This is another example of unsafe posing. Yes it's adorable and baby LOOKS secure and comfortable, but the risk at having no physical support on that baby is not worth ANY photo.
p.s, I have that little laptop if you want to use it 😂
This is another version of the froggie pose but with props and baby is much higher up off the surface and the arms are in the most unsupported position which can easily slide out and baby's head would fall. You not only have an unsupported baby, here, but also added height and further distance to fall but also hard props all around baby to fall and get hurt on.
Here is a finished with the unedited images of the froggie pose I did, one half has my hand holding baby and the other is dad holding her while I take the 2nd half, then they're put together to make one image. Notice how I also have her arms as close together as possible? Even though this pose or any variables should always be done hands on, the wrists together under the chin is a much more stable and supportive position for baby's head to rest on.
When I'm doing this pose and taking my shots, I am sitting right in front of the baby but with my camera in one hand and my attention looking through the viewfinder, I can't react quick enough to catch a baby if they start to fall over and if they do, it is not slow motion - that baby is going down quick and too hard for their little necks to handle.
Yeah the way I do it is more work, but as a parent what would you rather see? Support for your baby and get the shot or risky and improper posing to get the shot? It's a no brainer!
Now, let's talk complexity because this varies with newborn posing and I personally feel that the froggie pose is the most complex newborn pose to achieve, even though I do this hands on.
All of my table poses besides this one are in my opinion pretty simple and very little to no risk involved when done properly, but I also have a parent right beside the table at all times no matter what I'm doing.
Other poses like potato sack or other wrapped posing also require skill because you need to know how to have baby's legs and arms within a wrap so not to cut off circulation or pinch a nerve and with baby's limbs being covered by a wrap, you can't see if they start to turn purple. In terms of complexity, wrapping is in my opinion easy compared to other posing. The potato sack wrap, I know baby's body is fully wrapped but I still have a parent beside baby while I shoot this pose as I still have baby on a prop and they are somewhat upright.
The bucket pose is also a bit more complex and still takes thinking to achieve properly and safely. Any prop a baby is upright in or can possibly move in need to be weighed down and secured and the way baby is placed in the bucket or basket matters.
For example, the bucket pose I do here, baby's bottom half is down deep in the bucket sitting on top of layers of weight and posing supports and only their head and arms are above the lip level. If you have more of baby's upper body above the edges, this makes it top heavy and usually leaning to one side and baby can topple the prop over.
I also always have a parent sitting inches away from the prop with a hand just over baby's head or actually supporting the head if baby is not perfectly still. I have also experienced babies kicking themselves upward so having a hand right there is necessary.
Doing everything right starts with posing and that takes learned skills but the rest is done in post production to give you the final image you see and there's never a time where foregoing safety in posing is acceptable just to avoid having to do some finishing work later. I mean, this is where I shine! I pose them beautifully but my finished product is where the magic comes in and I get to really showcase what I can do!
It really takes nothing to have a spotter right beside and/or holding onto the baby and in my opinion it's just lazy and reckless not doing so.
Each photographer will have a differing opinion on which poses are the most complex to achieve, but I think anything where a composite image is required (froggie) or even bucket are the most complex simply because of everything that needs to go into them to do safely.
I know a lot of my parents comment "ohhh so THAT'S how you do it" or "I had no idea how hard that is until now" when they see for themselves how I do things and they understand why I say some poses can take 10-20 minutes or so to achieve and why I often require baby to be fully asleep to attempt certain poses and also need a spotter.
I'm very upfront with my clients and they know what to expect when they come for their newborn session, but they're often still very surprised at how much work actually goes into these sessions. They also highly value my knowledge and expertise in this area and know that I didn't get to this point overnight.
I totally get that price is a big factor when looking for a newborn photographer, but there are more important factors to consider, and yes price does in fact matter in what your photographer brings to the table so to speak.
You save for other things you want, why not do the same for your newborn photos?
Comments