Newborn safety in the photography industry has been a hot topic in the recent months. There are so many new photographers out there now, and everybody is trying to set themselves apart by trying the next!new!pose! We need to take a step back and make sure that we are keeping our little models safe during their photoshoots. Newborns are not props and never should be treated that way for the sake of getting “the shot”.

Parents, please do not hesitate to speak up and decline a pose if it makes you feel uncomfortable or if you feel like the photographer you hired is not handling your baby safely. I have heard a few stories lately of things going wrong during sessions, when they could have been prevented if the photographer had taken extra precautions to make sure the baby was handled safely at all times.

Most of the tricky images you see online can be done with a composite, which is taking two images and making them one in Photoshop.

I have an example posted below. Newborns cannot hold their heads in their hands like this comfortably. Their heads are simply too heavy to be supported by their tiny little wrists safely. I took two images below, one with mom  holding the top of baby’s head, and one with her supporting his wrists. I merged the two images in Photoshop and was able to make a clean composite (bottom image), giving the illusion that the baby is propped up on his own. He was completely comfortable and safe the entire time.

And here is the final image, with the help of a little Photoshop

This example below is also a composite. I cannot find the original images right now, but will come back and add them later. I took two images with the help of two assistants. An assistant always had their hands supporting the baby (one on the left and one on the right). I was able to merge two images, and erase back the extra hands in Photoshop, resulting in the image below.

If I was able to help at least one person with this blog post, I am happy. Let’s all remember to keep our itty bitty model’s safety in mind!

Happy Wednesday! Please feel free to share this article on your blog or facebook and help spread the word!