What is is about babies that gets us so gaga? Why do we all freak out about little, cute things? If you're a Facebook user of a certain age, you've probably been inundated with photos of infants. Or maybe you are one of those people who posts a gazillion pictures of your own little person. Whatever the fascination is, baby pictures are all the rage. For celebrities, choosing when and how your baby pictures are shared with the world, can be difficult. Fans and paparazzi, anxious for a shot of your celebrity bundle of joy will camp out in trees, garbage cans, and garages, just for the chance to snap a photo of your celebrity child. Knowing that photos are going to be taken no matter whether they want them to be or not, many celebrities have taken to brokering or planning their own photo shoots. They then sell their photos to the various magazines, news outlets, and tabloids, that would otherwise buy random shots from photographers/stalkers. Some take the money and donate it to charity. Others put it away towards their children's education. Still others go out and spend it. Not all baby pictures are created equal, however. Here is a quick list of the 10 Most Expensive Baby Photos, and just how much they cost.
10. Sean Preston Federline
Price: $500,000
Back in November 2005, Britney Spears was in the midst of her rather tumultuous relationship with back-up dancer, Kevin Federline. The couple's romance had been the subject of intense media scrutiny, as Federline had broken up with his pregnant girlfriend in order to start a relationship with Spears. They appeared on a reality show together and she gave birth to their first son a year and a half into their relationship. They went on to have one more child together, before divorcing in 2007. Sean's photos appeared in a November 2005 issue of People magazine.
9. Kingston James McGregor Rossdale
Price: $575,000
Kingston James McGregor Rossdale is basically rock/pop/ska royalty. The son of No Doubt frontwoman, Gwen Stefani, and Bush frontman, Gavin Rossdale, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale has music in his blood. He also probably amassed more frequent flyer miles in his first 6 months than most of us collect in a lifetime. He was born on May 26, 2006 and his first photos appeared in a June 2006 edition of OK! magazine.
8. Harlow Winter Madden
Price: $1,000,000
Between 2006 and 2008, celebrity photo prices increased drastically. Suddenly, celebrities were realizing that they could really ask for just about any amount they wanted if the magazines were desperate enough. When Harlow Winter Madden was born to television personality and designer, Nicole Richie, and musician, Joel Madden, they decided to make those photos everyone wanted, really count. People magazine paid a whopping $1 million for pictures of their first child, born in 2008. The photos appeared in a February 2008 issue.
7. Maddie Briann Aldridge
Price: $1,000,000
Once the precedent was set, $1 million became all the rage. Maddie Briann Aldridge was born to Jamie Lynn Spears on June 19, 2008. At the time, the pregnancy and birth generated heaps of controversy. Jamie Lynn Spears is the younger sister of Britney Spears (who was in the midst of a very public meltdown in 2007). At the time, Jamie Lynn was the star of the wholesome Disney series, "Zoey 101". The announcement that the 16-year old star was pregnant by her 18-year old boyfriend, threw everyone for a loop and effectively ended her career as a teen star. Photos of the baby were published in a July 2008 edition of OK! magazine.
6. Honor Marie Warren
Price: $1,500,000
Jessica Alba began her acting and modeling career as a teen, but became a household name with her starring role on the hit series, "Dark Angel", in the early 2000s. She was named to multiple lists of "The Most Beautiful People", and the paparazzi followed her incessantly. She married Cash Warren, who she met on the set of, "The Fantastic Four", in May 2008, and gave birth to their first child that same year. OK! magazine again ponied up a million plus to publish the first baby photos. They appeared in a July 2008 issue, just like Maddie Aldridge's photos.
5. Max Liron Bratman
Price: $1,500,000
Christina Aguilera began her successful assault on popular culture when she appeared on "Star Search" as a child, and then went on to join the cast of "The New Mickey Mouse Club". When she launched her solo music career in 1999, with the album "Christina", she quickly became one of the new faces of pop. She has gone on to sell 50 million albums worldwide. Along the way, she married record executive, Jordan Bratman, and they had one child together. Their son, Max Liron Bratman appeared in a February 2008 issue of People magazine. They were paid $1.5 million for his photo.
4. Levi Alves McConaughey
Price: $3,000,000
Levi Alves McConaughey was born to Matthew McConaughey and Brazilian actress and model, Camila Alves, in 2008. The pair became a couple in 2006 and there was a great deal of speculation about their relationship initially. McConaughey, who has long been known as an affable, easy-going actor, was often linked to his co-stars, supposedly dating a string of A-list actresses including Sandra Bullock and Kate Hudson. He and Alves have since gone on to have two more children together and were married in June 2012. The pictures of their first child appeared in an August 2008 issue of OK! magazine.
3. Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt
Price: $4,100,000
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie dealt with more than their fair share of media scrutiny after they became a couple. They met while working together on the film, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". Pitt was in a high-profile relationship with Jennifer Aniston at the time. He later broke off the relationship and began one with Jolie. The Jolie-Pitt's had two children via adoption already, but when they announced they were expecting the media into a frenzy. They decided to conduct their own photo session of their child, and subsequently released the photos to Getty Images, rather than selling them to a particular magazine. People magazine snatched up the American rights for $4.1 million and Hello! snatched up the British rights for $3.5 million. The entire $7.6 million was donated to various charities dedicated to children in Africa.
2. Maximilan David and Emme Maribel Muniz
Price: $6,000,000
When Jennifer Lopez announced that she was expecting twins, the entire world seemed to go into a tizzy. At the time, she was married to Latin music star, Marc Anthony, and it was a bit like the prince and princess had just announced they were expecting. The twins were born in 2008 and their photos fetched $6 million, what was then considered an astronomical sum. There were two of them, so why not double the price? At the time, it was the most any publication had ever paid for baby photos. The pictures appeared in a March 2008 issue of People.
1. Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt
Price: $15,000,000
The Jolie-Pitt clan really upped the ante when they collected a combined $15 million for photos of their twins. Their fee trumped the $6 million Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony had charged for their twins photos just a few months earlier. As with the previous Jolie-Pitt baby photos, they chose to control the rights themselves. This time, they sold the pictures directly to People and Hello!, negotiating the fee, and exclusive rights, outright. They then took the $15 million and poured it directly into the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, an organization dedicated to the conservation, reforestation, and rural development of Cambodia's endangered Cardamom Mountains region and the surrounding area.
