CLEVELAND — Who doesn't love to look at photos of adorably-posed newborns? Right now, babies in pumpkins are popular fall photos, but doctors warn—don't try it at home. Often, there's no way to pull off those precious poses.
"Hi princess,” smiles Cleveland-area photographer Rachel Good, of Rachel Good Photography.
She is talking to 10-day-old Aurora.
“She makes the cutest noises,” she gushed.
Newborn photo shoots are popular among parents.
“She’s our first child,” said Jennifer Heinrich, Aurora’s mom. “So, we wanted to have something to commemorate her at this stage, have some pictures with us, and really just have a good memory of this special time in our lives"
She and her husband, Daniel, decided to leave the pics up to the pros.
Good has been photographing babies since having her own almost a decade ago.
“Newborn photography is an art,” said Good.
She has special training and certification to work with her mini muses. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep your baby safe during a photo shoot.
“You always want to make sure you have their head where it's not going to fall," she said while positioning a little pillow beneath Aurora’s head.
She also uses a doctor-approved heating pad to keep babies comfortable as they pose for their photos, and a space heater to help keep the temperature in the room just right.
Also, there's often more than meets the eye with popular poses. Like the so-called frog pose; it’s a photo-shopped composite of three images. In each one, there's a hand supporting the baby, but you'd never know it by the final photo.
"They have these photos where it looks like the baby is sitting upright or the baby is posing with their arms, and the babies don't have those motor skills to be able to do that," said Pediatrician Lynda Bideau,
She says hire a professional or keep it simple.
She says the danger is when someone tries to pull off these photos and possibly compromises the baby’s airway with improper positioning.
“It's not safe,” she said.
"Do your research and make sure you're comfortable with the photographer," advised Aurora’s mom.
“I recommend seeing their portfolio online,” said Good. “Even asking them for a few photos and asking them if they're certified and finding out if they have immunizations.”
“Yes, we want a good picture, but we also want her to be comfortable and we want her to be safe,” said Aurora’s dad.
