The lovely people at Learn Shoot Inspire have planned and delegated this week to be named Newborn Safety Week in the photography industry. And I say, good for you LSI! I work in an amazing industry… full of artists and creators, and our subjects? Well they are these perfect, adorable, intoxicating new lives… newborn babies. How lucky are we, right? I’ll say it now and I’ll say it again, I feel sooo very fortunate that this is what I do in my life. To spend time with these brand new babies and their adoring parents is just something that can’t be explained. It’s like a wave of extreme happiness every day and of course, it’s contagious.
And while I may be one of the only photographers in BC that specializes in babies and newborns, I’m definitely not the only photographer in BC that attempts newborn photography either as a one time thing or as a side gig to a wedding photography business, family & child business, etc. And as a whole, we all need to be aware that there is a trend that is sweeping the industry… one where photographers are attempting posing and images that may be unsafe for their tiny little subjects all for the benefit of their portfolio. These poses look unnatural and unattainable by a baby on it’s own, however when posed just right by a photographer, it can sometimes result in an image that is deemed the “it” pose of the moment.
I feel like in order to save feelings I may be skirting around the issue and as a result babbling… so I’m going to come out and say it… Well experienced photographers sometimes create images of babies posing in unrealistic positions through techniques in photoshop. The image isn’t real, nor did the baby do it himself. The photographer creates the images through help from 1, 2 and sometimes 3 people, combining multiple exposures and special techniques in photoshop. For the less experienced photographer seeing this new and exciting image, this fact may not be known. And as such, the new photographer attempts the pose and allows the baby to achieve it himself or attempts the shot without taking proper precautions, sometimes resulting in a dangerous situation for the baby.
It’s taboo to talk about… I suppose it’s not good manners to “bad mouth” one’s own peers. However, if even one new photographer reads this blog post and decides to be a little more careful at his/her next newborn session, I feel like it’s worth it. PLEASE, please go read this fantastic article by my dear friend and fellow newborn photographer, Stephanie Robin. And at our next session, let’s all take a minute to reflect on the real reason we’re there to get those adorable shots… not so we can improve upon our portfolio, or prove to our peers that we have what it takes, but so that we can capture these illusive and fleeting moments for the new mommy and daddy who may be too overwhelmed and too sleep deprived to remember the pout of her lips, or the curve of his ear, or the adorable dimple she had from the moment she was born. Let’s take a moment to remember that we are here to create beautiful images of our clients and their babies and no fancy tricks are needed. They will love those images of their baby whether they are hanging from a tree branch or whether they are lying wrapped up in a blanket in a cushy pillow, snoozing the morning away.
It’s Newborn Safety Week people! Let’s pass on the word! 
