Davidsonville Photographer's Angel Calendar Seeks Models

Linda McCarthy, a local studio photographer and owner of , decided a few years ago to use her skills to benefit a local charity. What she came up with is a 12-month calendar that showcases a dozen babies (from birth to 36 months). The calendar benefits the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Anne Arundel Medical Center.

"Babies helping babies," she said.

McCarthy takes photos of anyone who calls and makes an appointment. There is no session fee—but parents can purchase the photos if they want, so there is a little something in it for McCarthy.

But purchasing the photos isn't required. McCarthy dresses the little boys and girls up for the session. She uses props like wings, hats, fluffy tutus and pearls or a magic wand. Sometimes, parents bring their own props to the studio like a favorite stuffed animal or outfit.

Last year, McCarthy photographed about 100 angel babies between January and March. From those, she selected a dozen babies to be in the calendar.

How does the shoot work?

The shoot is pretty simple. McCarthy takes anyone who wants to participate. The "angels" can be newborns up to 36 months old. It's not required that they were NICU babies.

The sessions take anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour, depending on how comfortable the child is with the process.

Once the shots are taken in her studio—which is a converted attic in her home on Davidsonville Road—guests head downstairs to view the shots and decide if they want to buy anything. Packages that start around $30 and go up to $900.

Last year, Patch visited the studio during one of the angel baby shoots and talked to Christy Beales who said that she wanted to bring her 2-year-old daughter Kallie. She said that she had a niece and nephew born at 24 weeks who were in the NICU.

"We are more than happy to do anything we can to help with the NIC unit," Beales said.

And that is why McCarthy runs this calendar fundraiser each year. The 2013 calendar will be available in November at Visual Concepts in Davidsonville or the AAMC gift shop.

The angel baby calendar project is ongoing through March. McCarthy runs shoots during the week and on Saturdays. Call McCarthy 410-626-7474 or visit Visual Concepts online to schedule an appointment.