I, along with many other newborn photographers have invested a lot of time and money in to learning the tricks and techniques of newborn photography, so I am not going to give all the secrets away, this post is to warn of the dangers and risks some people will take. Things are not always what they seem and these set ups take time, effort and patience to create.
There is a lot of safety preparations, spotters and photoshop composites involved in the creation of these images. There are people holding these babies that you just can't see. While the image of babies hanging from branches in slings and propped up in cute little poses are adorable and so very tempting to try, my advice is, if you want to do these poses... Get specific training in this area. The most amazing image is not worth the safety of a newborn or the lawsuit if things go horribly wrong, these are people after all, not props. Do not think that all babies will sit with their head propped up on their hands unaided and never suspend a baby from a hammock or sling at a height above a floor or any other hard surface. You can never trust a sling or hammock 100%. Knots can come undone and babies can fall if proper care is not taken. Even in some shots where baby looks all snug curled up in Daddy's hand can be dangerous if done at a height and without support, all it takes is for baby's heavy head to tilt and everything gets thrown off balance.
Another thing to keep in mind when using props to hang a baby in, is baby's weight. You want to be sure that what you are using is designed to hold the weight of the baby and NEVER put more than one baby in something designed for a single newborn.
If you have not had the training and do not have the safety methods to use, please stick to safer newborn poses curled up in little balls in cocoons or sleeping safely in a cushion or a photography prop beanbag until you have had the training required and you have the necessary safety items available to you.
Newborn photography as a whole is not as simple as many photographers make it look. Babies do not work on our schedule and there are many tricks involved to getting a newborn to that sleepy state that take place before the session even starts. Of course, sometimes you get lucky and get a dream baby that just sleeps through the whole session anyway! ;)
Please keep baby safety your number 1 priority, wether you are the photographer or the parent!
