User:StandInBaby/sandbox

StandInBaby

StandInBaby is the world’s first, fully-articulated, lifelike and camera-ready posing and training aid specifically designed for newborn photographers, by newborn photographers. Designed to introduce a new level of safety and education practices never before seen in the newborn photography industry, StandInBaby significantly accelerates learning for those just starting out while fostering creativity and adding strength to the abilities of existing photographers – all while keeping infant safety top of mind.

Created by Sandra and Brendon Moffatt of award-winning newborn photography studio Moffatt Photography, the idea for StandInBaby was born when Sandra was faced with training a new assistant who was unfamiliar in the art of newborn photography.

In today’s market, the only way that photographers can learn this very specific kind of photography – usually conducted before the child is even ten days old – is to practice on real babies. As the industry evolves, the Moffatts became more and more convinced that this practice was no longer acceptable, and after finding that there were no training aids or alternative learning methods available anywhere, set out to make the change they wished to see.

“When I started out in the industry years ago and newborn photography was an extremely new concept it was just how it was done - we learnt on real babies, offering free shoots to parents to be able to photograph their children and develop their skills, said Sandra Moffatt.

“It was just the only option back then, but today, with the way that the newborn scene has blown up all over the world and new photographers entering the industry every day, it just seems insane that that is how we still do things.

“The prospect of having one of my new assistants train with actual babies when they were learning simply horrified me, and it really drove home to me that now is the time for change. Following two years of intensive research and development, 27 prototypes, and more than $95,000 of personal investment, StandInBaby was launched to the world through a Kickstarter campaign in November of 2015 (ending 8 January 2016), with a number of pledges offering the opportunity to receive StandInBaby at a once-off discounted price. See http://kck.st/22msbtd for the full list of available pledges.

For StandInBaby to progress past the prototype stage, $175,000 Australian Dollars must be raised through the Kickstarter campaign, with the funds raised to be used for the tooling and manufacturing required to bring this revolutionary product to market in July of 2016. In the first four hours of the campaign launching, more than $100,000 AUD was raised. Currently, the project is just $35,000 AUD away from its goal.

Even as a prototype, a community of industry heavyweights is already throwing its support behind StandInBaby, with an online forum attracting more than 2,900 members in just the first month of the product becoming public.

“StandInBaby is amazing. I have held her for two minutes and immediately she felt like she was a real baby. The fluidity of her body is exact. The measurements – precise. I believe she will revolutionise the newborn industry in regards to baby safety training and handling,” said leading newborn photographer of more than 15 years, Ana Brandt. Great care has been taken to make StandInBaby as true-to-life as possible, explained Sandra Moffatt.

“Newborns are top heavy and our research has shown that most photographers – even those with children themselves – have forgotten or underestimate how heavy this portion of the body is and therefore can fail to hold or support a baby correctly when they are attempting a pose for the first time. This represents an unacceptable risk for neck or spinal injuries in infants,” said Sandra Moffatt.

“It needs to be remembered also, that often in shoots such as those we conduct, it is not just the photographer handling the baby. The child’s parents, siblings and even grandparents will often be called upon to hold and handle the infant, and StandInBaby can assist with training them and testing poses with them before placing the baby into position. “Before this tool was developed, the newborn photography training process was just two steps – watch someone do it, and then try it yourself on a fragile baby. It sounds terrible, but there was no other option. We feel that StandInBaby provides an extremely important middle step for this process by allowing photographers both new and experienced to practice new techniques, poses, props, settings, lighting and more with StandInBaby - making mistakes, learning, and perfecting their approach, all before going anywhere near a newborn baby.

“This is someone’s personal miracle that you are working with, and it is just so important to be well-educated and rehearsed before attempting any new pose or prop on someone’s bundle of joy. Newborn photography is not a ‘fake it, until you make it’ profession, you need to know exactly what you are doing at all times, and that is why we are so passionate about StandInBaby and about photographers, no matter how experienced, using posing and training aids when trying something new.”

The first StandInBaby products are expected to be shipped to Kickstarter pledgers in July of 2016 if the campaign makes full-funding by its 8 January 2016 deadline. At this time, the product will also be available for direct purchase through StandInBaby.com at the retail price of $1,100 AUD. The Kickstarter campaign including full list of available pledges is available at http://kck.st/22msbtd or for more information, see StandInBaby.com

Facts – StandInBaby

Developers: Award-winning newborn photographer Sandra Moffatt and Brendon Moffatt, of Moffatt Photography (Springfield Lakes, Queensland, Australia), in conjunction with leading engineers from CMD.

Dimensions: Weight: a simulated 7 pounds – distributed so as to echo the weight distribution of a real-life newborn Height: 50 centimetres Head circumference: 36 centimetres Hands: 7cm long Feet: 7cm long – developed using a real-life baby’s footprint

Materials: Stainless-steel ball-joints, designed using real-life newborn baby x-rays and intensive research to accurately mimic the relaxed and sleep-like movements of newborn babies while also representing their movement limitations. Washable and hygienic silicone body that is BPA-free, non-toxic and fire-resistant – both Caucasian and African American skin tones Screws fitted with high-strength thread-locking compound, ensuring StandInBaby is free of choking hazards.

Why is this product important? StandInBaby revolutionises the way that newborn photographers can learn, and will add to the repertoire of existing experienced photographers in the field. Currently, the only way that new photographers can learn the art of newborn photography is to watch others and then try themselves on newborn babies – this poses unacceptable risks to newborn safety. Never before has a newborn training aid been weighted, sized and articulated as close to a true-to-life newborn baby as StandInBaby.

What can StandInBaby be used for? As well as for training new and inexperienced photographers, StandInBaby can add value to photographers of all levels, enabling them to carefully plan and prepare each session, test props and their posing possibilities, learn new infant wrapping techniques, illustrate complex newborn poses to clients and their children, work with nervous or anxious older children before they attempt poses with the newest addition to their family, concept manage creative ideas, design new composite posing solutions, master or experiment with new lighting techniques, ensure elderly clients are capable of particular poses prior to shooting (especially in cases of arthritis or joint problems), hold workshops or online tutorials to illustrate processes more clearly, and more.

Costs: StandInBaby retails for $850USD including worldwide delivery.

Distribution network: Purchasing will be available via StandInBaby.com, with delivery available worldwide from the Australian base.

For more information: Kickstarter – http://kck.st/22msbtd StandInBaby Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/standinbaby/ StandInBaby Facebook public group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/845651405554419/ Website - https://www.StandInBaby.com