CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW LITTLE ONE!
Here’s some TIPS FOR HOW TO ENSURE YOUR BABY’S FIRST PHOTOS ARE TAKEN SAFELY.
Congratulations on your new baby! You feel as if your heart will overflow with the love you feel for this tiny, helpless infant. And, of course, this is the perfect time to capture these important first few days for all eternity with newborn photos.
We would like to help with some criteria you will need to know when choosing a newborn photographer. You may see many absolutely adorable images of the cutest babies everywhere you look. But there is a lot that goes into taking those images and safety may be the most important thing to think about.
At KLJ Studios, we have always considered a baby’s safety of the utmost importance. I don’t think there is anything that scares us more than reading someone on Facebook write, “I just bought my first good camera and I’m going to start being a newborn photographer tomorrow!”
Good newborn photographers are educated, certified, and experienced with the posing and safety of newborn photography. For example, our owner and lead photographer, Kelly Jordan, has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Sac State in photography and regularly attends the annual WPPI conference to keep her newborn certifications updated. (Unfortunately, COVID messed with conferences the past few years, but it looks like things are finally back to normal!) She also has over 20 years experience. we also encourage someone present being certified in infant first aid and CPR.
Newborns follow their own schedule. We stop frequently for feedings and changes and sometimes just to soothe a fussy baby. Depending on the circumstances we have finished a newborn session in one hour and have also had them go up to 5 hours. We have also stopped if the little one just couldn’t settle down and rescheduled for the following day. A new mom should not ever have to be stressed because the session isn’t going well.
An award-winning photographer we follow who is located in England, Lorraine Jardim, has raised the alarm there and pushed for newborn photography regulations and safety checks because several babies were actually harmed during sessions in that country by photographers attempting to copy difficult poses without the training and know-how. She published an article in Bokeh magazine which will be quoted here several times. (Lorraine has given permission for the use of her article to help promote safe newborn photography.) Per Lorraine, “parents will want to ensure not only that they receive some beautiful memories of their baby’s first few weeks, but that they are also choosing someone who will work safely with their precious new arrival.” Lorraine worries not only about amateurs trying to use complex poses without realizing they may actually be a composite image, but also trying to pose the newborn with siblings or pets without knowing that many of those images were also composited together from several images.
At KLJ Studios we have several safety guidelines:
1. We have decided to continue wearing masks during newborn shoots so as to not expose infants to ANY type of illness, including flu, colds, and, of course, COVID. This is the standard practice in many other countries and it makes sense to continue the practice here. Caring for a newborn can be stressful enough without having to handle a cold on top of everything else, right?
2. We always use a spotter, someone who stands right next to the baby and is ready to catch, prop, or otherwise watch for even the tiniest sign that there may be movement. Images with siblings or pets may be composited for safety. We also have a 3-point touch rule when posing baby with their parents.
3. We only wrap the baby in safe wrapping styles. And we only place the baby in safe poses. One example is the “froggy” pose, with the baby on its stomach and the chin resting on the hands. Looks so cute, but no one should ever actually pose a baby like that and step away. If the little one’s hands slip there can be neck or other injury to the infant. Professionals will have an assistant who will actually be gently holding the baby’s head in place, then edit the hands out during post production. Also per Lorraine, “parents may request a specific pose they have seen, however, all babies are different and some may resist being posed in a certain way. It is important for a photographer to recognize when a baby is not happy in a pose; a baby should never be made uncomfortable for the sake of a photograph….”
It is good to try and schedule your portraits from 7 to 11 days after birth, if possible. That catches them before they begin cluster feeding and makes for an easier time for all during your session. We will also try to schedule your session based on the baby’s current schedule. No reason to mess with that!
If you have any questions regarding newborn photography safety or would like to have Kelly discuss what questions you should ask any prospective photographer, call her at 530-723-5332 or email her at info@kljstudios.com. Kelly is always happy to help new parents.
And, again, congratulations!