When an Ohio-based photographer agreed to do a photoshoot to capture a newborn baby, the last thing she expected was for the little bundle of joy to go viral for his adorably grumpy facade.
Lauren Carson, the woman behind the camera in all of the eye-catching pictures on her page—Drawing In Light Photography, was pleasantly surprised when a 7-day-old infant named Trent offered her some headline-making expressions.
“I've been photographing newborns for a decade and have photographed hundreds of babies who have given me tons of great expressions. But none, and I mean NONE compare to the looks this sweet guy threw my way,” said the photographer operating out of Cincinnati.
The hashtag #grumpybaby was also attached to baby Trent’s heartwarming images.
Pictures from Baby Trent's photoshoot went viral online for his lovable grumpy facade
Image credits: Drawing In Light Photography
The pictures uploaded earlier this month went viral, racking up more than 155k likes so far and nearly 20k comments about the grumpy baby with his squishy cheeks.
“He was born with a mortgage and 4 kids,” one comment said, while another chimed in, “He has a face for every single month in 2024…”
“Boy…. I feel you. This world gives me the same vibes,” another joked.
“Why is that middle aged man so small?” one humorously asked.
Another comment said, “Bro just served 9 months on the inside and he didn’t come to play.”
Photographer Lauren Carson was able to capture the 7-day-old infant's expressions in the nick of time
Image credits: Drawing In Light Photography
As the comments section of her photos buzzed with playful remarks about the newborn, Lauren took the time out to clarify that the baby “may look grumpy, but he was actually a sweet little snuggle bug!”
The mother-of-three said she has worked as a professional photographer for about 11 years but never in her “wildest dreams” expected the little one’s expressions to reach the nooks and crannies of the internet.
"It's definitely not predictable and doesn't happen at every session, but I always try to capture it when it does happen," she told FOX Television Stations. "However, I don't think I've ever had a baby that has been quite as expressive with such direct eye contact as this guy!"
"He was just scowling," said the Cincinnati-based photographer, who never in her “wildest dreams” expected the little one to get this much attention online
Lauren’s online platforms have seen a massive spike in page views since the images were shared. She has also been receiving hundreds of messages from others asking her if she is available to shoot pictures of their own babies.
Despite a decade’s worth of experience photographing newborn babies, she said photographing little Trent was a whole new experience.
“He was perfectly comfortable. He wasn’t upset. He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t fussing. He was just scowling,” she told WCPO 9 Cincinnati.
Lauren uploaded another picture in the comments and said, "Not long after these were taken he fell asleep and we took some more traditional posed newborn pictures"
Lauren was glad she was able to capture Trent’s endearing internet-famous expressions.
"I can’t make a baby smile, I can’t make a baby make expressive faces, it’s just it happens," she explained to the outlet. "And I’ve gotten really good at being able to capture it the moment it happens. Those fleeting smiles and the looks, and making eye contact like that is something I’ve gotten really good at over the years of being able to, you know, taking a picture at that exact moment."