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