Four reasons why I don’t do traditional newborn posing

The journey of an artist is a long one.

There was a time when I brought a newborn posing bag, a stock pile of props and hats, and a space heater to my newborn shoots. It took a lot of trial and error, self discovery, and facing my fears to realize that I didn’t enjoy posed newborn photography. It really wasn’t in line with my “why” and my overall values as a human.

“Baby Led Posing”

Now, I practice what I call “Baby Led Posing.” This means that I don’t ever put a baby in an unnatural pose, that I don’t spend countless hours calming or posing my babies, and that ultimately, I don’t really pose at all.

Sure, I do place my newborns for portraits, however I don’t “pose” in the way that many traditional newborn photographers do.

Four reasons I don’t pose newborns:

1. I don’t believe that babies should be out of their parents arms for any extended amount of time. You see, I used to be a Newborn Intensive Care Nurse. During those years I learned that a newborn needs to be held, nourished, and ultimately with their parents and in their arms as much as possible. It doesn’t make sense to me to have a baby on a beanbag or a surface away from their parents for an extended amount of time, even if in the name of photography. During my sessions, babies spend most of their time in their parents arms, where they belong, in my humble opinion.

2. I think babies are beautiful as they are. The natural unfolding of a newborns limbs when the stretch, the way they curl up when placed on their belly for a moment, they way they look when comfortably swaddled, all of that is so simple and beautiful to me. That is how I want to remember my babies so that is how I capture them.

3. Frankly, I don’t think major posing is safe. If a baby has to be molded into an unnatural position, I believe their safety is at risk and that is not worth it to me, even in the name of a pretty photo.

4. I don’t want my photo sessions to be stressful. When I used to pose babies, I would spend up to four hours at a session, trying to make the baby sleep, trying to get the poses just right etc. I know what it’s like to have a newborn. It is already so stressful. I want my families to know that I think their babies are perfect as they are. Awake or asleep. Placed on a bed or in their parents arms. I have no expectations. I am in and out of my families homes in under two hours now that I don’t pose. I don’t wan to invade their precious time any longer than that.