As a newborn photographer, the safety and comfort of your tiny subjects should always be the top priority. Newborn photography is a delicate art that requires a careful, thoughtful approach to ensure the baby’s well-being throughout the session. Here are my essential tips and best practices that help me to ensure a safe and successful newborn photography experience.
1. Create a Clean and Sanitary Environment
Before your session begins, I thoroughly clean and sanitise the studio using baby-safe cleaning products. After every session all blanets and wraps are washed at 60 degrees in the washing machine and all props are wiped or sprayed down depending on what they are.
2. Keep the Baby Comfortable and Warm
Newborns are sensitive to temperature changes and since most of the time they are naked for the photos. One big priority is to ensure the studio is comfortably warm for them. This may mean it can feel far too hot for us as adults in our clothes and matured body temperature regulation, but for the babies it is perfect! It keeps them warm and comfortable enough to sleep peacefully. I suggest to the parents to dress in layers for this very reason. I also use space heaters if necessary, but they are placed them at a safe distance to avoid overheating. Since I am very hands on with the baby and close by at all times, I can feel if the heat is too close or direct and this is immediately adjusted. Ideally I aim to have the studio at a temperature about 25 degrees.
3. Never Leaving Your Baby Unattended
Your baby’s safety is my top priority, so I never leave them unattended on a prop or surface, no matter how stable it appears, one hand is always on the baby and when this is not possible for any reason, then I ask a parent to be close by to ensure your baby’s safety. Even in seemingly safe poses, babies can startle or move unexpectedly.
4. Supporting Your Baby’s Body
I always ensure your baby’s head and neck are well-supported. Newborns do not have the muscle control to hold up their heads, and improper handling can lead to serious injuries. I use my hands and soft, cushioned purposely shaped props to provide support. Sometimes I may hold you baby in the position that I am aiming to place them in before laying them down. This is to ensure they are comfortable in that particular pose and there is minimal amounts of change in their position when I lay them down. For this reason also I have a flow of poses that I find go seamlessly into the other.
For certain poses, I photograph intentially, knowing that the outcome will be a composite images to ensure your baby is never left unsupported.
5. Monitoring Your Baby’s Comfort
I watch for signs of distress, such as crying, fussiness, or changes in skin colour. Babies often get a bit irritated that I have moved them from one comfortable position to another, so may cry a little while they fall back to sleep in the new pose, this should only really last a few seconds until they are back in dreamland. But it is very important to me that if your baby appears uncomfortable or overly agitated in any pose, that I make sure we take a break and soothe or feed them before continuing. If there is a particular pose that they just do not seem happy in at all, even after feeding and calming then I tend to recommend that we move onto something different. Perhaps your baby just wants to lay on their back, that is fine, I have a variety of poses I can do with this. Or perhaps your baby wants to be held a while, this is an ideal opportunity to get the family shots. A calm and comfortable baby is essential for capturing those peaceful, beautiful shots.
6. Staying Up-to-Date with Safety Standards
In the last 9 years that I have been working as a newborn photographer, I have attended many newborn specific workshops, the vast majority of those were focused around the safety aspect of newborn photography. I continue to stay informed about the latest safety guidelines and best practices in newborn photography.
7. Being Mindful of Props
I generally keep only soft and clean props in the studio for use in newborn sessions. I test the stability the props before placing your baby on or in them. If a prop seems at all unsafe or uncomfortable for your baby, then I do not use it.
8. Trusting Our Instincts
Overall, as an experienced newborn photographer, I trust my instincts. If something doesn’t feel right or seems unsafe, I err on the side of caution. Before the photoshoot I send out a questionaire that has a section about your favourite poses, from this I get a very good idea whether you will be someone who wants the more elaborate poses, or the more natural looking ones. I also encourage the parents to not hold back in telling me if they are not feeling comfortable with me attempting a certain pose. Your baby’s safety and comfort always come before getting the perfect shot.
Baby Whispers Photography 