It could be said that every newborn baby is a work of art, but that's especially true of the infants starring in a new series by Texas photographer and mother-of-three Lindsay Walden. Called The Newborn Photography Masterpiece Collection, the images feature gorgeous tiny babies on backdrops inspired by some of art history's most instantly recognizable paintings -- and the results are nothing short of museum-worthy!
Walden says she got the idea for the series while walking through a Gustave Caillebotte exhibit at the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
"As I was looking at these beautiful paintings I was thinking, how much fun would it be to incorporate some of these elements in my photography?" Walden told The Stir.
Walden came up with an ingenious way to do it, too: by constructing backdrops re-creating such fine art classics as Van Gogh's Starry Night, using hand-dyed natural fibers and working the babies themselves into the original designs.
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What could be sweeter? Surprisingly, Walden says her clients weren't immediately into the concept.
"They were like, 'Oh, that's cute,' but I could tell they weren't really into it," says Walden. "And it's important to give clients what they want, so I didn't push it. But then I told my photographer mom friends and they were all like, 'That's a great idea!' So their babies were my models."
And what lovely models they were! Check out Walden's incredibly dreamy re-creation of Starry Night:
Absolutely beautiful! Though, the process of making the portrait definitely included some trial and error, says Walden.
"The only thing I could think to use for the backdrop was bubble wrap," says Walden. "Then we're trying to lay this sleeping baby down on top, and pop, pop, pop! The mom and I just started giggling and I said, 'This was a bad idea!'"
Walden refined the process for her next two portraits, based on Claude Monet's Water Lilies ...
Breathtaking! And Edvard Munch's classic, The Scream.
Artful angst has never been so adorable! And the response? Huge. Walden says she's completely blown away by how quickly the photos -- which she only posted a couple of days ago -- have gone viral.
"We're on vacation, and my husband is like, 'Why are you on your phone again?'" Walden laughs. "I was hoping they would be popular but I kind of felt like they would be either a hit or a flop. I'm still trying to take it all in!"
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Lucky for the rest of us, Walden will be getting back to work soon; she says she's planning to do 12 portraits based on famous artworks. And it will be a labor of love, to be sure.
"I love newborn photography," says Walden.
"It's really a blessing to be able to work with these babies and give families something they can treasure for a lifetime. I've always described what I do as artwork, so to incorporate babies into actual artwork isn't that big of a leap for me!"
We can't wait to see the next installment! See more of Walden's work at lindsaywaldenphotography.com.
Images courtesy of Lindsay Walden Photography