Milwaukee's "Strong Baby" campaign comes to life, one snapshot at a time

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- For photographers, it's said to be one of the hardest subjects to shoot. But officials with Milwaukee's Serve Marketing say it's worth the trouble to help raise awareness of infant mortality in the city.

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, photographers held photo sessions for the city's Strong Baby campaign. Ten babies were selected from more than 200. With the help of a little editing magic, raw images are transformed into what a strong baby can really go.

"It's to teach not just this generation of moms having babies, but the next generation of young girls and young men growing what it takes to raise a stronger baby," said Gary Mueller from Serve Marketing.

Nick Collura has been taking pictures professionally for more than a decade. His work has taken him around the world.

"I usually ask them what their favorite word is, give them a couple of props to play with and keep their mind off the photo shoot and we'll just start shooting. We'll keep going and eventually we'll get it," said Collura.

Collura says this business demands nothing less than thick skin -- which is why it's so nice to be working with personalities that are literally baby soft.

"It's about the experience. It's about capturing moments in between," said Collura.

It's why Collura and the rest of the creative staff is volunteering their talents. To them, the cause is worth much more than any hourly rate.

"And the better the professionals we have to volunteer. I think the more effective messaging we can put out there," said Mueller.

Over two-and-a-half days, Collura expects to take more than 4,000 pictures.