As photographers of newborns, babies and children, we occasionally receive questions from parents concerned about the safety of using flash in their babies' eyes. As parents, we fully understand the concerns that parents have, and we often even wonder why they don't ask us this question more often:
Is studio flash safe for photographing babies and children?
We often see news reports about babies apparently going blind as a result of photographs taken with a flash. This causes a lot of concern for parents and many are apprehensive about the safety of using flash when photographing babies and children.
But the flash used during baby photography sessions is very different from what most people think of when they talk about "flash" - direct light focused on a point and projected a few centimeters from a baby's face, as is the flash. of cameras and cell phones. Professional baby photographers do not use this type of flash, as it is not only unpleasant for the person being photographed but also does not provide beautiful light. For a more aesthetically pleasing effect, we try to use light in a soft way, and for this we not only use light indirectly (projecting the light onto an umbrella which in turn reflects the light onto our "models"), as we diffuse it with two diffusers so that the light that reaches the babies is as soft and pleasant as possible. This way we obtain a light that looks like the light from a window, and not the light from a flash that is projected directly onto the babies. The larger the umbrella, the greater the diffusion and therefore the softer the light, and for this reason we use one with a diameter of 180cm. Furthermore, we chose a flash unit that allows us to greatly regulate light, and thus photograph at low powers without losing quality.
Of course, the vast majority of the time, newborns are sleeping and the distance to the flash is still considerable, but many babies are photosensitive even with their eyes closed. However, this is not always the case, and we often have babies who are awake for long periods of time, and it is very important for us to ensure their safety and keep them safe whether they are sleeping or awake.
Please feel free to express your doubts or concerns regarding this matter!
Kisses,
Lissette and David
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