Newborn and Infant Safety

I can’t stress this enough!! NO PHOTOGRAPH is worth endangering a baby.  Newborn photography is so popular and we see so many awesome and creative shots these days of newborns [with incredible neck strength] amazingly holding their own heads up….and the fabulous hanging shots.  PEOPLE LISTEN!!!!  These shots should not ever be attempted without lots of extra hands on deck!  And, if you don’t know what a composite shot is…you probably should not be attempting these shots yet.  And sometimes, baby just isn’t quite still enough or asleep enough to try them anyway!!!!  Lots of cute shots, amazing shots, can be captured without pushing the envelope.  SAFETY always comes first.
I had a recent session with a newborn.  We really wanted certain shots…some were awesome…some didn’t work.  I certainly could have tried repositioning and tried the shots again, but safety comes first [and Mom’s heart rate should always be considered as well]. 
Here’s an example:I have gotten lots of comments on this photo!  And so many people have said in their comments, “Oooooh!  I have to try that pose next time.”  That the gist…so I caution…yes, it’s a pose, but there is a lot you don’t see.
Here is the original: This is the SOOC shot.  I would never attempt this shot without the finger for support.  It’s what happened in Photoshop that took the original image seen here to the image above. 
This is not a joke!!!  This is exactly what I started with.  Yes….it means work in photoshop.  But SAFETY is the top priority!!!!
For more info on newborn photo shoot safety, see these articles:
Newborn Safety with Guest teacher Michelle Haley
Words Are Not Enough Photography

Beautiful Baby E

I was so thrilled to meet this tiny bundle of joy…I got to capture Mom’s belly a few weeks earlier, and getting to see her on the outside was amazing.  She is perfect and gorgeous!  She was quite alert at the beginning of the session and really didn’t appreciate me messing with her.  But she finally drifted off to sleep and let me get some amazing shots.

Long-Nguyen Session

These are some of the cutest and goofiest kids around!  I just love them!  Bring out the camera, and they turn it on!  So much personality! [and it shows!]  I was honored that Mom [a childhood friend] asked me to take portraits of her kiddos!  We met in Orlando when I was home late last month and she picked an amazing location!!!

Thank you so much for letting me play with you guys!  I had so much fun…hot, sticky Florida humidity and all!  Maybe next time, we can get Dad to play too!

Lustgarten-Miller Session

This is a LONG TIME COMING…but I hope the wait has been worth it!!  I had such a great time working with this family…and long time friends.  We started at the park and then drove the very short distance to the beach!  What could be more fun…a little grass and a little sand!!

How yummy is this!!!  I love this one…it’s all about Mom! Just look at the way Daddy is looking at her!!!  Such LOVE!!!!

This session was so much fun!!  Thank you for letting me capture these moments!  Looking forward to the next time…even if it is just as insanely HOT as it was on this day!