Newborn Photography | Top Tips | Choosing a photographer
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY
Newborn photography has become extremely popular in recent years. There are many photographers who have invested lots of time and money training to provide you with the best and safest service. You will also come across inexperienced photographers that offer this service without the correct education. Because of this it can be difficult to know what to look for when on the hunt for a photographer.
TOP TIPS WHEN CHOOSING YOUR NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER
Here are some suggestions of the type of things you should be thinking about when you start looking.
RESEARCH
Have a look at different newborn photographers, not just in your local area but in general. It is better to have a good idea of the market and the standards offered. You will soon see that not all newborn photographers provide the same level of service. Unfortunately in the UK at the moment you don’t need any formal qualifications to become a newborn photographer. It’s not worth the risk to use an untrained and inexperienced photographer.
CHECK YOUR LOCAL AREA
Start contacting all the newborn photographers in your area. TIP* This might not apply for everyone’s preferences but as new parents with little or no sleep the last thing you want to do is travel for hours and be falling asleep at the wheel! Try looking at all the photographers in a 1 hour radius from your home. This is a comfortable distance and you won’t be feeling exhausted by the time you get there.
WORD OF MOUTH
Once you have your list of local photographers and selected the ones that appeal to you start asking around. Other parents who have had a good experience with a photographer are always happy to talk about it. You can also ask around at any prenatal or baby groups etc that you go to.
ONLINE PRESENCE
Your list should be getting a bit shorter now (I hope?? 🙂 ) Check their website & social media pages, most business pages will have testimonial & review sections. Have a look at how they interact with their customers and how they talk to people.
MAKING CONTACT
Time to start contacting your shortlist, and here’s some suggestions of the questions you can ask:
1 – Most importantly… Are they trained and how long have they specialised in newborn photography?
If they are a true craftsman of their job then you will get a reply happily explaining about all of their training and experience. I’m sure most professional photographers will be more than happy to talk about how they’ve got to where they are at now.
2 – What type of newborn photography do they provide?
Some photographers offer a very relaxed natural session, taking more lifestyle shots of you and your baby without any styling and posing. There’s other photographers who have beautiful props and accessories for you to use in the session to create a styled shoot and there’s some that offer both types. After all of the extensive research you have already done to get you to this point you probably have a clear picture in your mind of the type of images you want, so it’s a good idea to find out if they offer that.
3 – Do they have an assistant?
Depending on the style of photography they will sometimes need an assistant. For example when creating a composite which is several images layered together an assistant is sometimes needed to support the baby. This refers back to what I mentioned earlier in the horror stories about what can go wrong with untrained photographers attempting poses that should be assisted. Not all photographers have assistants but will usually ask a parent to support the babies head whilst they take a photo or if they need to leave the baby for a moment.
4 – Where will the session take place?
Newborn sessions are either done in a cosy warm studio or at your own home, if it is done at a studio most photographers are more than happy for you to pop in and have a look around before you book.
The studio should be fully equipped with everything you need for several hours –
- Parking nearby
- Pram access
- Clean & tidy
- Toilet
- Baby changing area
- Comfy seating area
- Refreshments
Perfect Moments Newborn Photography Studio
5 – Pricing & availability
Make sure you know what the session fee costs and the packages that they offer, there should be no hidden costs and that way you can have an idea of what you want before you have your session.
The session fee is what you pay when you book, it secures your booking and pays for the time and skills of your photographer during your session. Be cautious of overly cheap sessions, a £50 Offer for a shoot and all the images is not a bargain and you could be left with sub standard images and no time left to find another photographer.
Professional newborn photographers charge what they do because of the time and money that has gone into training to provide you with the best and safest service. They have invested thousands into their business to set up as well as their ongoing costs like:
- Public liability insurance
- Photography association fees
- Equipment insurance
- Editing software subscriptions
- Data storage
- Online gallery fees
Then on top of that if they have a studio then there’s all the costs that are involved in that. Also, after your session the work doesn’t end there, hours are spent editing and fine tuning your images so that you have beautiful photos ready for your viewing appointment. By the way, this wasn’t meant to be a rant about pricing but it’s good to know what you are paying for 🙂
6 – When to book
Booking early is important if you want to secure your chosen photographer, most newborn photographers can be booked up months in advance. When you book, you are securing a place in the month surrounding your due date. Babies can turn up unexpectedly so newborn photographers have their calendars booked out to be as flexible as possible once baby arrives. This sometimes means giving up their weekends but you will find if they love their job they are usually always happy to do that.
7 – How long will you have to wait for your photos?
The last thing you want is to be waiting months for your photos so find out their average turnaround time so you know what to expect.
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I hope this has given you a helping in hand in deciding how to book your newborn photographer. As you can see there is lots to think about but it doesn’t need to be too daunting if you know what you need to keep in mind.
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If you are interested in booking Perfect Moments Photography click the link below for more information. Or if you would like to have a chat then please just send me a message or give me a call using the details below:
Suzanne @ Perfect Moments Photography
pmbs-photography@outlook.com | 07769270147 | 01978 710346
