Baby girl cuddling teddy with bear bonnet on

The new normal for newborn photography

Jul 1, 2020 | Uncategorized

As the UK shut down in March due to Covid 19 and I was no longer allowed to work one of the most heartbreaking things I had to do was tell parents I could not photograph their newborn baby. It was heartbreaking to say no to so many hopeful parents and to contact those already booked in to confirm that sadly I could not photograph their baby. We all know how quickly a newborn baby grows and changes. I’m always amazed by the change between when I photograph them and when the family returns to select their photos. As the days slipped by and more babies arrived I was truly heartbroken to keep saying no. We know it was the right thing to do for everyone’s safety.

New born baby sleeping on a purple blanket

As the lockdown relaxes and close contact businesses like myself and hairdressers can return to work, I have carefully looked into how I can safely photograph newborns following government guidelines and my own safe working guidelines for working with the little ones. Most of the government guidelines I was already following which is good to know as I do take newborn safety extremely seriously when I welcome you into my Milton Keynes based studio.

To outline what I am doing to keep everyone safe, which includes a few extra procedures:

  • All wraps, throws, blankets, outfits etc that can be washed are washed after each session.
  • Surfaces are cleaned after each session, any props that cannot be washed or cleaned effectively are quarantined for at least 72hrs.
  • Hand gel continues to be used throughout the session, I now have a hands free dispenser for the gel for added hygiene. On arrival and exit, I will ask parents to use this.
  • Door handles will be regularly sanitized so as to protect you.
  • I now only do one newborn shoot a week to allow me plenty of time to deep clean the room after each newborn, this may change later to 2 a week, but that will be my maximum for the time being.
  • I will now also use PPE and have some available for parents. Disposable face masks will be available for parents to use and I will use a face mask/visor whilst working with your little one.
  • The day before your shoot I will be in touch to check if you are well, if you have had any symptoms in the last 14 days, or been in contact with anyone with symptoms in the last 14 days. If you have we will reschedule to a later date. I also ask that if you develop symptoms up to 14 days after the shoot you contact me as well. These procedures apply to me as well, so if I am unwell or been in contact with anyone who is unwell, we will also need to reschedule. This is to keep us and your baby as safe as possible.
Big sister kissing her baby sister

During the shoot I normally try to give you time to relax, if baby is unsettled I’ll settle and soothe them. At the moment to lessen contact I will ask parents to do this, so no more sleeping on the sofa while I work I’m afraid. I also won’t be able to offer you food and drink anymore, so make sure you bring some with you. Whilst this is a little different I hope that this will reassure you that I am working with everyone’s safety and comfort in mind. It will still be an enjoyable and fun experience for you and we capture those precious memories for you.

If your baby is a little older due to lock down it is still possible to get some lovely photos. An older baby may not do all the newborn poses but they will do some, we just have to patient with them. So if you have missed your newborn photos, get in touch and we can talk about the options.

If you would like to see examples of my work please click here to look at my newborn gallery.

To see all the Newborn Photography prices click here.

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