Top 5 Things To Look For In A Good Newborn Photographer
Photographing newborns is my favorite way to spend a day. I don’t think it’s for everyone, but for me I miss those teeny tiny humans the instant I give them back to their parents.
There are several things to be aware of, and whether you are a first time parent or veteran at parenting, make sure you are paying attention to these top 5 warnings.
1.MAKE SURE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER HAS PHOTOGRAPHED OVER 100 BABIES. I know it can be tempting to find a newborn photographer who suits your budget, but I am telling you right here and right now that when a newborn photographer is more expensive, you are paying for their expertise. Those adorable baby announcements hanging on your fridge or popping up in your IG feed that you’ve been day dreaming about re-creating, do not happen with inexperienced newborn photographers. When I first started out I was CHEAP but that’s because I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and I also didn’t value the images I was sending to clients. Posing a newborn is a degree of difficulty that can only be achieved by someone who has posed hundreds of babies. This is not the time to budget shop, you don’t get this back.
2. IF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER MAKES IT LOOK EASY, I PROMISE YOU IT’S HARD. When you are posing a little one there are a million careful techniques that your photographer has worked very hard to perfect. Those tiny fingers laying flat, that little head turned to the right or the left, the way her leg crosses under her bum. These poses are practiced repeatedly in workshops, in trainings, and with live babies. Your baby should not be anyones practice baby- unless you signed up to participate in a workshop. Life is too precious…..
3.SAFETY FIRST. I can not stress this enough the safety of your baby needs to be your photographers first, last, and main goal. Newborns are often posed on newborn tables- this means they are off of the ground and surrounded by newborn posing inserts, blankets, and other items meant to protect your baby from injury. Your photographer should never, under any circumstances, leave your baby unattended on the posing table or the beanbag. In my studio if I have to grab something I make sure my assistant or the newborn’s parent has a hand on the newborn at all times. Is it over protective? Yes. Is it what we are going to do 10 out of 10 times? Also yes. There is no “too much” when it comes to your child’s safety.
4.TIME LIMITS ARE A RED FLAG. A lot of folks will ask me how long my newborn sessions are, and the answer is I do not time them. Some babies sleep the entire session and some babies need time to nurse or eat in between shots. They should not ever be rushed. Newborns are new around here and they are the boss of every session. What s/he says goes. If they are hungry, need a new diaper, or even just want their mother’s arms, then that is what they shall have. You can’t rush a newborn session. If you meet a photographer and they tell you, “this package is one hour” that is a red flag. It might be one hour, it might be 2, it might be 30 minutes- but the bottom line is no one knows exactly how long your session will be until we are in the studio with your baby. It should never be a you have one hour or I’m out of here situation. For me, when a client is in the studio or I’m in their home photographing their newborn we are in this together until the work is done.
5.ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SHOW UP, ALL YOU HAVE TO BRING IS BABY. Listen there are a million things that are hard on this Earth, your photo experience shouldn’t be. Make sure your photographer is providing all of the wraps, backgrounds, props, headbands, hats, and outfits that you will need for a successful newborn session. This isn’t to say you can’t add in a few special items or accessories- but you shouldn’t have to bring in a full wardrobe of baby clothes or the posing blankets and materials for your photographer to do their job. In my New Jersey studio I have blankets and wraps in every color under the sun. On the rare occasion a client is hoping for some color I don’t have, I purchase the correct color to match their color scheme. It’s attention to detail that sets a experienced professional photographer from one who is still getting their sea legs.
At the end of the day you get one chance to get perfect, beautiful, newborn photos of your child. S/he won’t be this little ever again. You can’t place a price on that, so choose experience over price- and you’ll never have to wonder what if…
