I Photograph My Children Sleeping To Portray The Wonder That They Bring Into My Life

by Patrick Penrose Published Nov 11, 2025

Like many photographers, my children have been the biggest source of inspiration for my work. I have an endless collection of photographs of my little ones with dirty faces and messy hair, running about in their ducky jammies and diaper wedgies. All of this born from an insatiable urge to document it all.

The sobering realization that my children will one day stop lifting their arms up toward me asking to be carried, or asking for one more story before bed, or one more cuddle, reminds me that this time in our lives is not everlasting. They will eventually grow up. There will come a time when they experience the hard realities of this world and the things around them start to lose their magic. For now, they are children; full of wonder, love, and hope. As I document our lives together, saving proof of as many memories as possible, I also have this deep-seeded desire to capture my children as only I see them. There is the world at large and then there is this beautiful world that my children alone have created and brought right to me. I want to give them a glimpse of this world. These images are my attempt at portraying the beauty and wonder my little ones bring into my life.

Of all of the photos I have taken, there is a special place in my heart for the images of my sleeping babies. This is where I go when I need time to stand still. I have rocked my babies to sleep since the day they were born. Sleeping photos have become a symbol of something greater. These images serve as a reminder that my children will make anywhere home as long as I am there with them. I love that my little ones will fall asleep anywhere, so long as they can do so in my arms. They always have a safe and loving place to rest their heads, wherever it may be.

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