- Feb 1, 2017
- 2 min read

Safety Safety Safety

I bang on about newborn safety A LOT, but I'm not sorry. Creating awareness for risking the life of baby can not be said enough.

Parents who see these images coo over them, and want them for their own baby. Which is great until they ask a photographer who may not be qualified to carry out these poses, but will attempt them anyway. Photographers may also see these images and aspire to re-create them, again which is fine IF they take out the necessary training to do this safely beforehand. It's not just a case of give it a go and hope the baby is fine.

These images below are all done in the safest way possible, with baby being held at ALL times. You should NEVER EVER let go of a baby in certain poses which require a composite.

The 'froggy' pose is a popular one, yet the most dangerous. If this is attempted by an un-trained photographer, there are many things that can go wrong. For example, if the baby startles, which happens a lot during a session. In this position they will fall flat on their face, not only shocking them but potentially breaking their tiny little bones.

The 'potatoe sack' pose is safer than froggy, but there's still a great risk. This pose can be done without hands on the baby, IF the neck is supported enough, but this comes with years of experience to know if this is doable or not. Even if hands aren't on the baby, they must be very close by to be ready for any jumps or falls.

The 'leaning on hands' pose is easier to do, but newborns are very floppy and cannot support holding their head up on their own. You don't need as much pressure here, but you still need support.

Same as above, with the same pose in a prop, head must be held at all times. Not only that, but the way the baby is positioned is also very important as there's still a risk of joints and blood circulation being an issue.

And finally sibling shots. These are lovely, and may not always need hands on baby if the sibling is older, although there should always be a 'spotter' close by. With younger children it's very important to have a parent helping, as they lose interest in the pose very quickly and do not understand the dangers involved.