Anne Geddes facts for kids

Anne Elizabeth Geddes MNZM (born 1956) is an Australian-born, New York City-based portrait photographer known primarily for her elaborately-staged photographs of infants.

Geddes's books have been published in 83 countries. According to Amazon.com, she has sold more than 18 million books and 13 million calendars. In 1997, Cedco Publishing sold more than 1.8 million calendars and date books bearing Geddes' photography. Her 1996 debut book Down in the Garden, was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and made it to the New York Times bestseller list. Her books have been translated into 23 languages.

Early life

In her 2007 autobiography Labor of Love, Geddes talked about her difficult early years at their family cattle farm in Queensland, Australia. She dropped out of school at 17 and left home. Later, she met and married Kel Geddes, and moved to Hong Kong in 1983 for his work in television. There, at age 25, she taught herself photography using her husband's 35mm Pentax K1000 camera. By the time the couple returned to Sydney two years later, she had built a small portfolio. She started specializing in baby photography after using photographs of her two daughters for a family Christmas card which proved popular.

Career

Geddes became a professional photographer at age 30 after she moved to Melbourne due to her husband's work. She assisted a local photographer before starting her own studio from her garage.

Geddes also shoots for philanthropic causes. Geddes created her own philanthropic program, the Geddes Philanthropic Trust, whose primary focus was to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect. In 2013, she created a series for the survivors of meningococcal disease. The photographs depict families and children that have been affected by the disease and honours those who have survived. She shot photographs of 15 child survivors of meningitis for the Protecting Our Tomorrows: Portraits of Meningococcal Disease campaign. She has also worked with March of Dimes.

Process

Geddes does not audition babies for use as models because she believes all babies are beautiful. Instead, she keeps in touch with multiple birth and twin clubs and has thousands of photographs on file that parents have sent her. Geddes currently resides in New York with her husband Kel.

A typical sitting takes place in the morning when the babies are well-rested, and lasts about half an hour; otherwise, the babies could get too bored or fussy. "You have to be really fast", Geddes says about getting good shots. She sets up her studio in advance – props, lighting, cameras, and equipment — so that all the baby or babies have to do is sit. Many of her props are custom made, such as oversized shoes and flowerpots. She keeps the babies' parents nearby for extra assistance with expressions.

Works

• Down in the Garden (1996), ISBN: 0-7407-3540-3
• Children's collection, Anne Geddes(1996), Cedeo Publishing Company, USA
  • Garden Friends, ISBN: 1-55912-342-7,1996
  • Garden Families
  • Garden Colors
  • Color
  • Faces
  • Dress ups

• The Twelve Days of Christmas (1997)
• Until Now (1998), ISBN: 0-7407-3541-1

• Pure (2002), ISBN: 0-7407-2641-2

• Miracle: A Celebration of New, with Celine Dion, (2004) ISBN: 0-7407-4696-0

• Beginnings (2010)
• Anne Geddes Little Blessings (2014). ISBN: 1402298188.

Honours and awards

In the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, Geddes was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to photography and the community.

In 2017 Geddes was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.