Dan Cuellar's Photos Of Sleeping Babies

Caution: The following photos may make you very sleepy. Over the last six months, Philadelphia-based photographer Dan Cuellar has been taking pictures of newborn babies in various but all adorably shut-eyed poses. Some are gently resting their heads on their tiny little fists, while others are snugly swaddled in cheesecloth like mini burritos.

Cuellar says newborns are his favorite subject to photograph because "they are naturally cute and can't really do much at this age.” At under two weeks old, they're more prone to frequent and deep slumber. Plus, when they’re asleep, normally fussy babies are easier to pose. Each infant is different -- some hate being on their bellies and others favor turning their heads in one direction over another -- and a photo session can take anywhere between 30 minutes to four hours. Cuellar starts his little clients in basic poses and works with them to get the position he's looking for.

"The trick to photographing newborns is really just waiting –- keeping them warm and full," he says. "It’s the most important age to capture, because once that window closes it will never open again.”