November 7th – 11th is Newborn Safety Week, a time to spread awareness as popular trends continue to push some photographers to take unnecessary risks with their tiny subjects. Breathtaking images of babies suspended in slings/hammocks and snug in bowls/baskets inspire many photographers to improve their skill and reach for newer, more complicated poses to offer their clients. As with all art, we strive for a dash of originality with a heaping dose of outstanding in order to be the best we can be. A two-second internet search renders a wide range of compositions (some safely done, others not so much). The bottom line? Beautifully composed images are inspiring and artful when created safely.
Parents put their trust in a photographer (as they should and need to be able to do). They hope and assume that their photographer has experienced, careful hands, that their baby’s safety and comfort is the top priority ahead of the photographer’s creative goals. Babies should be kept warm, comfortable, and posed with utmost attention to their safety and well-being. An understanding of newborn reflexes is essential. A spotter must always be nearby with his/her eyes diligently kept on baby in the event that he/she startles and subsequently rolls. Weights should be placed in baskets to ensure no chance of baby toppling forward/out of the prop. Compositing images when necessary (blending two or more images together in post-production) allows photographers to keep a spotter’s hand safely on baby at all times and still capture a seamless final edit. If you’re searching for the right photographer to suit your needs, wherever your style preference leads you, I urge you to ask questions about how particular poses are accomplished and what safety measures are involved.
I’m writing about this important topic to remind rather than lecture, to raise awareness, and ultimately, to celebrate my belief that newborns are perfect as they are. It’s wonderful to capture a variety of checklist poses (curled on belly, chin on wrists, etc.), those posed sleepy shots with babe’s every toe and finger in place. We all love these images, I think partly because they speak to the perfection that is each and every new baby. But I’d like to address what sometimes becomes a difference between checklist posing and the mutual client/photographer goal of images that are emotional and treasured because they focus on baby’s individuality.
Tuning in to a baby’s personality and preferences and her unique and special features often lends to a more natural photographic approach and a different kind of attention to detail: the quivery half-smile as she lightly dozes, those eyelashes just like her daddy’s, wispy, dark hair, her favourite sleeping position 10 days into the world with both arms above her head. There is such a timeless beauty present in these pored-over-details so noted and loved upon by parents…beauty that does not require props or complicated set-ups but is every bit, and maybe even more, worth remembering.
My perspective on newborn art includes a blend of posed and natural images always with my focus on the amazing little person I’m privileged to photograph. I love clean, simple, real images. It doesn’t get sweeter (or safer) than a baby cradled in his mama’s arms or simply nestled. Thank you for taking the time to browse these thoughts of mine and to consider the importance of newborn safety. A special thank you to each of my clients for trusting my hands and my lens to document your brand new life and greatest little love/s.