Newborn photography is ever the popular choice. But as with every type of business, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes. With newborn photography, a lot of that has to do with safety! Luckily, Joyce Smith is offering an online class that deals with this subject head-on: "Safe Bet: Photographing Portraiture's Tiniest Subjects with Care" (August 2, 2:00pm ET).

Safety in newborn photography has been on Joyce's mind for several years, and it's a heated topic amongst photographers. "While great tips can be had seemingly everywhere these days, picking up tidbits here and there leaves too great a chance that information vital to our clients' safety is missed," she explains. That's why, first and foremost, her goal with the class is to provide a comprehensive look at newborn session safety precautions.

For example, did you know that many of the more intricate newborn poses are composites merged in Adobe Photoshop? Joyce notes that creating one final image from several allows newborn artists not only to push the envelope in terms of creative posing, but also to ensure that their subjects are always safe. "But dangerous results can follow for those photographers who do not realize this!" Joyce adds.

Case in point: the stunning "sack of potatoes," where a baby seems to sit straight up in a tight swaddle. "Incredibly, photography forums are rife with tales of attempting this pose (without realizing that it is a composite) and lamenting each time the baby almost fell right before they 'had it,'" says Joyce. "Ask yourself if a pose seemingly defies the laws of physics.  If so, there's a pretty good chance that it's a composite!"

That is just one of the tips that Joyce will share during her upcoming PPA online class. As she says, "New photographers will have an excellent checklist by the end of the hour, and the more established veterans may discover something new."

If you photograph babies--or want to--this is on the must-see list! It's truly a "safe bet."