For any parent, while getting their newborn’s photo shoot done can be a perfect step towards capturing the most precious and once in a lifetime moment that they are currently experiencing, it is also a matter of great concern.
This is because newborns are tiny wonders that during the first few days of their life, tend to be very sensitive in many ways.
And by being sensitive we do not in any way mean babies that are born premature (preemies).
Every newborn in the initial days of its life is yet to get used to the outside world. Each and every thing that they are exposed to and which they experience is leaving its impact on them in more ways than we know or can be careful of.
Apparently due to similar reasons, many parents, no matter how much they want to get their newborns photo shoot done, are also much worried about how to make sure that their newborn stays safe and secure in every manner during a photo shoot.
In this article, we look at some of the things that most parents are concerned about before booking a newborns photo shoot.
In addition to this, we will also discuss some tips along with a list of general do’s and don’ts which can help both the parents and the photographer to give the first and maximum priority to the safety and security of the newborn.
But before we move forward towards the main article, let us first briefly take an overview of why parents need to be concerned about their newborn’s safety during a photo shoot.
Why do parents need to be concerned about the safety issues during a newborn photo shoot?
Asking about the safety procedures that any photographer adheres to during a newborn photo shoot is your right and the most important thing to ask.
In fact, while many parents’ first questions regarding the photographer’s service is about the pricing and discussing their budgets, actually this should be the foremost thing in every parents mind as everything else highly depends on it.
This is because of two important reasons.
First, no matter how experienced, educated, certified, well versed, well known and well recommended the photographer and his or her team might be, the profession of photography is an unregulated one for most part of it.
So any claims that they make remain good as long as they remember them during the photo shoot.
For most people, being a professional photographer has never been their desire. It was something that started as a passion or sides hustle and later turned into a profession.
Although there might be some rules, regulations and laws that generally describe the ethical grounds and safety codes to be practiced at all times in any service based profession, there is no specific text of bylaws or anything that governs the rights of the object being photographed and the person or group of persons being in charge of doing it.
Taking into account this fact, newborn and child photography might be one of the most challenging and demanding areas of the professional photography niche.
Secondly, no matter how much you are willing to pay for your newborn’s photo shoot or how expensive of a photographer you hire, there is nothing more precious and important than the super relaxing fact of knowing that your newborn is fully safe and secure from any kind of harm and threats.
Things that parents are mostly concerned about while hiring a newborn’s photography service
There are a number of things that can easily make any parent of a newborn worried when it comes to getting their newborns photo shoot done. Such as –
1. The myth about the camera flash
It is an undeniable fact that exposure to high beams of light or high intensity light can cause damage to the eyesight of any person whether young or old.
While the effects of this might not become visible all at once, it might begin the slow and gradual process of weakening an exposed person’s eyesight.
This thing is also valid for newborns as well.
While some photographers and experts are of the opinion that most newborns during the photo shoot aren’t focusing directly towards the camera or are sleeping, so it does not matter, our opinion in this case is slightly different.
While the premise of their opinion is true in most cases as it is hard to make a baby stay focused towards the camera, any high beam of light like a camera flash can be felt even with closed eyes.
In addition to this, there is always a possibility of the light beam getting reflected into the newborns eyes due to the equipment used in the professional in-studio photo shoots.
Hence it won’t be bad to say that newborns are also not an exception when it comes to getting affected by any high intensity light whether in the form of a camera flash or anything else.
2. Is it safe to travel with a newborn to the studio for a photo shoot?
While this should not be an issue as most certainly many parents often travel out of their home with their babies, even newborns, for various purposes.
People also make air travels over long distances as well with their newborns, so it is safe to say that travelling with your newborn just after a few days of its birth is alright and nothing to worry about.
3. Handling the baby during the shoot
Another concern that parents have is usually about who will handle their baby during the photo shoot for different postures and styles.
It is possible that a few photographers may not like the parent to interfere or stay near to the baby for long as it can easily distract the baby’s attention and delay in taking the shots.
To overcome this concern, make sure to discuss it before hiring the photographer.
In the most favorable scenario, you could also ask the photographer to let you help as much as possible in the handling of your newborn.
4. Shooting different postures
Another concern that parents face with regards to a newborn’s photo shoot is the different postures and angles used to take amazing pictures.
What seems good, very attractive, highly captivating and worth trying as a final product can be a great worry for the parent to imagine what went behind the scenes to capture such adorable moments.
Parents are usually concerned about whether these different style and posture formations pose any threat to the newborn’s body.
Tips, do’s and don’ts to keep in mind during a newborns photo shoot
Following is a non-sequential list of some tips, do’s and don’ts regarding a newborn’s photo shoot that both the parents and the photographer can make use of and avoid any risks of danger towards the newborn’s safety.
1. Don’t let price make you compromise over your newborn’s safety
Having a limited budget is no issue as every parent has some kind of spending limitations.
But deliberately trying to get a discount and get more done for the money you are spending should be avoided at all costs.
Make sure to keep your newborn’s safety a priority and never let it get compromised on the hands of a photographer.
If budget is such an issue for you, it is better to not get the photo shoot done at all or just go for the minimum options within your limited budget.
Remember that not getting your newborn’s photo shoot done at all or opting for something smaller won’t be as much of regret as the regret of knowingly compromising its safety.
2. Keep your hopes and expectations low
Before hiring a photographer, you would have certainly gone through their portfolio and come across some very unique and different posing ideas.
Know that every newborn is different so do not even imagine your baby in the postures that you have just seen.
And while it is true that newborns, especially when sleeping, are very flexible and bendy and can be turned into any formation, not all babies are okay with it.
Some babies resist such demands so always keep an open eye and look for any signs of your baby saying a ‘No’ through its actions.
In simple words, keep your expectations and hopes low and keep an open mind to be willing to accept and be thankful for what you are getting without making any comparisons.
3. Do not ask directly. Let the photographer mention the newborn’s safety protocols
While we did mention in the beginning of this article to ask the photographer for what safety procedures they adhere to during a newborns photo shoot, it won’t matter if you could wait a bit and let the photographer speak up about it themselves.
If you are browsing through some photographers’ websites that claim to be specialists in the newborn photo shoot, look for clues or indications that prove their claim or describe their safety guidelines.
4. Avoid doing the photo shoot yourself (No DIY photo shoot sessions)
If you aren’t able to get a professional photo shoot done due to financial constraints, leave it completely.
Do not try to attempt doing it on your own at home by borrowing a DSLR from a friend as many people today own one, or by using your smartphone.
Although we raised our concern about the camera flash light intensity affecting your newborn’s eyes, the case of an in-studio camera flash effect won’t be as harmful as it could be at home.
This is because the equipment used in the studio is set-up professionally and compliments each other.
On the other hand at home, there are no professional standards being followed and hence an amateur photo shoot session of your newborn could be a much worse experience than hiring a cheap professional photographer.
5. Check out reviews of the photographers previous work
A good thing to do is to look for reviews and whether or not the previous parents recommend hiring them for a newborn’s photo shoot or not.
6. Do not overfeed your newborn
Babies tend to be very bendy and flexible while sleeping so many photographers prefer doing photo shoots while the baby is sleeping.
To make this possible, such photographers insist on overfeeding the newborn so that it remains asleep during the whole photo shoot session.
Despite their insistence, do not let this happen.
This is because an overfed newborn might even get sick, its stomach gets upset, may cause it to spit up more than usual thus delaying the photo shoot session in any case, and could even disturb the feeding schedule of the newborn as well.
7. Get involved in the photo shoot
As discussed above, during the discussion phase before hiring the photographer, make sure to insist on getting involved in the photo shoot session as much as possible for handling your newborn.
This is because some photographers just try to start and end the whole process as quickly as possible and would therefore won’t encourage or appreciate being offered help of any sort.
8. Look for actions that indicate your newborn needs a break
While it may sound unrealistic at this age, studies have shown that newborn’s also signal and show signs of getting irritated or bored not only by crying but also by way of their sweet little actions.
So look out for such indications and stop or take a break when you notice any unusual behavior from your newborn.
Conclusion
The end thoughts about this article are only that the safety of your newborn should be your top most priority in each and every case.
And while it is normal to get a photo shoot done for your newborn, you can always discuss in detail with the photographer beforehand and make use of the guidelines given here to keep your newborn as safer as possible.