who needs sleep
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My mind is racing, filled with lists
of things to do and things I’ve done
Another sleepless night’s begun
Lids down, I count sheep
I count heartbeats
The only thing that counts is
that I won’t sleep
I countdown, I look around
Who needs sleep?
well you’re never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what’s that for
Who needs sleep?
be happy with what you’re getting
There’s a guy who’s been awake
since the Second World War
~Steven Page & Ed Robertson
“Who needs Sleep”
Once a baby reaches the point of being overly tired and is extremely fussy as a result, the only hope of continuing a photo session is to encourage a nap and grab a few peaceful sleeping baby shots. This isn’t always easy though, as babies innately sense something suspicious going on and will usually resist sleep with everything they’ve got, no matter how exhausted and ornery they’ve become.
After several unsuccessful attempts at getting this baby to sleep the mom and I agreed to give it one more go. She was patting him gently on his back and the subtle motion looked to be working as his eyelids became heavy and his crying finally subsided. I was ready with camera just waiting until his eyes completely closed and he had time to settle in. When the time seemed right I crouched down to where he was sweetly nestled in a beanbag and carefully released the shutter. In that very same second his big blue eyes popped wide open and instead of sleeping baby I got this shot. I don’t even know how I managed to keep it focused I was so surprised, and another split second later he was screaming in protest and session officially complete.
All I kept thinking about in the moments following the shoot was the song, “Who needs sleep” by BNL, and how perfectly fitting it was for the way this shoot concluded.
So not a sleeping baby shot to be had on this day…….but who needs sleep anyway?
~Cynthia
