Putting Baby’s Safety First for Any and All Toronto Baby Photography

Putting Baby’s Safety First for Any and All Toronto Baby Photography

As they await the arrival of their baby, parents often get excited about the prospect of baby photography. Toronto parents who see adorable images of babies online and in photographers’ portfolios start to imagine their own babes posed in cute outfits or nothing at all, alongside or even inside a selection of props.

Toronto baby photography is an amazing way to document something as monumental and special as the birth of a baby. Photos of newborns can also be easily customized to include objects that parents feel are a representation of their family, their hobbies and even occupations, making the collection of images just that much more meaningful.

I think I can speak for most photographers when I say that getting creative with different poses and props is one of my favourite parts of any newborn session. Sometimes, however, I come across images of newborns and older infants posed in ways and with props that are clearly dangerous, and it makes me fearful to think of all the new parents who don’t know what to look for in a newborn photographer.

As a professional photographer who has extensive training in the art and science of how to safely pose babies for pictures, I confess that it worries me to see how many untrained and inexperienced photographers there are out there, advertising their services for baby photography in Toronto. When the creative element becomes the focal point of a baby photography session, and not the wellbeing of the baby, the small and delicate subjects are put at risk.

When it Comes to Baby Photography, Toronto Parents Should Choose Wisely

There are many reasons you should choose a professional photographer to take your child’s portraits. Doing so will not only give you a better chance of receiving high-quality images, but the more important reason is that someone who has been trained to pose babies safely will know how to achieve the creative images you’re looking for without endangering your little one’s safety.

Having photographed more than 800 newborns in my career, thus far, I use my experience to teach other photographers how to analyze the poses and props their clients request and determine whether or not they’re conducive to capturing images safely. What’s more is that every baby is unique, and observing how alert they are, their size and other factors before agreeing to specific poses or props, is a good way to err on the side of caution.

While I show the photographers in my workshops how to use a variety of techniques and tools that will allow them to accommodate many of their clients’ requests, I also stress that you have to be willing to say ‘no’ when a pose or a prop can’t guarantee that baby will be safe at all times.

My advice to any parent shopping for a studio in which to do their Toronto baby photography is to look into the photographer’s training and credentials before hiring them.

Specialized Tools & Techniques Make Toronto Baby Photography Unique and Safe

We’ve all seen them; those heart-warming images of small babies posed on top of their fathers’ or mothers’ guitars and hockey skates, inside construction hardhats, football helmets and baseball gloves. For parents, an image of their baby alongside an object that in some way defines or represents them, is pretty magical. After all, this little person is a part of you and may, too, one day grow to love music or to follow in their parent’s footsteps by building houses. I’ve even had the pleasure of photographing the babies of a couple of professional athletes and so a session that didn’t incorporate the ‘tools’ of their professions, in this case a basketball and hockey equipment, just didn’t seem natural.

When you hire someone who has been properly trained to do baby photography in Toronto, there are many ways to safely achieve those beautiful, creative and unique images. In my studio, I regularly use composite images and spotters that will guarantee my subjects are never in danger while we capture the types of pictures that family and friends admire for years to come.

Composite Images: When it comes to baby photography, Toronto photographers, like myself, will often use composite images to produce photos of babies in poses or with props that would otherwise be impossible to take safely. With this technique, the photographer layers a few images together in Photoshop to create an image where the baby looks to be snuggled inside a helmet with their head propped on the side, for instance, totally unsupported. In reality, images are layered together to remove the hands of the spotter or other objects that would have supported baby throughout the taking of the photo.

Spotters: Having an extra pair of hands to support a newborn’s fragile little neck in a holding head pose, or to ensure a baby posed on top of a basketball, for instance, is never in danger of falling, allows the photographer and parents to get creative while maintaining that crucially high level of safety. When they visit my studio for baby photography, Toronto parents can expect that I will use my assistant as a spotter or that I will ask one of them (preferably Dad) to act as spotter for some poses.

The reason I say ‘preferably Dad’ is that babies have an incredible ability whereby they can smell and sense their mother, even if she’s standing on the other side of the room. Because of this, newborns can start to squirm or fuss in an attempt to get their mothers’ attention, and babies that are fussing or very alert are more challenging to pose safely.

A Positive and Rewarding Experience for Everyone Involved

Taking your newly born child for baby photography in Toronto is an exciting and fun way to celebrate their arrival. Photo sessions with newborns require extra time and care, but even with the breaks for feeding, changing and soothing, your baby photography session can and should be a worthwhile and memorable experience. Knowing that your special little baby is in the hands of a photographer who is aware of the types of poses and props that can be used safely to produce a beautiful collection of images will only make your experience that much more positive.

For more information on Toronto baby photography that prioritizes baby’s safety, call 905.449.2200.