo is a little out of focus because of camera shake... Or, I'll post garments sans model (the clothing is usually more cooperative than the child and does not need to nap.) Love the post.

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  8. precious!! he's a beautiful boy! How old is he? I wonder if our boys are about the same age. Is he your first?

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  9. I loved this post. Seriously. Forest is so cute.

    Taking photos of kids is kooky business. Most of my photos of Gracie look either like she is either drunk or on the verge of a killing spree.

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  10. These are adorable! Forrest is so incredibly scrumptious.

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  11. These had me cracking up, thanks for sharing. I usually take about 100 more pictures then I need, 'cause only one or two come out that are scrapbook worthy!

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  12. Love it....I soooooo know you're troubles!! He's such a cutie, though!!

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  13. I'd say it takes quite the kid to be able to be so handsome and beautiful at the same time! And I had a late night cookie baking session last night too!

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  14. He's adorable! Those eyes of his are breathtaking!

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  15. ok...those are darling....i really love baby chub.

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  16. Too stinking cute! Sort of started making my ovaries hurt...until my 2 year old niece and 3 year old nephew started screaming at the top of their lungs....all is well again. :P

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  17. Ahhhhhhhhh, I love it!!! All the pictures made me smile for days! And you are so funny!!! Thanks for making my night.

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  18. I cannot wait for him to grow up. I want to see his reaction when he realizes how many "girl" items he modeled for you!!! You have got some serious leverage over him in the days to come! But, really...gorgeous...is gorgeous! Love your stuff!

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  19. Oh so precious! Both the baby and hats! :)
    Kindest regards,
    Jennifer Ferrell

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  20. Just as cute as can be - I L♥ve your blog - would be honored if you'd link into artseebloggers.com "a directory of the creatively inclined"

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  21. Oh my... this is just adorable!!! I love this post (and the model)!! Thanks for making me smile.

    xoEsther

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Thanks for commenting!

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