Need advice on how to do the baby sling pose

[msfvirginia]

So ive looked around, and havent really found anything useful on this. I also want to make sure this is as safe as possible for the baby.

I was hoping someone here would have some suggestions.

Here are a couple examples I found online.

http://i37.tinypic.com/14spro5.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/6t3ej5.jpg

im thinking it might be a piece of fabric that is maybe 8 inches wide, by maybe a few feet, stitched together so its like a circle. then you can put it through a loop at the top to attach it to something with out tying a knot. but thats just a guess.

at first I didnt think this would be comfortable for the baby but as someone else poitned out they spent 9 months in a tight situation already, they are use to this.

[msfvirginia]

no one has any advice?

[jen19806]

Here's an article that may help http://www.photographercafe.com/?p=2004 I say be very careful, make sure it's safe, and that your liability insurance is paid up.

[msfvirginia]

Here's an article that may help http://www.photographercafe.com/?p=2004 I say be very careful, make sure it's safe, and that your liability insurance is paid up.

Thanks for the link, thats exactly what i need. :)

man, could have used it yesterday though, just did a newborn portrait, and some of the poses could have been better if I realized to have someone hold the babys head with a finger and then photoshop it out. Live and learn. :)

[Els]

Go to this forum and do a search for 'hanging baby shot' or something similar. I did if for you, here are the search results:

http://ilovephotography.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=search&section=search&do=search&fromsearch=1


You will find many many threads on this topic, with many warnings about liability insurance and how these shots are mostly COMPOSITE shots, i.e. lots of photoshopping involved to edit out beanie bags, hands, arms, etc.

Professional photographers ensure that the baby is never more than a few inches from a huge beanie bag, cushions, etc. and the parents are always within a few inches from the baby.

Please do not do what some newbies have done, thinking that these babies are actually hanging way up there. Babies are NOT props, they are human beings and you can get in immense trouble if you hurt someone's baby.

Please be careful and do your research before you attempt this.

[letmegetmycamera]

I might step on toes and I don't mean to but all I read are please take precautions, make sure this and that. I think most photographers doing this know that!

[suecassidy]

I might step on toes and I don't mean to but all I read are please take precautions, make sure this and that. I think most photographers doing this know that!

They may all KNOW it, but in practice, they sometimes cut corners. I used to train photographers in a studio that I worked in, and I"m a NUT when it comes to child safety. Some times it is the PARENTS that I'd like to "shoot". I came in one day to find a photographer that had been shooting an 18 month old in a family sitting and the father dropped the baby off his lap, causing the babys lip to bleed like a stuck pig. Lips are quite vascular and DO bleed a lot, but when I came upon the scene and saw what had happened, I was insisting on filing out a studio accident report, but the parents refused. they just wiped the blood off and continued with the sitting. The studio manager overruled me and said it was all fine and shoot was continued. The resulting pics had a red eyed baby with a fat lip and I was sure that they were going to use the pics as proof of the incident and sue the studio. Nope. they were just thrilled with the pics ???????, bought a bunch and away they went. If I live a million years, I will never understand it...

[lookingforaname]

It's one thing with an 18 month old (possibly accident prone and maybe they thought it was a good realistic capture?), but with newborns, it can NOT be emphasized more that you need to take care. They have no head or neck control in order to hold their heads up themselves in many of the posed shots, and definitely would not have any way of breaking a fall with their arms or legs or anything. If you look at the comments section in the first link that was posted, you'll find plenty of photographers who admitted that they had no idea that a lot of those types of shots were photoshopped.