photographing even the youngest babies, but she tries to
avoid working with six- to twelve-week-olds.
Three to Six Months.Babies of this age will rarely
fall asleep during a session—unless you are prepared to
stay with the family for two to three hours.
One important thing to remember about babies of any
stage of early development is that many physical activi-
ties require much attention from the baby to achieve. As
a rule, babies can only perform one voluntary physical
feat at a time. For example, Stacy warns parents that when
she puts a baby on his tummy, he is usually working so
hard to pull his head up, that a smile may not be possi-
ble. Babies in this position may smile, but at the same
time their heads drop straight down.
At the parent’s request, Stacy will photograph many
three- to four-month-olds in this position; but she also78 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
Stacy is a gifted at working with kids of all ages. Here, three sisters in their matching dresses are willing participants in Stacy’s friendly
system of “subject management.”