When photographer Alessandro Della Bella's son Claudio was born last year, he took plenty of pictures ... including, as a lark, his baby in a camera bag.
"As a professional photographer, it was clear to shoot the picture for Claudio's birth notice myself," he says. "First, l took some 'classic' baby pictures of him. The one in the photo bag was not standard at all, and my wife and I liked it best."
From there, the photo went viral among photography circles -- and beyond -- inspiring other photographers to post similar pics.
Ning Wong, for instance, was shooting pics of her 3-month-old Maya and "wanted to do something that incorporated her with my work. So I stuffed her into my bag -- carefully -- and snapped away!"
At first, Wong admits, "My wife was highly annoyed, but after she saw the image, she forgot about it and fell in love with it. We love this photo because it shows a balance between work and family life -- everything I do is for my family. And, she just looks so cute!"
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Meanwhile, Denver, Colorado–based event photographer Drake Busch photographed his baby Grayson not only in the camera bag, but with a press pass!
The reason: "Leaving your child behind as you go out on assignment can be rough, so a friend gave Grayson his own press pass so he could always accompany his daddy," Busch explained. "Naturally I did what any photographer would do: gently place my 2-month-old son in my camera bag and snap a few photos. I love how the bag and equipment in the photos helps to give a good sense of scale on the size of this soon-to-be photographer."
Speaking of scale and size ... Della Bella took this fun trend one step further by photographing his baby in the camera bag again at the 8-month mark.
See how much he's grown?
You've gotta love when people find creative ways to involve their kids with their work. Plus they prove babies are happy just about anywhere! As Della Bella explained, "We like these photos a lot because Claudio is such a wonderful, joyful, easygoing, relaxed, happy baby."
Images via Alessandro Della Bella; Ning Wong; Drake Busch