Safety During Newborn Photography Sessions

During your search for a newborn photographer, it is important to look beyond the beautiful images that you see. There are a number of questions to ask when choosing a newborn photographer. The safety measures your desired photographer has in place should be at the top of the list. I cannot stress enough how important it is to make sure you hire a newborn photographer who understands the importance of newborn safety. Let’s go over a few measures that should be put in place to ensure safety during newborn photography sessions.

Training and Education

Any newborn portrait session requires a number of safety measures put in place. As a professional newborn photographer, one of the very first safety measures put in place is proper training and education. I hate to say it but anyone can purchase a high quality camera and try their hand at newborn photography. Many get caught up in the beauty of the final image and try to recreate it without being properly trained and educated. If newborn photography is attempted without training, things could take a dangerous turn very quickly. To some, that may sound a bit dramatic but it’s true. Newborn photography is far more than just picking up a camera, picking a cute outfit, and snapping a photo.

Professional newborn photographers learn how to analyze a wide array of cues that babies may give. Babies can communicate when they are hungry, uncomfortable, content, or just need to be held. Having the ability to identify these cues are a key factor in conducting newborn sessions. Trained newborn photographers are also constantly monitoring baby’s breathing. This is done in an effort to prevent positional asphyxiation. This means that no matter the pose, prop setup, or position, the photographer ensures that your baby is breathing with ease at all times. Soothing techniques, proper positioning for poses, safely creative swaddling, and so many other skills are all things that your newborn photographer should be equipped with in order to ensure safety during newborn photography sessions.

Securing Props with Weights

There are a number of ways to secure a prop. Newborn photographers often use things like disk weights, sandbags, rice-filled posing beans, or small dumbbells to weight down props. These weights are placed at the base of the prop, underneath the posing aids and decorative layers that you see in the final image. Newborn babies can typically weigh anywhere between 5-10 pounds. They also counter baby’s body weight and reduce the risks of props toppling or shifting. Because their little nervous systems are also still developing, newborns often “jump” or “jolt” so adding weights gives that added sense of security during sessions.

Keeping Hands on Baby

Despite what many see in final images, someone’s hands are ALWAYS on or near the baby. This is a vital step in ensuring their safety. There are a number of poses that are actually composite images. This means that multiple images are captured while baby is still being held and merged together in Photoshop. For example, the popular froggy pose (see photo above) is a composite of two images edited together. It is so incredibly vital to make sure baby is safe and secure during every newborn session. I would never compromise your baby’s safety in an effort to get that perfect shot.

Sanitation

Our tiny clients can’t protect themselves so we have to protect them! It is important to have sanitary protocols in place when working with their brand immune systems. We wash and sanitize props and fabrics after each use. Additionally, we are up to date on vaccinations including flu, TDAP, and COVID-19. Restrictions have lifted in our area but we continue to wear face masks during our newborn photography sessions. Germs spread so easily and a baby’s immune system can only fight off so much! We will continue to do our part to try to prevent the spread of germs and keep these babies healthy!

If you are considering booking a session with SBP, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have!

Sayre Briele Photography LLC specializes in newborn and maternity photography. We offer studio maternity, newborn, and baby portrait sessions in Charleston, SC and surrounding areas. Contact us today for more information on booking your dream session!