Due to Co-Vid 19, all non-essential businesses are put on hold. Unfortunately, that includes CNY Newborn Photographers, like me. Yes, it sucks that I cannot snuggle babies and make art in my studio. But this is for YOUR baby’s personal safety.
However, babies are still being born and mamas still want precious portraits of their sweet little one, while they are in the first stages of their life. I am seeing more and more mamas attempting to do their own newborn photo shoots. And I love it when people take the incentive and give it a try, but again, SAFETY is a huge factor in a newborn photo shoot. I will never condone a photographer who has not had hands on training, to capture the newborn. I do not care if you are building your portfolio or how expensive your camera is, YOU NEED TO BE TRAINED TO BE A NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER. I have invested thousands into my newborn training as well as am certified with Red Cross in infant CPR.
So, if you are attempting, as a fully responsible parent, your newborns portraits, I want to give you some Safety tips. These are guidelines I follow in my studio to keep my newborns safe at all cost. Doing it yourself, does not take the place of being treated like a queen and having your family pampered and professionally photographed in my CNY Newborn Photography studio. You would not cut your own hair to save a few bucks and call yourself a hairdresser, right? You want professional to make you look your best.
If you decide to do it yourself, YOU ARE RESPONISBLE FOR YOUR BABY’S SAFETY. Not me. I can wait for CO-Vid 19 to be over and still provide you with beautiful and professional newborn portraits even if your baby is 6 weeks old.
My newborn safety tips are:
Number One: Always have a spotter. What’s the spotter’s job you may ask. The spotter always has eyes or her hands-on baby. She is always in arms reach of baby. The photographer must be able to stand up, adjust themselves for the angles they will shoot. Depending on your surface, and baby can/will roll. A spotter is an extra set of eyes to keep the baby safe during the session. During my newborn sessions, my assistant does not leave the baby’s side once I start the posing process.
Number two: Sibling portraits are a mom’s favorite. But first-time toddlers’ siblings are unpredictable. DO NOT EVER leave your newborn with a toddler. Again, this is where my spotter is ready to swoop in and grab that baby, God forbid the toddler is tired of holding it. The best position, if you can get them to cooperate, is to have them lie on their back and place baby on their arm. Again, someone needs to be right there with them, in case toddler wants nothing to do with them. When I capture sibling portraits, I always have my newborn wrapped so all the limbs are safe inside. I WILL NOT risk a baby’s safety with an uncooperative sibling. The portrait is not worth it.
Number 3: Speaking of wrapping, we all love the wrapped look on a newborn. But there are safety guidelines with that as well. A baby needs to breathe. If you wrap too tightly, the wrap will constrict its breathing. You must make sure the baby’s chest has room to expand. If you can put two fingers between the wrap and baby’s chest, that is considered enough room. Also, when wrapping, you must watch out for fingers and toes. Make sure they aren’t twisted and are lying flat. Baby will let you know very quickly if it is in pain, and we do not want to hurt baby.
Number 4: Many of my sweet newborn portraits are composites. This means, I take two (sometimes 3 or more) portraits and in Photoshop I use my editing skills to piece them together. One of these portraits is the favorite of all favorites, FROGGY pose. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. A baby cannot hold its head up by itself. My assistant always has hands on the baby during this pose. I remove them during the editing phase.
Number 5: Last but not least, use your camera strap. This might sound silly at first but your camera, phone, point and shoot, tablet, is heavy. Should that slip from your hands while you are hovering over your baby, it will hurt! I always have my camera strap over my head and shoulder to keep it as close to my body as possible and not swinging on my front where a baby’s head is.
Have I scared you enough yet? I hope so. Your baby’s well being is important to me. If you can wait a little longer, you can bring your baby to me for the full newborn experience you will never regret. You can email me at info@simplyshelayna.com or call me at (315) 297-1816 for your newborn session.
