Photography Health and Safety
The Photography Health and Safety for anyone entering my studio or standing in front of my camera is imperative to my photography business at Lori Roberts Photography. There is no chancing the photography health and safety of littles that enter my studio, therefore my policies are stringent when it comes to the health and safety of anyone involved during a portrait session.
Photography Health and Safety | COVID 19
The past couple of years has been an eye opener for me during this COVID 19 pandemic as I’m sure it has been for everyone. To be cautious during this pandemic, I chose to keep my doors close until it was deemed safer for others to be present for photography sessions. I chose to do this not only for the safety of my clients but for the safety of my family as well. I did not feel that the risk was worth it and no amount of money would have changed my mind.
Newborn Safety
Newborns sessions are the majority of the sessions I capture and those tiny beautiful babies have immune systems that are not fully developed and are more prone to sickness and germs. For that reason, anything in my studio that is used during a session is always washed in hot water and sanitized to keep them free of harmful germs.
When born, newborn babies don’t have fully developed muscles in their neck to supports the heavy weight of own head and for that reason no baby should ever have the head unsupported. Newborns are also born with bones that made mainly of cartilage which over times hardens into bone so never should any baby have to support the weight of anything on ankles, wrists or limbs at any time without support.
Body Temperature
Photography health and safety also means that it is of utmost importance to keep babies safe during posing, warm and comfortable at all times. For my poses I utilize an assistant when available or the baby’s parents for any poses that my hand has to leave the baby to capture the image. No baby that enters my studio, will ever be placed into a position that is unsafe or unsupported appropriately during the whole session. When props (buckets, crates) are utilized for images someone is either sitting within an arm’s reach or again has clean hands on them to protect them from tipping, or falling over.
Overheating is another photography health and safety precaution that is taken. The studio is kept at a higher temperature for newborn sessions. This is done to keep babies comfortable as they are not able to thermoregulate like adults and children. I keep my studio around 75 degrees to allow for babies to not get cold but also not too hot. This temperature also allows me to wrap babies for images and keep them comfortable and prevent overheating.
Health and Safety | Special Precautions
During photography sessions I have had situations arise where the baby is uncomfortable. Common reasons for being uncomfortable are:
1. Tummy issues (gassy)
2.Circumcision issues
3. Constipation.
I will not proceed with the portrait session if at any time baby is uncomfortable and can’t settle. My studio is meant to be a safe and comfortable atmosphere for everyone involved in the session. If there are any situations arise that I feel the baby should not proceed or should seek medical care I do not proceed with the session until they have been seen by a doctor and have medical clearance that it is safe to proceed.
Birthing Injuries
I have also had babies come in with injuries from childbirth and for those sessions I require a doctor’s notes stating they are healthy enough for a photography session, and positions that are safe for the baby to be placed in. Photography health and safety are my number one priority for any person entering my studio.
Family Safety
At Lori Roberts Photography we take sickness very seriously. As said above, everything that is used during a session is sanitized after every session. In the event siblings or parents come down with a sickness then the portrait session is rescheduled for a later date when everyone is feeling better. This important for not only the newborns that enter my studio but for everyone that enters my studio, myself included.
For in studio sessions I offer snacks and beverages for the family to enjoy. I only offer peanut free snacks. I also ask all families to not bring highly allergenic foods into the studio. During the pre-consultation I screen for food allergies to make sure the studio is safe from allergic reactions.
Outdoor Portrait Session Safety
Hazards
For outdoor sessions there a is greater opportunity for injuries. I do everything I possibly can do to keep everyone safe and never ask families to go to areas that are potentially dangerous. Tripping hazards, slips and falls are all things that can happens during a outdoor portrait session. While I try to keep photography sessions safe as possible, accidents can happen.
Weather
During extreme weather I will never insist on nothing that isn’t appropriate for the weather. There is nothing worse for a family portrait session than a child that is miserable and cold just for a certain look of a photo. I leave this up to the parents and their preferences. I do provide hand warmers and blankets for situations that kiddies can get cold and we take breaks and warm up as needed if it is decided by parents that jackets will not be worn. Photography health and safety during inclement weather is important for those genuine smiles that make a great portrait.
During bad/extreme weather I will not proceed with a portrait session. It is not worth the risk of driving in bad weather, not to mention the unhappy participants that will be involved. It doesn’t make the happy faces that make or break a family portrait. If this is the case a reschedule date is established to keep everyone happy and safe.
My aim when opening my business was to provide beautiful portraits for families to love for generations while providing a safe and happy atmosphere to do it in. Photography health and safety will never ever be sacrificed to get “that photo”. I have seen so many images of families that are so unsafe and yes while they are beautiful and unique, the risks they pose are not worth it. No one should ever be at risk of injury for an image. I am photographer yes, but number one I am a mother and I’ll never bend from photography health and safety and my policies. I receive a lot of questions in regards to the safety portrait sessions and I am always happy to answer any photography questions in regards to safety for the portrait photography experience so please dont hesitate to contact me at any time.
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