Utmost Care and Safety
Newborns - 2-4 weeks old
I understand that your puppies and kittens are as precious to you as your own children and work very carefully with you to ensure that they are safe during the photography session.
What to Expect Before the Photo Session
Before the session, we will discuss every aspect of the photo session, including safety precautions and props. I will address any concerns you might have and we can tweak any aspect to ensure that you are comfortable with the photo session.
Babies should be fed and cleaned just before I arrive so they are sleepy, happy babies and we can make the most of the session.
To keep the atmosphere calm and peaceful, there should be minimal people/other animals in the room during the shoot. Optimally, the room would have only the mama, her babies, you and me.
Safety Precautions
The safety precautions listed below are typical of each shoot, but they can be tweaked to reach your standard.
When photographing newborn puppies, I will leave my shoes at the door and wash my hands carefully. Should you want me to change my clothes, wear a mask and gloves, I am happy to do that.
When I enter the room with the puppies, my focus is on gaining the mama's trust. I'm a mama myself and would not let a stranger touch my newborn without gaining my trust first. Once mama is happy and comfortable around me, I bring in my gear in get set up.
With minimal equipment, I set up a small scene just outside the pen. This scene consists of a comfy, warm bed sitting on a small draping background. I use muslin baby wraps and headbands as props. I do not use a flash, as it could upset mama. I have a constant light with a diffuser instead.
I understand that it is important to keep baby's body temperature consistent, so baby is wrapped in the muslin wrap and placed in the warm comfy basket immediately. If your babies need a more warmth, I can add a heating pad under the basket or set the entire scene up in the pen next to the heating lamp.
I ask that you sit in the pen with mama and the babies to keep everyone calm for the entire photoshoot. Your only job is to pass the babies to me one-at-a-time to get their photos taken.
The Photoshoot
Each baby spends no more than 10 minutes getting photographed typically. You hand baby to me, I wrap him in the muslin and lay him right in the basket. From there, props are added (headbands, bows, etc...) and I begin photographing.
Many of the newborns look so much alike, so I use your identification protocol to keep track of them on a list.
If all babies are happy with their environment, the photoshoot will go very quickly. Should a baby be unhappy for some reason during his turn, he is unwrapped and returned to mama immediately. When baby is calm and peaceful, I try again.
Once all babies have been photographed and returned to their mama, I clean up my gear and take my leave.