Newborn Photography - Safety is Paramount

Newborn babies, aren't they precious, gorgeous and delightful. Yes, all of those things and more, and we'd like to keep it that way, thank you.

In our saturated world of photographers, newborn photography is growing, figuratively speaking, by the day. The rise in popularity of having your newborn photographed has come a very, very long way from the generic one-pose photo that was done at your general hospital, it has become more focussed (excuse the pun) for a host of different poses and set-ups. With this, it has become a situation whereby some babies are put in a very worrying situation.

Take for instance this pose here, known as the 'froggy' pose, or as I like to call it the 'burping' pose. Now I've seen babies being compromised just so that photographers can achieve this pose. In no circumstance should the baby be put into an unnatural position, whereby their safety isn't number one priority. And only then, with newborn photographers who have undergone extensive training and handling babies the correct way can we begin to achieve certain poses such as this, and this pose is a composite of two photographs stitched together. Don't EVER assume baby is left unattended to pose this way.

Educating potential clients is a must.

Two people are on hand on the baby at all times to ensure baby is comfortable and steady, with no pressure to their joints or being restricted. If baby is wholly uncomfortable with any aspects of posing no photographer should enforce it. Period.

I needed to say something on this matter, because for me, photographing newborns (your baby) is a very skilled, specialist field. It requires gentle handling, safety and great patience. Please do your research. BANPAS http://www.banpas.co.uk/ is an association that actively promotes baby safety, and one that I am a member of. Recommendation and feedback from others that have used certain newborn photographers is another source.

Your baby + our dedication to this profession = happy individuals.

Let's keep it that way.

A small window

Time. We are all consumed by it. We live by it. We set our clocks by it. And we all agree that time is so important.

We get up on time, we get the kids to school...on time. You're getting the gist.

Time as we know it, goes by so quickly. There is only a timeframe in which to do certain things. We wish we had more of it during the day, just to get those 'things' done! We lose time doing monotonous daily tasks, but for me personally time has one meaning for me. Existence.

The very existence of past, present and future, our TIME.

I wish I had my time again to relive special moments in my life. Moments with relatives that have now sadly passed over, or times with my first child, to enjoy those moments of him being a baby, and being so small, but then I am grateful that I got to relive it in other ways with DS2 and now DS3, but I don't have those wonderful, tiny details of my DS1, I never had any professional photos of him when he was a baby (I wasn't a photographer back then). Do I regret not having photos of him with a photographer? Of course I do, yes!

Having photos done of your newborn is the last thing you want to be thinking about, and wish to have done. That is why I always emphasise the importance of booking your chosen newborn photographer when you are at least 6 months pregnant to ensure that the photographer you would like has availability when you are due, as the newborn photos are done during the first 14 days of baby being born, to ensure those sleepy-womb-like poses that you have come to love.

So, on that note, don't waste time, book your newborn photo session now!

Hello, long time no post!

Yes, it has been a while since I have posted on my blog, but for good reasons as you know. I have been on maternity leave tending to my gorgeous newborn baby boy. He is now 16 weeks and I can't believe where that time has gone! Looking after 3 boys has been testing to begin with, but I think we're all finding our groove in a bustling household.

Without further ado, these are photographs of my baby boy from a few days old until now.

7 days new

3 months

With his big bro

I am officially back in the studio and will be posting up a couple of gorgeous newborns that I photographed this week and also why booking a newborn photographer is a wise investment.

If you go down to the woods today...

...remember to wear comfy, practical shoes.

The big kid and I ventured to Woburn woods during the Spring term break. There is something so magical, primitive and to be totally honest, quite scary about walking amongst the trees. It was quite busy however, with people casually wandering around (like us), walking their dogs, jogging and a few mountainous bikers on the trail that they have there.

Of course I took the opportunity to take some photographs whilst we were there, much to my son's delight! Not! I took most of the photos on my medium format, which I will need to have processed soon. The rest I took on my digital camera, one of which was this:

So, if you go down to the woods today, pack a camera, the light that comes through the trees is magical, oh, and yes, wear some comfy shoes! And you may just see the Easter Bunny!

Happy Easter everyone!

You are my sonshine

You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. 

And if you treat them like sons,

they'll turn out to be heroes,

even if it's just in your own eyes. 

~Walter M. Schirra, Sr.

 



Patience, patience

Patience is not the ability to wait

But how you act while you're waiting

~ Joyce Meyer

And I did act as calmly as possible to try and get a decent photograph of my two, it's an impossibility at times, and from experience I just bide my time and I do eventually get that shot. Here are some of the outtakes...

And here is one of the resulting shots that I manage to get when they managed to sit still for two seconds. Granted my youngest is 22 months, so this is a VERY difficult age to photograph, but my (nearly) 9 year old isn't that compliant either!



Mixed emotions

So...I'm currently 28 weeks pregnant, and counting!

I have my days when I'm tired, day's when I'm nervous (about the impending arrival), and days when I am so excited I can't contain myself. Hormones...aaaah such a wonderful thing.

[Today, if you're wondering, is a 'tired' day.]

The realisation of becoming a mum to three children is quite a thought, one that hasn't quite sunk in yet. I sometimes wonder how mum's of three or more do it? Three different personalities to contend with must be mind numbing at times, but hopefully joyful!?

And a question that has been going around in my head lately, when do you feel like you're done? I mean really done? I do have days when I think, love, you're in way over you're head looking after just two, what possessed you to have another? And then thoughts of how lovely having a large family would be. The chaos, the different personalities running ragged around our bustling home, and even now, being pregnant, whenever there's a newborn baby I'm just reduced to putty, so god knows what I'll be like again in a couple of years time. I can say this now, I know, but my thoughts may soon change on that one once baby number 3 comes along.

What it boils down to is that going from 3 to 4 means a much bigger car, making more room in your home, etc, etc. then it's more or less the deciding factor in knowing when to stop. It's just that it sounds so very final. I am blessed to have another child, the understanding that other's aren't so lucky, I have had the experience of losing a much wanted baby during the first trimester of my second pregnancy, and it is devastating, so it's not always been a bed of roses.

Maybe the deciding factor is how it affects the rest of the family, us mother's can at times (very rarely) think selfishly, more often for the right reasons, but we take into consideration every other family members point of view (whether we like it or not!) or maybe like most of us it boils down to finances, but that's another story.

All this thinking is taxing on my brain!

Blame it on my age...or hormones!