Privacy is a hot topic these days...


...  with how much technology has grown, and it's important to me as your newborn and family photographer to acknowledge these very real worries and concerns.

Social media and artificial intelligence (AI) are both HUGE right now. And both can be equally scary in their own ways. We're all constantly learning and navigating what to do about it, because at this point we can't really stop it, right? I'm a mom to two littles myself, so I get it!


But even more so as a newborn and family photographer focused on capturing children and little ones, I know just how important my role can be in helping to protect our babies! And I am always happy to chat more with you on this, whether you're a current client or a new client.

Close up of a sleeping baby's head resting in a parent's hand while wearing blue clothing during Twin Cities in-home newborn session.
A close-up photo showing tiny baby feet resting against a dark green sweater sleeve, taken by Woodbury newborn photographer.

When it comes to privacy:


Not everyone wants their photos online, for many different reasons. And that's okay!


In your contract, I specifically state that you can give me written notice that you do NOT want your images shared online, which includes my website or social media, as well as sample galleries to share with other clients. That's step one.


Then I take an additional step in any of my session questionnaires by asking if you are comfortable with any of the following:


  • Sharing images to my website, social media, or as a sample gallery
  • Filming any behind-the-scenes video footage at your session


This gives you two opportunities to inform me if you do not want your images shared, and I will ALWAYS respect this.

The "faceless" trend


Something else I have battled with myself is the decision on whether or not to share children's faces. I initially thought to follow this trend of other photographers going "faceless" on their social platforms, and not displaying children's faces at all. But then I saw some other photographers' hot takes on this topic, and found myself more in alignment with their perspective, which was this:


Sharing faces is part of the point.


Faces are an important piece of photography, and it's how we connect together as humans. Seeing smiles, sleepy newborns, the giggles of your little ones.... these are the images that invoke a sense of emotion in an image. And the emotion of an image is part of the art. Which is what I base so much of my photography style on: the authenticity of human emotion and connection. And without that, how can I show you what I really do?


So, I have landed on the agreement that it is solely up to you as my client on what I share. And this may be unique to each of you. You may be comfortable sharing images, but prefer not to share the faces of your littles. No problem!


You may not be comfortable sharing your images at all. Also, no problem!


You may not be comfortable with sharing images on social media or my website, but you might be fine with me sharing your gallery privately to prospective clients as a sample of my work.


Everyone's preference is unique, and I will always honor whatever that looks like for you.

Parents sit close together cradling their newborn baby on a bed and a knit blanket in a bright room during Woodbury in-home newborn session.

Now, let's talk about AI:


Some of the fears with artificial intelligence (AI) are related to the above safety concerns, in that there are some pretty awful humans out there that want to take photographers' images and alter their reality using AI.


But there are also many ways that photographers (and anyone really) use AI in productive and positive ways.


But, to address this, I have added a clause to each of my contracts going forward that notes my use of AI in certain workflow aspects of my business.


Most editing softwares now use AI for a variety of functions, including but not limited to, noise reduction, color calibration, and removal of distractions (aka removing that random person in the background, or that inconveniently placed outlet on the wall, or even that inevitable spit-up stain during a newborn session).


Please rest assured these functions are not meant to alter the reality of your image in any way, and are only used to help enhance the quality of your images.

Since this is written in the contract, this allows you the opportunity to decide whether or not you are comfortable with this before you even sign with me. Though, if I'm being honest, since it has become a common feature of most editing tools, you may be hard-pressed to find a photographer who is truly AI-free these days.


But, nevertheless, I want to make sure that I am always as transparent as I can be about these things. These are your images, and your memories. They matter, and I take that to heart. I respect your comfortability when it comes to sharing and technology and am committed to making sure I clearly mark when and how your images are used or edited.


If you have any questions about any of the above information, please never hesitate to reach out to me! I am always, always willing to talk to you more about your preferences.