This is a question I get all the time, and the short answer is yes. It is totally safe! But let's break it down!

I'm not a doctor, obviously, but I have done a lot of research on this topic because it's a question I get so often!

False Reports

In 2015, The Daily Mail (a publication known for its questionable journalism) posted a story about a Chinese newborn who was blinded by a relative who took photos of the baby using a flash. This story has since been debunked but is still sighted by people who are concerned about using strobes and flash when photographing newborns and small children.

The Truth

When this story broke, parents and photographers around the world became concerned about the safety of using artificial light when photographing newborns and small children. But the claims made in that article are simply not true.

Ophthalmologist, Dr. Alex Levin was weighed in on the story in an interview with Yahoo Parenting and called the story of the blinded baby in China “inconceivable.”

He went on to say, “If this story were true, there would be lots of blind babies out there… Retinas are made to last, and it’s highly unlikely that this kind of light would cause damage… To attribute the blindness to the taking of a photograph would be incorrect. There’s no way that a camera can cause such damage.”

( https://petapixel.com/2015/07/29/baby-in-china-blinded-by-camera-flash-probably-not )

And according to Babymed.com, "The flash of a camera actually isn’t that bright at all. It only seems bright because it’s often contrasted by dark or indoor settings. The flash of light is no brighter than the light outside in the middle of the day, which is fine for a baby in small doses. The only really harmful light condition you should help your baby avoid is direct and constant sunlight, so always make sure you point your baby’s face away from the sun."

This is something I've read over and over again.

The light that comes from a flash is no brighter than the light you get through a window or from most light bulbs in your house. Now obviously, those lights would be too bright if one were to look directly at them for a long period of time, but we don't. And we don't look directly at the studio strobes for a long period of time either. A studio strobe fires for a fraction of a second. If you are using lights in the style I teach, it's being used at relatively low power and turned away from the baby.

My Approach to Lighting Newborns, Babies and Small Children

I use a low powered, 200-watt strobe flash in my studio and I'm usually shooting it at 50% power (sometimes lower).

My light is never pointed directly at my subject. I bounce the light off the back of an umbrella and then through the diffusion panel that I place on the front of my umbrella. So the light that is already at 50% power is then diffused, or softened.

I then place my light 45 to 90 degrees to my subject, so it's never pointed directly at the person I'm photographing.

Using lights in this way makes them very comfortable to sit in front of. In fact, most of the people I photograph (babies and adults alike) don't even notice the flash!

Personally, I find this style of lighting much more comfortable than sitting in front of continuous light or a bright window.

Your Baby’s Safety is Always My Top Concern

I’ve been working with newborns since 1999. I have over two decades of experience and a ton of training. Your baby’s safety and comfort are always my top concern!

Thats why I don’t use unnatural prosing or elaborate props. And that is why I created the lighting style that I use.

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I'll never forget the day my children we born.  All I wanted to do was look at them. I couldn't get enough. 

Their little faces!

Their toes! 

Their tiny fingers. 

I would sit and just watch them sleep. 

I loved the way they stretched and squirmed. 

I loved their little yawns and baby sneezes.

They were so perfect!!  I couldn't get enough.

I think about that every time I work with a newborn.  I look at other people's babies just like I looked at my own; full of wonder and amazement. 

Why I Don't Use Props

That is why I choose not to use props or unnatural posing in my work.  I believe babies are perfect, just the way they are.  They don't need anything else.  Just a baby being a baby is enough for me.

I also know that newborns are precious and fragile little humans.  They are meant to be cared for and protected which is why I would never place them in any kind of an unnatural pose.

What You Can Expect From Me

If you are bringing your baby in for a newborn session with me, please know this.  I understand how precious this little person is to you.  Our babies are our world and I know that.  

I will keep your baby safe.

I will keep your baby warm and comfortable.

And I will create classic, timeless images that you can look back on years from now and see your child's personality shining through.

Remember, they're only little once.  Don't miss it.  Book your session today!

I believe babies are perfect.  

They really are.  Their skin.  The way they smell.  Those little sleep smiles.  All perfect.

I also love that they come out of the womb with their own little personality.  No two are alike.  

When you take a sleeping baby and lay him or her down on a bed, they all do something different.  Some curl up, some stretch out their legs (or just one leg), others will put their tiny hand up in front of their face, or give a little fist bump pose. 

Whatever they do, it's inevitable that at some point in the session their mom will laugh and say something like "we have an ultrasound photo with him in the exact same pose!"  Or "Ha!  She came out with her arms up by her ears like that."  They recognize a gesture in their baby that is unique and special to their baby, no one else.  It always gives me goosebumps.

I believe that as a portrait photographer, my job is to capture the essence of the person I'm working with.  

That job is the same whether the person I'm working with is 45 years old, 5 years old, or 5 days old.

I want to create a piece of history that people can look back on and say "Oh my... look at you as a newborn baby... you know, you still make that expression"  

I want each portrait I take to be as unique as the infants I photograph.

And so I don't pose babies.  

I soothe them.  I put them in a swaddle if they seem to need it.  But I let them lead the show.  I want to see who they are.  And I want to capture that for all time.

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