SIOUX CITY | Who wouldn't want a photo of their newborn swaddled in an orange blanket, surrounded by pumpkins, just in time for fall?
For 12 years, KJ Wingert has happily photographed newborn babies in their natural habitats -- wrapped up in fuzzy blankets, sleeping soundly.
The owner of Photography by KJ documents a good deal of other occasions, quinceaneras, senior photos, family portraits and even boudoir photos. Wingert is a self-described control freak, but when it comes to newborns, she's at their mercy.
"With babies, I am so not in control. I am at their beck and call," said Wingert with a laugh. "I try to tell them I run this studio, but they don’t always believe me. We have tons of tricks to get them where we need them to pose and back to sleep, but they're the boss."
The newborn portraits are reminiscent of Anne Geddes, who is famous for her images of smiling infants in bee costumes and Cabbage Patch couture. Wingert also offers her services with a fall twist. Among her available decorations are fall color schemes and decorations, like a delicately preserved deer antler or a woolly orange blanket.
People are also reading…
The props Wingert uses tend to lean more towards chic -- her subjects don tiny knit hats or frilly headbands, and snooze peacefully on chenille blankets or inside leopard print crates.
"People are like, I need those photos," said Wingert. "Because time is so short, it's so, so short."
Wingert is mom to a 16-month-old.
"I don’t think I really truly knew the meaning of that until I had a baby," she said. "And then it's like, wow, it does go fast."
The younger the baby, the easier the photos are to take, so expectant parents are encouraged to schedule their sessions several months before their due date. Wingert prefers to photograph babies between 1 and 10 days old.
"It seems like on day 11, God gives them legs to kick with," she said. "They're not quite as tired the older they get. They learn how to flinch and they're experiencing moving different body parts."
Babies who kick and wave their arms during their sessions are not Wingert's only adversaries during the infant photo shoots. In fact, there's a more nefarious enemy -- Mother Nature.
"They usually pee or poop on something every time," said Wingert. "We don’t care. We take it home and Clorox bleach everything. I've worn yellow mustard more times than I care to say. But it's all part of the gig."
She admits she's only had a small handful of newborn shoots where accidents haven't happened -- basically, it's completely normal.
The baby snapshot business first started booming when Wingert contacted Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City and said she'd like to help decorate the hallways of the maternity ward. The proposition evolved into a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" kind of give-and-take. And it worked out perfectly.
"They get exactly what they want down the hallways," said Wingert. "It's decor for them, and it's somebody local that they're supporting, which is amazing. It’s a win-win for both of us."
With the publicity nailed down, the word spread about Wingert's newborn photos and customers flocked in. Some weeks, she has three newborn shoots. Other weeks, she has none. It's never consistent, since, obviously, babies can be born anytime. But she's happy to provide a service that parents cherish for years to come.
"Let's face it, parenting is exhausting," said Wingert. "So if I can let mom and dad come in for an hour or two and just relax and get something to drink, and the lights are down and calm music is on -- if I can create that environment for them, then I feel like I've done my job."
It seems Wingert's photos scratch an age-old itch -- to remember the sweetness, and to hold onto those precious, fleeting moments filled with the innocence of a child.
