How to safely pose a newborn on a hanging prop? The simple answer is you can’t! You cannot safely pose a newborn on something that is hanging without risking the baby’s safety. The best way to photograph a newborn baby on a hanging prop is by creating what is called a composite image. A composite image is where 2 or more images are used to create the final image.
My hanging floral wreath prop is my most popular prop among parents of newborn girls. I have also used this prop for newborn boys without the flowers.
I recall one newborn dad’s reaction when his wife said that she wanted the floral wreath for his newborn girl. He said “Are you sure? That looks dangerous!” I laughed and had to explain that the baby is never suspended. I use two images to create the final image. In the first image, the baby is laying in the wreath with a spotter right next to them to ensure the baby is safe. In the second image, I hang the wreath, but this time without the baby in it. I then cut the baby out of the first image and paste it into the second image using layer masks to make the image blend seamlessly together.
Here are examples of the before images. In the first image, the baby is sleeping peacefully in the wreath on the ground with a spotter. In the second image, the wreath is suspended.
This final image are the two images merged together and edited.
A photographer should never attempt to do this photo as a single image. Newborns startle and move in the blink of any eye.
To see more examples of this shot, check out my instagram!! https://www.instagram.com/gretchenbarros/
There are also some examples on my websitehttps://gretchenbarros.com/
