I recently read a post by Rachel Vanoven, a newborn photographer in Indianapolis...she was expressing her frustrations with "new" photographers putting newborns in risky positions and/or using props that put the newborn at risk of injury. I agree with her post and think that you should have lots of experience posing newborns before trying the more risky stuff. As an amateur photographer, I would never go into my first photoshoot thinking I could pull off the same things the pros do, especially when it comes to the safety of a newborn.
Rachel Vanoven - Getting This Off My Chest Blog Post - Newborns
So this post will be about posing newborns, because as I have learned, there are tons of safe positions you can easily put them into without compromising mom's mental state and baby's safety.
I saw a photo last week where someone had propped a baby on the second shelf of an MDF bookshelf. I just kept thinking how I wouldn't trust that bookshelf....it would need to be solid wood and deep enough to safely hold the baby. But, then I realized...this is a newborn! There are so many cute things you can do with a sleeping newborn that are safe! Why risk it...
I'm posting pics of some of the super cute positions I think would be just as good, and safer! Not everyone has to push the limit and do things that are edgier or
more difficult than the next. You just need to use your creative side
and think of safe things.
Here is an example of the first newborn photoshoot I did....you can see
that I have him resting comfortably on a boppy with a soft blanket over it. I clearly didn't have him in a position that was comprising his safety or
comfort for that matter.
Here are some other good examples:
This is a personal favorite of mine... perfect for a new baby boy announcement. Super cute!
This one is simple and very pretty for a newborn girl:
This one is safe and totally cute for gender neutral:
Here is a tutorial on how to pose SAFELY:
Tricks of the trade:
The Setup:
Here are some poses to avoid if you're new at photographing newborns. Come up with something new, but safer:
