About Anne Geddes

One of the world's most respected and successful professional photographers, Anne first captured the imagination and hearts of people ten years ago. Released initially in New Zealand and Australia, today, her distinctive, award-winning images of babies have become classic icons celebrating life and birth. They grace greeting cards, calendars, books, stationery, photo albums, and an array of other fine products, and are currently published in more than 50 countries spanning North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and Asia. Anne's books have sold more than 14 million copies worldwide and been translated into 15 languages. Her popular website, annegeddes.com, has attracted more than 10 million unique visitors in two years, and many send e-cards featuring her images to friends and family.

Until Now, Anne's stunning retrospective book of over 100 classic images, personally selected from her body of work, celebrates birth and life. Published in Europe in 1998 and the USA and Canada in 1999 it became an immediate popular and critical success. There are more than 700,000 copies of Until Now in print worldwide and it has been translated into seven languages.
The New York Daily News called Anne "the most popular and successful baby photographer in the world. Her photos of infants are the shots seen 'round the world."

Down in the Garden, Anne's critically acclaimed gift book is a visual delight from pots to plots to flower boxes and fields. Published in 1996, it has more than 1.5 million copies in print worldwide and has been translated into 10 languages. Time noted Down in the Garden's "whimsical and colorful collages," and People magazine said Anne "does wonders with minor models and a fertile imagination."

Little Thoughts With Love, released in 1998, combines Anne's remarkable images of children with her favorite quotations from Eleanor Roosevelt, Hans Christian Andersen, Mother Teresa and others, selected especially by Anne for her book. The sayings reflect the joy and wonder of life that she captures in her stunning images. It has sold more than 500,000 copies in four languages.

 With more than 2.1 million copies in print, Anne's baby journal, My First Five Years, remains a treasured keepsake edition for a host of families.

Anne's work continues to garner praise and citations. She drew one of the largest and most enthusiastic audiences ever to attend a keynote session at the 1998 World Council of Professional Photographers General Assembly, held during the bi-annual Photokina exhibition in Cologne, Germany. Rewarded with a standing ovation for her speech, Anne was presented with a specially engraved award for her contributions to photography.

Anne was awarded a Lifetime Membership in the Professional Photographers of America in 1997, following a speech she gave to the national assembly in Las Vegas.

In March of 1997, she received an Honorary Fellowship with the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) in recognition of her unique style of photography and her success in the publishing industry in New Zealand and abroad.

In addition to accumulating the most merits ever awarded an individual photographer at the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers competitions (formerly NZPPA), Anne was the first woman to have earned a Fellowship from the Institute through its awards system. Additional gold and silver merits have added the prized "Gold Bar" to her Fellowship status. She has also won a number of honors in the Agfa Photokina competition, as well as the AGFA/NZIPP Professional Photography competition.

Anne applied her artistic expertise to another venue in 1997, directing two television commercials inspired by her images for a leading United States retailer. These commercials garnered Gold Awards for the Best Retail Commercials in the United States at the Annual Retail Award Presentations in Chicago that year.

Ten years ago, Anne combined her interest in creating a calendar of her images with her commitment to "giving back." In 1991, she raised over $50,000 on behalf of the prevention of child abuse through sales of her premiere edition 1992 calendar. Since then, annual Anne Geddes calendar editions have been bestsellers around the world, and designated funds totaling over US$3 million have been donated through the Geddes Philanthropic Trust to help prevent child abuse in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In the mid-'90s, her U.S. calendar editions received special recognition, as the Calendar Marketing Association awarded her 1996 calendars and date books two gold awards and one bronze and her 1997 "A Collection of Images" calendar was ranked #1 in sales, according to the Calendar Club. There are now more than 7.5 million Anne Geddes calendars and datebooks in print worldwide.

At the heart of her success is Anne's deep and abiding love of children. Her unique artistic vision and the purity of her imagery communicate this love in a universal language understood by people everywhere.

Together, Anne and her husband, Kel Geddes, are directors of two companies. The Especially Kids Company Limited, founded in Auckland in 1991, includes Anne's studio and is responsible for all image creation, and Kel Geddes Management Limited, which has the responsibility for all marketing, promotion, business administration, operations, and the production of books, calendars, and other items.

Anne is about to embark on a new endeavor. Coming soon is a range of newborn baby clothing designed personally by Anne. The line will premiere on her associated website, nurseryroom.com.