At your newborn session with Mary Beth’s Photography, safety is always our first priority. Most parents are amazed at what photoshop trickery takes place to get those adorable, classic newborn poses while ALWAYS putting the safety of the newborn first. I have gone through extensive training and workshops to make sure that I am always keeping the baby safe and comfortable. I am taking you all behind the scenes in this post to show you how I work as a magician to get the perfect portrait.
This portrait shows the hands of a loving parent holding their newborn into a pose that, with a little photoshop, will make the perfect portrait. The biggest, most important aspect, for me, with newborn sessions and being safe, is always having the parents right next to the baby with their hands on them constantly. This is because it puts everyone at ease and if the baby moves at all, the parents are right there to ensure safety at all times. Especially during those intricate poses, I always tell my clients not to worry about the portrait, we always, always want the baby to be safe. With my magician skills (and some photoshop), we are able to turn that portrait, into an after portrait that is gorgeous!
Another behind the scenes photo of an intricate pose of an adorable newborn. You’ll see the parents hands on the baby again. When photographing a newborn you have to be mindful of the soft spot on the top of their head and their temples. Because a newborn doesn’t have control over their head movement and it’s also the heaviest part of their body at this point, the classic newborn portraits are impossible to get safely without a parents hands on their newborn. And again, with a wave of my magic (photoshop) wand, that portrait, becomes a classic.
Here is the before.
And abra cadabra, here’s the after!
Newborns are special, not only because of their smell, but because their circulation is still very immature and we have to work quickly. So many poses include newborns to be bundled up, with the weight of their heads on other parts of their body. Parts of their body can start to turn purple or red from the weight of their head so working quickly is important because we don’t let this happen at Mary Beth’s Photography. I will try a pose, at a maximum, 3 times, but if a baby doesn’t like it, we move on to a different pose. A baby will tell you if they are uncomfortable by giving cues like wiggling around or letting out grunts. I’m taking you behind the scenes of one of our most favorite newborn poses, the newborn “hanging from a tree.”
You can see the parents are holding the baby so she’s safe and cozy. This is a pose that I am very comfortable doing, but there are many poses that new parents and new photographers do that I am hesitant about. The froggy pose is one of those poses, it’s a composite (meaning two separate portraits that are merged into one portrait) and is impossible for a newborn to do on their own. It can be very dangerous if you are not educated on doing this pose, as it can be a lot of strain and stress on the newborn and for that reason, I don’t generally offer this particular pose. Safety is always my first priority and I won’t sacrifice it for anything! In order to make changing out swaddles and changing dirty diapers easier during your newborn session, we have incorporated the use of a swaddle pro. It makes moving from pose to pose quicker, easier and more comfortable for the newborn by still keeping the newborn’s upper portion wrapped and snug.
And now for the magic trick and the frameworthy after portrait.
These portraits end up being beautiful and classic. The newborns are safe, snug and calm in the arms of their parents and everyone ends up being thrilled with the magic of photoshop. I wanted to share some of these safety tips because it’s one of the most important reasons to hire a professional photographer for newborn portraits. At Mary Beth’s Photography we take every safety precaution, we are trained and we are educated on how to handle newborns. And especially in this time of Covid 19, we are taking even more safety measures. My studio is professionally cleaned every other week and in between sessions, I clean the entire studio. I use Lysol and wash all items in between each session. I also wash my hands before the session, use hand sanitizer and wear a mask during each session. Also, I have received the first dose of the Moderna Covid vaccine for added protection for my clients. Your baby’s health (along with you and your family) is my top priority.
I hope this pulls back the curtain a little bit on some of the most popular newborn poses you see floating around social media. These poses require a professionally trained photographer. A professional who has done the training and knows all the proper techniques. Newborn sessions are some of the most precious, special portraits you’ll have and at Mary Beth’s Photography, we want to ensure a pleasant, joyful and most importantly, safe experience for everyone!
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