ALTAMONT — When Chelsea Sylvester’s self-named photo studio reopened after being shut for months because of the coronavirus pandemic, she was quickly confronted with a new, more daunting obstacle: increased rent for the Colonie space, which left the photographer uncertain whether she’d be able to remain open.

That is, until she found a location on Maple Avenue in Altamont, which allows her to continue pursuing her passion for photographing newborns and their mothers. 

“This location has been a godsend, honestly,” Sylvester told The Enterprise. “I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else and it was like a dream come true. They say, ‘When one door closes, watch for the one that’s going to open,’ and boy was that true!”

While the reopening process has been tough for most business owners, and Sylvester is no exception with a “big decrease” in sessions, she told The Enterprise that her already dominant focus on safety and sanitation when photographing a uniquely vulnerable population, pandemic or not, has translated well to this new era of heightened safety protocols. 

Sylvester said that she had always sanitized the studio between clients, but is now “more strict” and doesn’t allow back-to-back sessions. This is on top of the usual precautions she takes when posing babies. In fact, some baby photos that come out of Sylvester’s studio aren’t of natural poses, but are composites made from photos that allow Sylvester to always leave her hands on the baby, ensuring its safety.

This, and other skills, require specific training that Sylvester takes and retakes continuously to keep that education fresh in her mind.

“Of course, as a new parent, you don’t even love the process of letting someone just hold your baby,” Sylvester said, “but letting someone take over for a couple of hours is something that requires an extreme level of trust. That trust is built by the education of their safety.”

Sylvester said that she does photograph general populations — families, adolescents, seniors — but that the level of care and education that’s required for photographing babies, combined with her passion for the process, is what led her to specializing in “belly, birth, baby, and beyond.”

“I have always loved the journey through childbirth,” Sylvester said. “So when I started photography, my favorite sessions were always maternity, newborn, and milestone sessions throughout the baby’s first year. I eventually photographed my first birth in California and realized that this was what I was made for.  

“I never ‘narrowed’ it down until I spoke with a friend who basically told me that it is OK to not love everything ...,” Sylvester said. “You can’t be a ‘jack of all trades, while mastering a specific trade.’”

In addition to safety knowledge, Sylvester says that a calming personality is important when photographing babies, as well as a skill in creating comfortable environments, using lullabies, extra heat, and a tool known as a baby shusher, which generates soothing white noise.

“Seriously, every parent should have one for their babe,” Sylvester said of the shusher, “because it is amazing.”