Infant Photography Safety Tips

Awww. Look at that adorable infant in a sling hanging from a tree branch. What about that precious little one tucked into a glass vase filled with marbles? Aren't they precious? You know, I think I might shoot a baby propped up on his elbows on a flimsy object, too!

Stop!!

Before you grab your camera and that precious baby, take a moment to think about safety. Did you know that almost all the amazing infant photos by big name photographers are actually composites? Did you know that the amazing sling in a tree photo is usually shot with the sling inches away from a bean bag while mom and dad hover with their hands at the ready in case the baby shifts? The tree branch is added afterward in Photoshop while the photographer is cloning out all the hands and beanbags in the shot.

As an infant photographer, you are shooting with a different set of rules than many other photographers.

Your first priority cannot be taking an amazing shot. It must be the safety and comfort of the baby.

Infants need to stay warm. While photographers and parents are fanning themselves and wishing for air conditioning, the babies are snuggled happily in a blanket. Keeping the babies away from any drafts and nice and warm is essential for those sleeping baby poses and for the babies' health. You don't want to make the room too hot, though. Somewhere around 70 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit is good.

A lot of photographers like to use train tracks for on location shoots. If you don't have a permit giving you permission to shoot there that day, it probably is not legal to use railroad tracks, even ones that seem abandoned, for a shoot. Even if you do have permission or even if it is legal to shoot on abandoned tracks where you live, please, please do not lay a baby on the tracks. It is...Well, it is tacky.

The same goes for shots on the edge of a cliff or any of the Michael Jackson dangling baby type poses.

Now, I'm not saying you have to compromise your artistic vision. If you want to shoot edgy, spooky photos, go right ahead. Just find yourself a model who is a consenting adult instead of a few week old infant.

I mentioned a composite photo with a baby in a glass vase earlier. The key is the word composite. Any time you want to show a baby in something that could break, please use Photoshop to get the final image.