by Gerald Boerner
We all love to see photos of babies. They can be so darling and can be dressed up to look like all sorts of lovable critters. Well, Anne Geddes has taken this feature to new heights. She is an expert at taking adorable photos of babies, initially in their own homes, and later, in her studio. She used a variety of props to make them look like butterflies or snails or other exotic critters. In recent years, she has been following up on some of the images of the children she photographed in their current settings. Enjoy the images sampled here and on Geddes’ web site and in the slide show referenced below. GLB
“The hardest thing in photography is to create a simple image.”
— Anne Geddes
“I have a deep respect and love for these tiny humans, and I hope to convey in my images a measure of the beauty that exists in all children.”
— Anne Geddes
“I photograph from the heart. I adore little babies and I think that shows. My images are really very positive, very simple, and from the heart. Babies speak a universal language.”
— Anne Geddes
“Babies are my inspiration and my joy. In them, I see innocence and the precious possibilities of each life unfolding. In my images, I hope to convey a measure of the beauty that exists in all children.”
— Anne Geddes
“I think the best images are the ones that retain their strength and impact over the years, regardless of the number of times they are viewed.”
— Anne Geddes
“I can’t think of any flower that wouldn’t be suitable to merge with an image of a newborn, and as I was planning for the book, Miracle, I was drawn to blossoms that appealed to me artistically.”
— Anne Geddes
“I think that emotional content is an image’s most important element, regardless of the photographic technique. Much of the work I see these days lacks the emotional impact to draw a reaction from viewers, or remain in their hearts.”
— Anne Geddes
“My idea of a perfect image is where I have created a beautiful environment, and the baby has given something of its personality. That extra spark in the image is always supplied by the baby. When you look at one of my images, your eye is always drawn to the baby’s face, regardless of how complicated the setting is. The babies are always the most important aspect of the image, and so they should be.”
— Anne Geddes
Note:
The quotes included in this posting were taken from the public quotation site, ArtQuotes.com, which does not indicate that they are covered by any special copyright restrictions. Likewise, the images included in this posting were obtained under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License from the Wikipedia.com web site or from Geddes own web site which did not state any restrictions on their use. This blog makes every attempt to comply with the legal rights of copyright holders.This posting is intended for the educational use of photographers and photography students and complies with the “educational fair use” provisions of copyright law. For readers who might wish to reuse some of these images should check out their compliance with copyright limitations that might apply to that use.
GLB
Anne Geddes (Born: 1956)
Anne Geddes is an Australian-born photographer, clothing designer and businesswoman who now lives and works in New Zealand. She is known for her stylized depictions of babies and motherhood. Geddes is self-taught, as there were no photography courses at her school.
In most of her work, babies or young children are dressed as fictitious characters such as fairies and fairytale creatures, flowers, or animals like bunnies. Her subjects are extremely idealized; babies in her photographs are almost always sleeping or staring into space, as if still in utero. She has described herself as "a baby freak".
Photo Insider, in its interview with Geddes, observes that:
Mention the word "baby" in the photographic world and one name immediately springs to mind: Anne Geddes. In just over a decade, this Australian-born entrepreneur has gone from
running a portrait studio in New Zealand to becoming perhaps the world’s preeminent photographer of babies. She has published a wide array of books, greeting cards, calendars, datebooks, stationery, photo albums and recently launched her own line of baby clothing. According to her U.S. public relations firm, her work is published in more than 50 countries and her books have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. "You’ve got to be very organized to do babies," says this mother of two teenage daughters. "By the time they are in the studio, most of the work is done." In this interview, conducted via the Internet because of Geddes’s demanding schedule, you will find out just how she does it..
Anne’s biographical sketch on her web site (see below) includes the following information:
In Melbourne, Anne set up her first studio, reclaiming an old run-down garage at the back of their garden. Acting as an unpaid assistant to a local photographer, Anne developed her interest in working in a studio environment. She also entered her first photographic competition and placed second. Anne and Kel’s second daughter was born in Melbourne in 1986. The family moved to Auckland, New Zealand, when Kel was commissioned to launch the first independent television network in that country.
In 1988, Anne’s image of Gemma, a little girl standing in a tutu, taken previously in her studio in Melbourne, became her first published photograph, appearing in a local magazine in Auckland. The magazine feature on Anne and her photography and this image of Gemma created an interest in what was at the time a very different style of portraiture. After a short (“harrowing” in her words) experience as a wedding photographer, Anne decided to specialize in children’s portraiture, working out of her tiny new studio, Especially Kids, in Auckland.
Anne’s portraiture business was thriving, and in 1990, she decided to take one day a month to explore her inspirations and create an image purely for herself. The first and second images from these personal shoots were “Joshua” and “Rhys and Grant,” twins who became known as her “Cabbage Kids”—one of her most recognized photographs around the world.
In 1992, Kel left his highly successful career as Network President of Programming for Australia’s Channel 10 and became Anne’s business partner, and the first Anne Geddes card collection was introduced in New Zealand, becoming an instant success. Anne placed 1st in two sections at the AGFA Photokina in Germany, among other awards and accolades. It was this level of professional recognition, coupled with a request to help raise money for the prevention of child abuse, and the success of Anne’s greeting cards that led to thoughts of producing a calendar.
It was ten years between the time Anne first photographed friends’ babies in Hong Kong and the publication of the first Anne Geddes calendar, released in New Zealand in 1992. When she was approached about increasing awareness of the prevention of child abuse, Anne recalled the shadow of her own emotionally barren childhood; this first opportunity to reach a wider audience with her images went hand-in-hand with her desire to help others and support children, the most vulnerable in our society. Anne and Kel were unable to attract a publisher and distributor, so they sold the calendar door-to-door from the back of their car and in camera store outlets, collecting more than US $20,000 to help prevent child abuse and neglect. Their charitable giving formed the basis for what later became the nonprofit Geddes Philanthropic Trust.
Honors and Recognition
Geddes’ books have been published in 83 countries. According to Amazon.com she has sold more than 18 million books and 13 million calendars. Her books have been translated into 23 different languages.
Click on image to see
slide show of Anne
Geddes images…
In 1997 Geddes was awarded a Lifetime Membership in the Professional Photographers of America and an Honorary Fellowship with the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP).
Geddes was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004 "for services to photography and the community".
In 2004 and June 2005, the French postal service, La Poste, used four of her photographs for postage stamps to illustrate the series "C’est une fille – C’est un garçon" ("It’s a girl – It’s a boy"). In 2007, her images were introduced for use on the American postage product known as PhotoStamps.
Background and biographical information is from Wikipedia articles on:
Anne Geddes can be found at…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Geddes
Also see…
Ann Geddes Web Site: Biography…
http://www.annegeddes.com/Modules/Anne/Biography.aspx
ArtQuotes.com on Ann Geddes…
http://www.artquotes.net/masters/anne-geddes/index.htm
Gallery: All Anne Geddes…
http://www.andrea-schroeder.com/AGeddes9.html
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