October 12, 2020
It’s been a while since I last updated this and as we are nearing the end of yet another lockdown period, I thought it high time I posted an update for any I haven’t spoken with personally to share what’s what. I will also be posting another update in regards to the actual rules around how and when I can work, but for now, these are some questions that are floating around.
Are you photographing babies right now?
Nope. and it hurts. Due to the current lockdown restriction laws, photographers in the metro area are unable to work with families right now. It’s been this way for a few months now, but we are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel with some sessions set to go ahead as of the end of this month. But for right now, I have hung up my camera and am waiting oh so impatiently to pick it up again as soon as possible.
I have a Newborn Session booked with Tiny and Brave, will I still be able to have my baby photographed?
Yes! Of course you will! I have spoken to as many families as I can personally, you know who you are and you also know that your session is booked with a new date once we open. I have also reached out to all families expecting a new little person. If you have had your baby and are yet to let me know the happy news, I plead with you to get in touch with me asap as the July-October backlog is very very real and there are only so many dates in the calendar. I am aiming to ensure every single family wanting photos, will eventually have them and I can promise you, everyone will receive a beautiful gallery of images to remember this time.
Are you taking on new Newborn Session bookings during lockdown?
Yes and no. I am not photographing any families during the restrictions, however I am booking in sessions to be held once restrictions ease. Anyone wishing to have their baby photographed by me will not be turned away. However, it is vital that you are aware of the rules in place for us before we go ahead with finalising your booking. Your baby may be due to arrive before restrictions ease so it is important for you to know that you may be waiting a little while longer than our ideal 7-14 days. If you are happy to join me in the game of patience, then I will absolutely love to pencil your baby’s due date in and wait the exciting news with you!
My baby has already arrived, can I still book a newborn session with you?
Yes please! Just like families still waiting the arrival of their little person, we’re playing the waiting game. So, if you are looking to book a session with me, I will put your baby’s birthdate in my diary and once things settle and I get the go ahead, I’ll be in touch to set a date. Simple, easy, no one misses out!
When will you begin photographing babies again?
We are bound by the current roadmap as outlined by the Victorian Government and like a kid at Christmas time with their advent calendar, I watch the daily press conferences in hope of happy news. Nothing new has yet to be announced, so at this stage outdoor sessions will be going ahead as of October 26th 2021 and studio sessions will be going ahead as of November 5th 2021. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for us that we reach the goals outlined in this roadmap!
What measures do you have in place to ensure it is safe for us to visit your studio?
The health and safety of my clients and their children, along with my own family is always my top priority. Due to the measures I take each and everyday prior to, during and after sessions, not too much has changed in my workflow since before the pandemic. However things have certainly been stepped up a notch.
My studio has a high standard of cleanliness at all times. All blankets and props used during a session are always and will continue to be washed thoroughly after each newborn session.
All surfaces are cleaned between sessions. No more than one newborn session is ever held on any given day and this will remain the case moving forward to ensure ample cleaning time is given between each family visiting the studio.
All families must use the QR Code to check in before entering, a copy of this is on the front door and posted throughout the studio also.
I will ask that anyone entering the studio sanitise their hands thoroughly before touching any surfaces and hand sanitiser will be made available for anyone present to use throughout the session. As I will be very hands on with your baby, I will be using it thoroughly throughout the entire session.
Face masks will be required for all attendees over the age of 12 years, they can be removed to have your photo taken so we can see your lovely smiles.
At this stage all attendees over the age of 16 will be required to be fully vaccinated to attend their session.
Your website says it is best to photograph my baby in the first 7-14 days of age, how will COVID-19 affect this?
Yep you’re right, this is the ideal timeframe as we work to achieve those delicious squishy teeny tiny sleepy newborn poses. However over the past 10 years of photographing babies, I have worked with all ages. Quite often Mums are in hospital a little longer than planned, babies arrive too early and have lengthy stays in hospitals, families simply are unable to come and see me right away. Circumstances differ for each family so quite often I find myself photographing babies anywhere from 7 days right up to 3 months.
How will you work with an older baby?
In short, I wouldn’t expect to change much of the session at all, but I am very much guided by your little person and what they are able to do on the day.
My style is quite relaxed and natural, which allows me to adapt to your baby’s age at the time of the session rather than only working within the set timeframe. I simply work to photograph your little one’s personality and features that make them unique on the day I meet you.
Older babies are much more alert than they were in their first couple of weeks, they have had more time to discover how interesting their new world is and they want to be a part of it. You will notice this change at home as they start to move from super sleepy to a little bit more reactive to your voice and touch.
So we tend to achieve a lot more awake shots, capturing gorgeous eye contact and as they grow and change their little personalities really start to shine through and we get some images that really make us giggle.
This is a beautiful opportunity for us to make a shift as I truly believe every Mum and Dad should have at least one photo of their little baby looking at the camera. I have definitely been known to wake up a tiny 7 day old to get this very shot, so like I said above, really nothing will change too much.
As always, some babies are a little more flexible than others, for this reason I don’t have exact poses I work to achieve, again as I mentioned earlier, I am guided by your baby. The poses you see on my website are all slightly different as your baby guides me in what their version of these poses will be. This is very much the case for an older baby too. I always ensure they are comfortable and relaxed at all times during the session and will only work with poses that your baby is able to do with just a little guidance from me, always ensuring their safety is my number on priority.
Do you have examples of older newborn photos I can see?
Yep! Below are some absolutely adorable little people and their families, all photographed after the 7-14 day age bracket.
I have a question that you haven’t covered here, what should I do?
Well that’s easy fixed! Get in touch with me and let’s have a chat. My days are currently filled with remote learning and baking, so please get in touch! I am sure I can drag myself away from that riveting Groundhog Day experience to talk all things newborn photography…please, get in touch! 😉 You can do this easily via the Contact Page.
At the end of the day, we hear it often, it’s loud and clear. We are all in this together, so I am here to help you, to guide you through this process and ensure one day, hopefully sooner rather than later, you will be taking home beautiful photos of your new baby. I can’t wait for that day!
Tiff x
May 20, 2020
Well, what a year 2020 has been so far hey! Hands up who’s had enough already?!
So, like many businesses, I have experienced some changes and am navigating through as best I can. Today marks almost 9 weeks since I last picked up my camera and visited my beautiful new studio that Nic had been working so hard on to complete for me. Not to mention the 8 weeks in lockdown round 1. I am so incredibly grateful that we were able to get back there even if for just a small amount of time throughout May-June.
As you can imagine, it’s been pretty tough not being able to photograph all of the amazing families who have so lovingly picked me as the perfect photographer for them. But the most important thing I keep reminding myself, is that this is only temporary. It won’t last forever and there is certainly worse situations out there than a very impatient creative soul like me itching to pick up her camera again.
I’ve been getting quite a lot of emails recently from expecting parents asking if I am still working during the Stage 4 restrictions, and basically the very short answer is no. Newborn Photography sessions are very hands on, I adore a sweet new baby cuddles and the wrapping and posing process realistically means that I cannot conduct a session while observing the social distancing rules that are currently in place.
Not only that, right now, things are at a level that we have never experienced before, so while I would do anything right now to be in the studio with all the babies who have been entering the world over the past couple of weeks, the risk to them is just not worth it, especially when I know that waiting just a couple of extra weeks will not make too much difference the the beautiful lasting memories I can help families create.
But I thought, as I do keep getting a lot of the same questions, that perhaps it might be handy if I put a few of those concerns to rest with my very own COVID-19 Photography related FAQs. So, here we go…
Are you photographing babies right now?
No. Due to the current stage 4 restriction laws, photographers are unable to work with families right now. things are changing daily and we are waiting for an update on these rules, which I am hoping are released at the end of the month when we move from stage 4 to step 2 of stage 3. But for right now, I have hung up my camera and am waiting oh so impatiently to pick it up again as soon as possible.
I have a Newborn Session booked with Tiny and Brave, will I still be able to have my baby photographed?
Yes! Of course you will! I am aiming to ensure every single family wanting photos, will eventually have them. So I am not cancelling anything, simply putting things on pause for a little while. Once your baby has arrived, we will chat about what we are able to do at that time. If we are still experiencing Stage 3 or 4 restrictions, your baby may have to wait a little longer than others depending on their arrival dates, but I assure you, everyone will receive a beautiful gallery of images to remember this time.
Are you taking on new Newborn Session bookings during stage 4 restrictions?
Yes and no. I am not photographing any families during the restrictions, however I am booking in sessions to be held once restrictions ease. Anyone wishing to have their baby photographed by me will not be turned away. However, it is vital that you are aware of the rules in place for us before we go ahead with finalising your booking. Your baby may be due to arrive before restrictions ease so it is important for you to know that you may be waiting a little while longer than our ideal 7-14 days. If you are happy to join me in the game of patience, then I will absolutely love to pencil your baby’s due date in and wait the exciting news with you!
My baby has already arrived, can I still book a newborn session with you?
Yes please! Just like families still waiting the arrival of their little person, we’re playing the waiting game. So, if you are looking to book a session with me, I will put your baby’s birthdate in my diary and once things settle and I get the go ahead, I’ll be in touch to set a date. Simple, easy, no one misses out!
When will you begin photographing babies again?
Business Victoria has classified all genres of professional Photography under the ‘Office and Professional Services’ category for the industry restriction levels. Below I have provided the relevant reopening road map in Metro Melbourne in regards to professional photography. Stage 4 is due to end on September 28th and with the information we have received so far, it looks like things are start to ease just a little by the end of October, all going well with the numbers. October 26th 2020 to be exact. This is my goal for now. I am hoping that we will see restrictions easing just enough on this date that we will be able to get back into the studio that week. However, we are seeing daily changes and I am keeping an eye on things to ensure that the minute I am allowed, I will have the key in the studio door and have you booked in as close to your baby’s arrival date as possible.
What measures do you have in place to ensure it is safe for us to visit your studio?
The health and safety of my clients and their children is always my top priority, due to the measures I take each and everyday prior to, during and after sessions, not too much will need to be changed going forward. However things have certainly been stepped up a notch with the current pandemic.
My studio has a high standard of cleanliness at all times. All blankets and props used during a session are always and will continue to be washed thoroughly after each newborn session.
All surfaces are cleaned between sessions. No more than one newborn session is ever held on any given day and this will remain the case moving forward to ensure ample cleaning time is given between each family visiting the studio.
I will ask that anyone entering the studio wash their hands thoroughly before touching any surfaces and hand sanitiser will be made available for anyone present to use throughout the session. As I will be very hands on with your baby, I will be using it thoroughly throughout the entire session.
Face masks will be required, obviously having your photo taken with a mask on isn’t ideal, so we are still waiting to be told how things will work when we do reopen in regards to this. Either way, I will be wearing one while photographing you and your baby.
I have not left my house for the past 6 weeks and once restrictions do begin to ease, I will be continuing to limit my travel to only leave my home to photograph families. Whether it be at an outdoor location while social distancing or in the studio for newborn sessions. Everywhere else is off limits for me to ensure the risk of contracting the virus and passing it onto any of the families I am lucky enough to photograph is kept to the bare minimum.
Your website says it is best to photograph my baby in the first 7-14 days of age, how will COVID-19 affect this?
Yep you’re right, this is the ideal timeframe as we work to achieve those delicious squishy teeny tiny sleepy newborn poses. However over the past 10 years of photographing babies, I have worked with all ages. Quite often Mums are in hospital a little longer than planned, babies arrive too early and have lengthy stays in hospitals, families simply are unable to come and see me right away. Circumstances differ for each family so quite often I find myself photographing babies anywhere from 7 days right up to 3 months.
How will you work with an older baby?
In short, I wouldn’t expect to change much of the session at all, but I am very much guided by your little person and what they are able to do on the day.
My style is quite relaxed and natural, which allows me to adapt to your baby’s age at the time of the session rather than only working within the set timeframe. I simply work to photograph your little one’s personality and features that make them unique on the day I meet you.
Older babies are much more alert than they were in their first couple of weeks, they have had more time to discover how interesting their new world is and they want to be a part of it. You will notice this change at home as they start to move from super sleepy to a little bit more reactive to your voice and touch.
So we tend to achieve a lot more awake shots, capturing gorgeous eye contact and as they grow and change their little personalities really start to shine through and we get some images that really make us giggle.
This is a beautiful opportunity for us to make a shift as I truly believe every Mum and Dad should have at least one photo of their little baby looking at the camera. I have definitely been known to wake up a tiny 7 day old to get this very shot, so like I said above, really nothing will change too much.
As always, some babies are a little more flexible than others, for this reason I don’t have exact poses I work to achieve, again as I mentioned earlier, I am guided by your baby. The poses you see on my website are all slightly different as your baby guides me in what their version of these poses will be. This is very much the case for an older baby too. I always ensure they are comfortable and relaxed at all times during the session and will only work with poses that your baby is able to do with just a little guidance from me, always ensuring their safety is my number on priority.
Do you have examples of older newborn photos I can see?
Yep! Below are some absolutely adorable little people and their families, all photographed after the 7-14 day age bracket.
I have a question that you haven’t covered here, what should I do?
Well that’s easy fixed! Get in touch with me and let’s have a chat. My days are currently filled with remote learning and baking, so please get in touch! I am sure I can drag myself away from that riveting Groundhog Day experience to talk all things newborn photography…please, get in touch! 😉 You can do this easily via the Contact Page.
At the end of the day, we hear it often, it’s loud and clear. We are all in this together, so I am here to help you, to guide you through this process and ensure one day, hopefully sooner rather than later, you will be taking home beautiful photos of your new baby. I can’t wait for that day!
Tiff x
Tiny and Brave 