Sensitive NICU Photographs

[Aedai]

I see a lot of fuss and poking fun at new photographers on here. Which is fine, we've all been new at one point in time.
I just want everyone to know that I'm here as a learning experience. I don't want to just take pictures of a few flowers and call myself a photographer. I want to capture those moments that people don't want to forget.

My daughter spent the first month of her life in the NICU. She wasn't breathing when she was born and it caused a butterfly effect of problems.
I want to give other parents who are struggling like I was the opportunity to save these moments in their memories forever.
I want to be a NICU photographer and I don't want to be in it for the money.

These pictures where taken by me in May of 2012 during the first week of my daughters life. These were taken with a $50 point and shoot camera and even though I know they're not the best I'll cherish them forever. I'm not asking for critique, I just want everyone to know what I'm here for and why I'm choosing to learn to become a professional photographer.

 

[DanielOhana]

Very nice pictures and I feel the same as you

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

I hope I'm not coming across as insensitive but did you're daughter live? You didn't mention? You said she spent the FIRST months of her life in the NICU, which leads me to believe there were more but if my child went through that, I'm not so sure if want to remember it. That's just me though. If those we're the only moments of her life then, yes, the pictures would be of much more value.

You said you're not in it for the money, but is there enough demand to simply make a living from it?

 

[The_Traveler]

The greatest challenge for anyone photographing a scene that they have an emotional investment in is to be objective about the photos they take.
As long as you posted them, why not use them for a learning experience?
What is good and what is bad about these pictures, in your opinion.
Ignore equipment limitations, what is good and what is bad?

 

[Aedai]

Very nice pictures and I feel the same as you

Thank you! <3

I hope I'm not coming across as insensitive but did you're daughter live? You didn't mention? You said she spent the FIRST months of her life in the NICU, which leads me to believe there were more but if my child went through that, I'm not so sure if want to remember it. That's just me though. If those we're the only moments of her life then, yes, the pictures would be of much more value.

You said you're not in it for the money, but is there enough demand to simply make a living from it?

She's two now. My point was that I want to capture NICU moments and not be in it for the money. Other moments in life, whether it's healthy infant photography or weddings etc I would do not only for fun but for the money aspect as well.

I guess it's something you'd have to live through to understand. I have talked to a lot of parents who have gone through a similar experience as my own and they either regretted NOT getting photos or they were glad that they HAD gotten the photos they did. No one has regretted taking the pictures. Ever. Again, it's not something you've had to go through, so I understand it's not easy to see from my point of view. I want to remember what she went through. It's empowering to see what she's been through and where she is now.

On a side note, you'd be absolutely surprised how many babies go through extended hospital stays. Chloe's was a unique experience, but there's also preemies and micro preemies. Her unit was filled with newborns who were struggling to survive, some who did not.

The greatest challenge for anyone photographing a scene that they have an emotional investment in is to be objective about the photos they take.
As long as you posted them, why not use them for a learning experience?
What is good and what is bad about these pictures, in your opinion.
Ignore equipment limitations, what is good and what is bad?

I don't want to use these photos as a learning experience. Not these photos of my daughter anyway. These are my photos for myself and I'm content with them and I don't want someone coming through and ripping apart such a traumatizing experience we went through. It wouldn't be fair to me to put myself through that.

 

[frommrstomommy]

I just wanted to say welcome My son was born May 2012 also.

 

[FITBMX]

They seem like a good start to me!

 

[paigew]

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your personal photos with us, they are indeed special.

'now I lay me down to sleep' is a great organization for donating services to nicu babies. they have strict professional guidelines though...do you have a dslr yet?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Granddad]

I don't recall seeing anyone making fun of new photographers on this forum. Some people are a bit blunt and dismissive but I think that's because many newbies come here expecting praise like they get on Facebook and then vanish because they don't like/can't take honest criticism and advice. When you've spent half an hour (sometimes much more) writing detailed C&C on photos for someone who never posts again one tends to become a little cynical... then again there are a very few people who are just totally lacking in empathy and don't know the meaning of the word encouragement,

Your thinking behind sharing these photos is first class; this must have been a very traumatic experience. My own daughter suffered a stroke at age 8 and I spent 4 nights sleeping in a chair beside her bed in Pediatric ICU so I do have some understanding of your feelings (she survived with some disabilities and is now 32, married with 2 sets of twins and a small organic type farm).

I agree that in these circumstances any photo can be a good photo.

This looks like a good reason to practice. (I'd never heard of this organisation, Paigew.)

https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/photographers/become-an-affiliated-photographer/

 

[sm4him]

Welcome to the forum, Aedai!

I hope I'm not coming across as insensitive but did you're daughter live? You didn't mention? You said she spent the FIRST months of her life in the NICU, which leads me to believe there were more but if my child went through that, I'm not so sure if want to remember it. That's just me though. If those we're the only moments of her life then, yes, the pictures would be of much more value.

You said you're not in it for the money, but is there enough demand to simply make a living from it?

EVERY mom I've ever know who either lost a newborn or had one who struggled through early days has cherished any photo they had from that time. If they didn't survive, those are the only photos of their child. If the child does survive, they still usually cherish those pictures because it reminds me of just how precious their little one is.

I nearly lost my oldest son, but not as an infant. When he was seven, he had appendicitis that was misdiagnosed at the Children's Hospital ER...twice!! When I finally got him to someone who diagnosed him correctly and got him to the hospital, his appendix had burst, probably DAYS earlier. The photos I have of him in the hospital are a very important part of the story of his life, so yes, I cherish them.

Now, is there "enough market to make a living" doing it? NO, there's not. Because most of the people who take NICU and stillborn baby photos do not charge for the service. They are doing it as a ministry. I think it'd take a pretty tough individual to come into a situation like that and "volunteer" to take pictures, and then tell the grieving/distraught family how much they're going to charge. The OP, I think, simply feels a desire to give back by doing this, and wants to be able to provide professional photos, not just snapshots. I commend her for that.

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your personal photos with us, they are indeed special.

'now I lay me down to sleep' is a great organization for donating services to nicu babies. they have strict professional guidelines though...do you have a dslr yet?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought that the "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" organization was ONLY for those whose babies didn't survive? Do they also do NICU for babies who are still alive?

EDIT: By the way, OP: there is an area on the NILMDTS foundation website that gives the basics "qualifications" you need to apply to be a photographer with them. It's a good, VERY general view of what you'd need for NICU photos as well--or at least a good start (although it doesn't mention composition, an oversight, imo). Anyway, it might prove helpful to you as you seek to learn.
EDIT 2: D'oh. If I'd actually kept reading the comments, I'd have seen that Grandad already mentioned this and provided the link. Never mind then...

 

[MRnats]

I think these are great. I can imagine some parents being so caught up in what's happening that they would forget or not want to take pics of these situations, so having someone like you around to photograph these moments could be a great thing.

I went through it 8 months ago when my identical twin daughters were born. One came home with us and the other stayed for 2 weeks in the NICU. I took lots of pics of her while she was there. When I scroll through my pics I get so happy when I go from the last pic of her in the NICU, to the first one of the girls reunited.

 

[paigew]

Welcome to the forum, Aedai!

I hope I'm not coming across as insensitive but did you're daughter live? You didn't mention? You said she spent the FIRST months of her life in the NICU, which leads me to believe there were more but if my child went through that, I'm not so sure if want to remember it. That's just me though. If those we're the only moments of her life then, yes, the pictures would be of much more value.

You said you're not in it for the money, but is there enough demand to simply make a living from it?

EVERY mom I've ever know who either lost a newborn or had one who struggled through early days has cherished any photo they had from that time. If they didn't survive, those are the only photos of their child. If the child does survive, they still usually cherish those pictures because it reminds me of just how precious their little one is.

I nearly lost my oldest son, but not as an infant. When he was seven, he had appendicitis that was misdiagnosed at the Children's Hospital ER...twice!! When I finally got him to someone who diagnosed him correctly and got him to the hospital, his appendix had burst, probably DAYS earlier. The photos I have of him in the hospital are a very important part of the story of his life, so yes, I cherish them.

Now, is there "enough market to make a living" doing it? NO, there's not. Because most of the people who take NICU and stillborn baby photos do not charge for the service. They are doing it as a ministry. I think it'd take a pretty tough individual to come into a situation like that and "volunteer" to take pictures, and then tell the grieving/distraught family how much they're going to charge. The OP, I think, simply feels a desire to give back by doing this, and wants to be able to provide professional photos, not just snapshots. I commend her for that.

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your personal photos with us, they are indeed special.

'now I lay me down to sleep' is a great organization for donating services to nicu babies. they have strict professional guidelines though...do you have a dslr yet?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought that the "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" organization was ONLY for those whose babies didn't survive? Do they also do NICU for babies who are still alive?

EDIT: By the way, OP: there is an area on the NILMDTS foundation website that gives the basics "qualifications" you need to apply to be a photographer with them. It's a good, VERY general view of what you'd need for NICU photos as well--or at least a good start (although it doesn't mention composition, an oversight, imo). Anyway, it might prove helpful to you as you seek to learn.
EDIT 2: D'oh. If I'd actually kept reading the comments, I'd have seen that Grandad already mentioned this and provided the link. Never mind then...

You may be right about NILDTS only doing stillbirth or babies who do not have a lot of time on this earth (I actually think it is more case by case). But there are other organizations similar to this for NICU and Cancer patients, all with photographer application process. THe best bet would probably be calling your local hospital and seeing what organization they use.

I thought about applying last year, but wasn't sure if I was ready. Thanks for posting this thread...filling out the applicaiton now :heart:

 

[Braineack]

I'm not asking for critique, I just want everyone to know what I'm here for and why I'm choosing to learn to become a professional photographer.

how do you suppose to get better without any critique on what you posted; especially if these are the types of pictures you want to take to make $$$ from?

 

[sm4him]

I'm not asking for critique, I just want everyone to know what I'm here for and why I'm choosing to learn to become a professional photographer.

how do you suppose to get better without any critique on what you posted; especially if these are the types of pictures you want to take to make $$$ from?

Perhaps surprisingly, I actually AGREE with the OP here, in not proffering these photos for critique. These are HER baby, and I commend her for realizing that she would definitely have the mommy goggles on where these are concerned; it would be extremely difficult to really *hear* the criticism of these and not, perhaps, take it too personally.
Also--I may be completely wrong here, but MY understanding is not that she plans to make $$ from this, but that she desires to provide professional photo services more as a ministry to parents who are dealing with a critically ill infant. OP, please correct me if I'm wrong; is this something you plan to charge for, at some point?

Now, the problem is that if what you want to do is NICU photos, you DO need to be able to offer some up for critique in order to improve to a point where you could provide professional quality to someone else. But how do you *practice* something as sensitive as NICU photography?

Perhaps the thing to do is back up a bit and start with just basic baby pictures--those are tough enough to do well anyway! Find someone with a baby who is willing to let you practice some, then post up those pics here for some serious C&C. Over time, some of the basics will begin to improve dramatically--focus, exposure, composition--and when you begin to get those to where you are confident that you can do them pretty well, THEN do a couple of NICU sessions for someone else and offer those for C&C. But you do need to get some decent critique in order to improve, and you *don't* (imo) want to practice on actual NICU patients at your current skill level.

 

[The_Traveler]

This is as critical or more than taking pictures at a wedding.
Note that the NILDTS has some pretty strict requirements for getting accredited through them.
Any new photographer will have to learn to create good pictures quickly within a very restrictive environment and that's a pretty long way down the road of both experience, knowledge and skills.