Feb
15
2015
After photographing the emotional journey of Allyson giving birth to her sweet Abigail, we decided to do very simple newborn girl photos. We planned a creamy neutral color palette to keep the highlight on the innocence of the first few days of life. We were hoping for a sibling image, some sweet detail images, and one of Allyson with all three of her kiddos.
But on the evening before the session, the older two children came down with fevers. So instead of the crazy and full on energy of a session with siblings, we had a quiet relaxing morning with just mama and baby. A session with no siblings is just as relaxing as this video of Abigail settling down to sleep makes it seem.
I’ve said it before: if I could only photograph two things it would be mamas with their newborns and newborns outside. I was able to do both with Abigail.
Allyson is the talent behind The Journey by Ally so it’s always a special honor to be asked to photograph a photographer’s baby. And when Allyson said the following words after her session, I remembered again why I love to give new mama’s the gift of seeing her love for her baby.
Thank you again for this image. It reminds me how sweet & tiny she was. All that sleep deprivation blurs the mind! It’s one of the only images post-partum of myself that I actually like. You are amazing!
Since Abigail was born in August we were also able to sneak outside of the studio for a quick image. For safety sake, I only photograph newborns outside when it is at least 75 degrees and preferably above 80 unless baby is well wrapped and wearing a hat (and for that situation I pose them inside before carrying them out and taking a quick image).
This turned out to be one of my very favorite images I took in 2014.
You can see it hanging here in the gallery wall in my studio in my signature barnwood frame with a torn edge print.
Would you like to capture simple images of your sweet baby in your arms or outside? Contact me today to tell me your story and get your due date on my limited calendar.
Aug
20
2014Shelbie contacted me a little panicked. Little Finley William had surprised everyone with an arrival a few weeks earlier than anticipated. So many other photographers had told her they wouldn’t photograph a baby over 7 days old or that they were totally booked.
While it’s true that a newborn is the sleepiest and curliest from 0-14 days, I actually prefer to photograph in the 7-12 day range. At that point, mom’s milk has come in: a full baby is a sleepy baby. I have, however, photographed full term babies in this curly newborn style up to 20 days old and preemies up to about 42 weeks gestation (one of whom was almost 4 months old!).
And even if I’m not sure if a baby will sleep through the traditional posing of a newborn session, I will always be able to create some beautiful images. Your baby is beautiful regardless of their age.
As always these images are Photoshop magic for baby’s safety.
Finley arrived with excited and adorable older brother Cade. Cade was extremely ticklish and had a ready smile. I loved this 6 year age gap 🙂 Cade actually gave Finley his middle name: William. I can’t wait to see what other tricks he teaches this little guy.
Mama Shelbie bought this series as two 16×16 and one 16×20 canvases for her mantle along with announcements, mini books, and digital files. We made this preview in my iPad app to preview what it would look like on her mantle. I love being able to show you exactly what your fine art would look like in your space!
Finely’s mama followed all of my instructions on preparing Finely for sleep so I had quite a bit of time in the beginning of the session to pose to my heart’s content. And then the power went out. Which is no good when you’re a studio light photographer. Luckily it came back up again in about 10 minutes.
Little Finely had a good little snack and we rocked and burped and then took my favorite series of this little guy on the cable knit blanket.
Shelbie, thank you so much for sharing your boys with me. I can’t wait to see you in the studio again!
Are you interested in a pure simple session for the sweet little baby you are expecting? I would love to get to know you and answer all your questions over yummy Due South Coffee.
Jun
25
2014Today I want to lift the veil for you a little. Here’s a big secret:
Most Posed Images of Newborns that Look Impossible Are Impossible
Those Images are Photoshop trickery of the eye.
A Safe Photoshop Composite of a Popular Newborn Pose
Quiet Graces Photography, as a safe Greenville SC Newborn Baby Photographer, I care more about your little one than the any image I want to create.
If you’re uncomfortable with pose or if your baby expresses discomfort in a pose, I will never push for that pose. Your baby is worth more than “getting the shot”.
I have been in the photography industry long enough to have seen some scary things.
There are crazy YouTube videos about how to get the pose above (called the “Frog Pose”) without the the parent’s hands on the baby. The baby “balances” there for an awful moment and my heart sinks to the floor watching. A baby’s head is 1/3 of it’s birth weight. There are no muscles on a newborn strong enough to hold a head up: not in the arms or the neck.
There are images circulated every year at Easter of babies lying in glass vases full of jelly beans or Easter eggs. I’ve seen images of babies lying on piles of glass Christmas ornaments. Glass! Glass can break. Glass can cut.
I’ve seen babies lifted 2-3 feet in the air on tree branch for beautiful hanging images in wraps or crocheted stork pouches. Or a baby placed precariously on a stool with an over enthusiastic 2 year old sibling “loving” on him. Or on bicycles or motorcycles or wooden swings. Falls could happen. It’s always better to do these images as a Photoshop composite. And if you a see a photographer advertising these types of images, it’s always best to ask if they are composites before hiring them. Most of these things can be done well in Photoshop, but the inexperienced newborn photographer may or may not know the ccorrect process.
Picking a Safe Greenville SC Newborn Baby Photographer
Please ask any newborn photographer who has these unsafe/impossible looking images on her website if they were performed as Photoshop Composites.
If they hesitate in their answer, choose a different photographer.
As an artist: we have visions in our heads about where we would like to be and there is a learning curve before our images and posing reach our visions. But a photographer who is claiming to be a professional and doesn’t know how to safely learn while keeping your little love comfortable should be avoided.
Are you a photographer or parent who wants to learn more about Newborn Safety? Check out Learn Shoot Inspires Newborn Safety Week Posts.
May
28
2014
Zoey is a miracle. She was delieved at just 25 weeks gestation when her mother was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and HELLP Sydrome.
Zoey weighed just 1 pound and 4.5 ounces. She was in the NICU for almost 3.5 months. This is her actual newborn picture.
By the time I photographed Zoey she was almost 4 months old and at 41 weeks gestation. She had been released from the NICU about 1 week prior to our session. Greenville SC Preemie Baby Photography does not often occur in the tradition first 3 week period of newborn photography. These little miracles require their own timetables.
She weighed just 6 pounds and 1 ounces. She was full of Joy: the experience of good in the midst of suffering. Zoey Joy smiled at me: a miracle made possible by modern medicine and brave NICU staff.
Photographing preemie’s presents additional challenges to the photographer, the first of which is safety. These babies have weak immune systems. What a photographer thinks is just a touch of cold could be a dangerous virus called RSV that would produce life threatening consequences for their weak lungs.
I never take preemie’s into the studio unless my whole family is free of sickness and I always wash and then sanitize my hands before touching a preemie. If I’m sick, I’ll happily refer any newborn clients to an alternate photographer with availability.
Preemie’s are also past the 0-14 day stage we like to refer to as “womb memory.” Womb memory is the extra flexibility in a baby’s joints from being so recently tucked inside his mother. Womb memory coupled with a newborn’s propensity for sleep, allows newborn photographers to pose the babies all those curly positions.
Preemie’s don’t have womb memory and are far less flexible. They also possess more strength than a newborn due to chronologically being older. Finally, many preemies are sensitive to excessive touch. So posing a preemie is a delicate matter of trial and error to see which positions are comfortable for them. Zoey loved only a trio of the traditional newborn poses and we varied those up with different styling, blankets, and props.
Lydia and Micheal, thank you so much for sharing your precious miracle Zoey Joy with me. It was an honor to serve you during this season of celebration for your family.
If you just delivered a preemie or micropreemie, don’t hesitate to inquire about booking a session. I’m willing to attempt a newborn type session for any baby up to 45 weeks gestation. You deserve to celebrate your new little one.
Additionally, I’m happy to come out to the NICU and photograph a complimentary session so you can have professional images of your little ones brave first days.
May
21
2014A couple weeks ago, I talked about judging a photographer’s skill with a camera and retouching software. This week I’m going to show you how to look at their work and judge whether or not they are a Greenville SC Safe Newborn Photographer.
What are the Safety Challenges in Newborn Photography?
Most newborn photographers prefer working with newborns who are under 14 days old.
Photographers prefer this age because the babies have what we call “womb memory”: they are extremely flexible due to their time confined in their mothers womb. This age allows us to curl them into the beautiful poses featured in our work.
But there are unique safety challenges to photographing a baby at this age.
- Newborns have very weak immune systems.
- Newborns are used to an environment that is 98.6 degrees. When unclothed, babies loose body heat very rapidly.
- Newborns have several reflexes for their safety. The following reflexes can cause a baby to move from a prop or beanbag if the photographer is not aware of them: Moro or Startle reflex, the Rooting Reflex, and the Galant Reflex.
- Newborns have poor circulation in their limbs called acrocyanosis.
- Newborns can not support their own heads and have to be supported at all times.
- Newborns have varying levels of flexibility and not all babies find every pose comfortable.
Identifying Safety in a Photographer’s Portfolio
You can ask some questions about a photographers sick plan/vaccinations, how warm their studio is, and how they were trained. But prior to calling a newborn photographer, you can evaluate their skill and safety just by looking at their work.
The first tip I’ll give: Never hire a newborn photographer who shows any images of babies in glass or ceramic props. It’s just not worth the risk to put baby in something breakable!
The second tip: If a pose looks impossible (baby’s head supported by hands, hanging from a branch, or suspended off the ground), ask that photographer how that pose was created. All of these images should be created via a Photoshop composite. Most photographers who do these poses will talk about the “magic” used to create the pose, but some inexperienced photographers actually believe these poses are possible without Photoshop. It never hurts to ask.
I’m going to show you some images from my first three newborn session years ago so that you can clearly see the difference between a well posed, comfortable, and safe baby and one who is clearly not comfortable. These images were taken in my portfolio-building season and before I took my first workshop. I’ve grown so much since then, but I don’t think it’s fair to display any other photographer’s work but my own on this blog.
You can see that this baby is not comfortably through it’s grimace. Perhaps he had gas or perhaps he was posed uncomfortably.
The clearest sign of safety in a photographer’s images is the contentment of the baby. The baby should always look relaxed and may occasionally even smile for the camera.
The baby here is poorly posed. While physically she’s comfortable, this image is not a good one because you can’t see baby’s face.
Here is a better image of a baby lying in a similar pose.
The baby here is cold. You can see how his skin is blotchy from the cold and also that he’s awake. Cold babies rarely sleep. While I had a space heater running, it was not able to keep this client’s home warm.
This is the same pose in my adequately warm studio. One of my primary reasons for creating my home studio was to keep baby better heated and to ensure that I had the necessary light.
This baby has poor circulation. While his hands are not as purple as they could have been, he was clearly left in this position for too long without restoring circulation.
A careful newborn photographer will patiently assist a newborn in relaxing the fingers and re-position the baby if circulation becomes an issue.
Are you as concerned about your baby’s safety as I am? Please contact me today for your free pre-consult and we’ll see if you and I are a great fit in style and budget. If we’re not, I’ll happily refer you to another Greenville SC Safe Newborn Photographer who can meet your needs.
Are you an aspiring newborn photographer or parent wanting to learn more about baby safety? Let me point you to this series of posts on Newborn Photography Safety.
