Baby portrait in a dresser drawer. Gilbert, Arizona.

I must admit, the idea of a little child peaking out of a dresser drawer is a funny thing to me.  I have tried the concept with little babies as they sleep, but this little guy was pretty big, so I had to test the drawer first and make sure it would bare his weight.  It was a sturdy situation, so we went for the shot.  I think it was perfect.

And of course, I love photographing the toys in a nursery.  They say as much about the parent as they do about the baby.  Of course, the baby would play with boxes and wrapping paper and be just as happy as with toys, so what we buy our children is more for us and our decorating tastes than it is for the baby’s.  So when I see a ring stacking toy like this one, I am going to have to photograph it.  That is one cool ring stacking toy… full of crazy style.  I think my friend Emily McPhie (quite a talented painter) would love it, as would Heather Bailey (another friend and talented fabric designer).

And by the way, that is one very large giraffe.

Stuffed animals and toys in the nursery room.

“Oh bother,” said Pooh, “must I stay in the crib?  There’s not a drop of honey in here anywhere.”

Winnie the Pooh in the Crib

Whoever invented the board book is an absolute genius.

Baby with a book in his nursery room.

I am always surprised at how little a baby needs to find and express this complete explosion of joy.

Baby Portrait full of Joy.

Baby portrait in the baby's crib. Gilbert Arizona.

Father and Baby Boy on a reading chair.

I enjoy looking around a child’s room and seeing what rests on the shelves.  In this case, I was drawn to this little praying boy, sandwiched between the Willow Tree sculpture and the reference to Noah’s dove experiment from the arch.  I thought it was a well put together shelf with a lot of meaningful items on the shelf.  My wife claims I am not an observant person, and that may be true on a day to day basis, but when I have a camera in my hands, I seem to pay attention to things.  I suppose the camera is a trigger for a certain portion of my brain to kick into gear.

Items on the baby's shelf.