I cannot tell you how happy it made my heart to meet my brand new baby nephew when he was only a few hours old. I planned on meeting him anyway of course, but when I asked my sister if I could document their first few hours with new baby, she agreed and I was stoked.

He was born on a military base, just like my niece was a few years ago. The security checkpoint took a bit to get through but that is to be expected. I have to say I really enjoy the vibe at this hospital. Very laid back and quiet. They deliver a lot of babies – enough said!

When I arrived it was quiet, my niece was there and wasn’t too interested in her new baby brother (typical toddler, right?). I took up a seat on the floor, chose my gear and snapped a few shots of this sweet baby to send to family right away. The next several hours were a sweet mix of chatting, baby snuggling and photographing. I am so grateful that I was able to share these precious moments with them and I hope that love the photos!

Behind the photos |  I have to be honest, I did direct about a third of these pictures so it’s not a completely authentic documentary session. The editing is very minimal with only few adjustments to exposure and adjustments to the whites and blacks. The overall feel lends a nod to journalistic portraiture. The lighting is my favorite. It was overcast outside, so the room was washed in naturally diffused lighting. I shot the entire session sans flash with a Canon 5D III + 35L.