“You are the miracle of all creation.” ~ Charlene Costanzo
I don’t often use ye olde blog as a soapbox, so please bear with me.
Due to some recent national publicity on the Today show and other media outlets, the classic art of newborn photography has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds. Along with this popularity – and a whole new generation of newborn photographers – it seems the focus has shifted away from simple photographs of beautiful babies – to poses. Browsing around the internet, I’ve seen babies hanging from trees, balanced outside on tree branches (seriously), propped up on their tiny wrists, balanced vertically, and so forth.
Newer photographers may not realize that many of these images are created via composites – where two separate images (the baby is held by an assistant or parent’s hand) are merged together to create one image. These sessions typically last several hours, with one team member focusing on posing the baby while the other works the camera. If you go to YouTube and watch a video of any of Anne Geddes’ newborn sessions, you’ll find that she always had a full team of people to accomplish those shots – mostly via composites.
I want to add that the purpose of this post is not to criticize those who specialize in the Anne Geddes-style of pose-centric photography. There are several who do this very, very well and I admire the artistry of their work immensely. It’s directed to those who are new to photography and don’t have the years of newborn experience to draw upon. I beg of you to please, please remember that these are tiny miracles who should not – at any time – be placed in a dangerous situation. My heart hurts at the thought of a baby being injured during a photography session meant to capture how tiny and perfect they are.
(In the interest of full disclosure, I admit that a couple of years ago I briefly got caught up in the posing craze and photographed a baby on a mantel. She was 100% safe, with mom standing within inches of her, but I felt a bit ill afterwards that I dared to put a sweet baby even remotely in danger. It still bothers me, and I’ve never done it again, nor will I ever.)
As for my style, I just prefer simple, organic images that focus on the baby and their parents. I don’t shoot composites and I pose my babies naturally and comfortably. During my sessions, I tell parents that watching me work is a bit like watching paint dry.
I work gently and very, very slowly with my newborns to ensure they’re comfortable and content at all times. I don’t like unnatural poses, and I don’t hang babies from trees – only from their parents’ arms. For creative images, I love to nestle baby in a basket, bowl, or one of my other antiques. (like the one shown above).
If you made it this far, I thank you. And it’s back to our regular programming later this evening with another sweet baby’s sneak peek!
by Lisa
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