Six Months Old
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For photographer Michael Grinley, it's the perfect age.
There's something about 6-month-olds — or at least photographer Michael Grinley thinks so. Six years ago, well before he became a father himself (see Michael Augustus, next page), Grinley took his first pictures of a friend's 6-month-old, and he was smitten. "Before 6 months babies don't have as much of an individual look, but from this point on you see definite expressions. You can tell what their facial personality will be."
On a pragmatic level, unlike younger or older babies, "6-month-olds can lift their heads off the ground and sit up — at least in the tripod position. But they generally can't crawl off the set, so that makes them good subjects."
Plus, they have few wardrobe needs. Posing babies against a black backdrop does more than just show off their enviable physiques. "I'm trying to strip away any environment to show their purity of spirit," Grinley says. Case in point: Sarah, left, with her turned-down-mouth gravitas and intense gaze, sitting atop her perfect baby chub.
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