What to Ask When Finding a Newborn Photographer

Newborn Photography is a big deal, lets talk about it...

This type of photography session can also come with a bigger price tag than you thought, and I'll tell you why. In this post I am also going to tell you some things you should look for when choosing the right Newborn Photographer for you!

Naturally, I want you to book with me because I love and specialize in motherhood and babies BUT I know that I am not going to be for everyone and THATS OK! I'm not the highest priced photographer around but I know that I'm not cheap either. I have spent a lot of time and money perfecting what I do, and I continue to educate myself and grow. I don't just take photos of your baby, I create memories for you and your family to cherish for the rest of your life. I create artwork for you to hang and display on your walls or albums to present on your table or look over every year on your little ones birthday. One day ( and I am speaking from experience) they aren't going to be so little. That little baby that was born 10.6 lbs with all the rolls and chubby cheeks is going to grow up to be tall and skinny and lose his baby face. You are going to want to remember that baby face, those cheeks, their little button nose, the faces they made as they were sleeping through their session. (I'm not crying, you're crying 😭) In the blink of an eye you go from having two little boys that need you for everything to having a smaller foot than your 11 year old and borrowing his t-shirts... 😭

I always thought it was so cliche when I would hear "It goes by so fast" but they weren't kidding!

So what do you need to know when booking a Newborn Photographer? What questions should you ask them? Why do you need to ask questions? What isn't important?

This subject will be a common topic on my blog to be able to touch on different subjects regarding Newborn Photography, but let's start here!

Obviously I don't believe that anyone is going to intentionally put your baby in danger, and I don't think you would either. BUT, you don't know what you don't know. So here are a few tips from a photographers point of view on things that I think are important and that I have made a point to incorporate in my business and craft.

1. Do they have any safety training SPECIFICALLY for Newborns? This is and will always be my number one because safety is my top priority. Being a parent and having children IS NOT training... and it IS NOT enough. Whenever I make this point to new photographers when they post for models, I always get a very defensive "I would NEVER put someone's baby in harms way!" No one would. That is the point I'm trying to make, if they aren't specifically trained in Newborn Safety and Safe Posing it could be very dangerous. It might not be intentional but if your new precious baby is injured because of the negligence of not having training and trying to recreate posing, the intentions are irrelevant. At least in my opinion. The poses that you find on Pinterest of the perfectly posed precious babies that you want to recreate are hard, and can be dangerous to someone who is not experienced or trained in the safety of posing newborns.

What I suggest, if you can't find someone who is certified in newborn safety and safe posing, is to do a lifestyle photoshoot instead! These are just as precious and intimate and baby remains in your arms the whole time. But one thing I DO NOT suggest is letting someone "practice" their posing on your newborn or volunteering your newborn for a model call. Even in my studio and with my training and experience I do not force poses that baby isn't into, I prioritize safety over getting "the shot" every time! Injury can happy so fast, you know how babies are always trying to lift their head or how they have the startle reflex and jerk around... If that happens and its not anticipated the baby can fall over, they can hit their head, they can injure their neck... Their heads are not proportionate to the size of their bodies right after birth, and if they are not properly posed or supported or the photographer doesn't know how to properly keep them safe, it can be extremely detrimental to your baby. It is also good to ask if they work with an assistant for their newborn photoshoots, which is ideal to have extra safety support around baby at all times.

Yes, even wrapping a baby the wrong way can be harmful. It can cause baby's airway to be blocked, it can cut off the circulation if not wrapped properly, but a photographer who hasn't been trained in this area won't know that these are risks they are putting your baby in. I'm not saying any of this as a fear mongering tactic or to scare you, I want everyone to have the information to make an educated decision and know these things going into a photoshoot to avoid any injuries to new fragile babies. Do they know how to accommodate for situations that come up in regards to newborns? Do they have experience with preemies? Multiples? Hip dysplasia, broken collar bone or other possible birth injuries? G-tube?... Just because your baby has a condition shouldn't mean that a newborn session isn't an option for them!

On a selfish note, we know that if something like this were to happen and a baby is injured during a photoshoot it will spread VERY fast. How does the saying go... "good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster"... something like that. Having that happen puts a stain on the industry as a whole, even for those of us who have invested to educate ourselves to provide a safe session. Which is why its the hill I choose to die on when it comes to posts on social media and new photographers wanting to get into Newborns right out of the gate with no training or experience. Knowledge, experience and training in these poses is absolutely necessary and should be a requirement on your check list when choosing a photographer to work with. This is a very saturated industry and with so many camera options on the market that are affordable, it is very common for someone to get a camera as a gift during the holidays and take a few photos of their kids and decide they want to make money doing it in their free time. Which, let me be clear... I am fine with! Just not with certain niches of photography that either can't be redone (birth, weddings...) or that can be potentially dangerous (newborns).

2. What should you look for in packages being offered? This will vary depending on what you are going to do with the photos... Do you want to send out Birth Announcements? Do you want to frame photos and hang them in the house and nursery? Do you want to share them on social media? Do you want to make an album or send books to the grandparents as gifts? I can tell you no matter what you plan to do with your photos you DO NOT need 75-100+ photos with your package. It may sound good when you see people advertising a lower cost for a ton of photos (or the infamous "all edited and unedited photos" trust me you aren't booking me for my unedited photos!). That many photos are going to sit on your hard drive and take up space. It may sound good but most of them are going to be repetitive and looking through that many is going to be overwhelming. Quality is what is important. Not quantity. More is not always better. Passion for creating artwork with your new child as the subject is important. So beyond package size, which should be chosen based on what you are realistically going to do with the photos, make sure you look at the quality and diversity of the portfolio you are looking at. An experienced photographer doesn't NEED to take that many photos to create a beautiful gallery of images for you. This is a tactic that newer photographers think makes them a desirable candidate for your business by "not limiting your photos" or "all photos included" and pairing that with a lower price that undercuts those of us with experience and training. Typically (not always, I know) these photographers are wanting to make a quick buck or have tunnel vision in getting new images for their portfolio and not typically spending the time that is required for newborn photography and creating art of your new baby.

3. Do they offer payment plans? Are they up front about pricing? Do they provide products and prints through a professional lab? I put all of these together because they are all related. First, there is nothing worse than falling in love with something and going to the website to look at what the investment is going to be just to find a "Contact me for pricing info" instead of a list of prices for you to go through. The old bait and switch routine 🙄. I won't do it. If the pricing info isn't on the website I go look for someone else's who has it listed. Will I pay more than if I had asked, maybe, but we will never know because I'm not messaging to ask! This is one of the main reasons my prices are clearly listed. It saves both of us from wasting our time if its not the right fit for you. This is also the reason I offer payment plans. You have 9 months of pregnancy, lets break up the investment and get you the most out of this session! It is helpful when booking packages also, say you want Maternity or Birth photography added on, having a payment plan makes it a little easier on you. I also offer Baby Registries so you can get what you really want 😉 And the last part of this question is about printing at professional labs. You take the time to do your research on these photographers you are choosing from and invest in quality photos, PLEASE do not print from a big box store! There are quality budget printers out there but it makes it much easier on you to print through someone who is already calibrated to my camera settings and editing style. Places like Walmart, Costco, Walgreens, and others all have different machines and different paper and ink and settings on those machines and you will not get consistency at any of these places (I'll be blogging about this subject very soon and showing you samples of what I mean) Plus, the quality of your prints and the paper they are on or process of the printing makes a difference with how long they are going to last.

So why is Newborn Photography typically priced higher than other types of photography? And why should lower priced photographers typically raise some red flags? Great question! I'm so glad you asked!

A lot goes in to newborn photography ( a lot of money that is)! It is one of the more expensive niches of the industry. Most photographers (like myself) who specialize in motherhood and Newborn have spent years accumulating props and wraps and accessories to keep their studio stocked. I want my clients to just show up, have a seat and relax, and let me take care of the rest! We spend a lot on education, equipment, lighting, up to date trends and posing courses, editing software (because newborn skin can be problematic: red tones, jaundice, flaky, baby acne, etc.), insurance, taxes, and all the other stuff that comes with running a business. Not to mention, newborn sessions tend to last much longer than a regular portrait session. My newborn sessions are typically 2-4 hours depending on the baby, then countless hours of editing each photo by hand to deliver in the gallery. Where as a typical portrait session can be between 30 minutes and an hour with much less going in to the post production editing.

With that being said, it should raise more concern if you find a low priced photographer. It can mean a combination of things; they aren't experienced in which case you probably don't want them handling your fragile newborn baby, they aren't a legitimate business in which case they most likely aren't insured to cover you or your child should something happen during your session, or they are just trying to make a quick buck and book the most people as possible keeping their prices lower. This is good for you because it's cheap but this type of person isn't interested in their clients safety and I personally wouldn't put my new baby in their hands. In this type of photography specifically I would go into with the mentality of "you get what you pay for". Disclaimer: this is not the case in every situation. Are there good photographers who can give you pretty pictures of your baby that aren't expensive, yes. This is a generalization of my personal opinion of what I think people should look for when booking a photographer! I don't want to sound like a hater but I am very passionate about this specific subject. I am a firm believer and supporter of the "community over competition" mindset of creatives and have no hesitation helping someone who is starting out learn more. I understand I was there once, and everyone starts somewhere. It's true, however, I also know that there is a right way to do it when it comes to newborn photography.

Another, newer, concern that the photography industry is having is the new implementation of AI. This is honestly, pretty terrifying for me... The editing software that most photographers use have an AI feature now and have the capabilities to create an image out of thin are without there even being a baby or original image used at all. So, as a creative, its really cool to be able to create images and see them come to life by just using a few key words and seeing it translated from our mind to the computer screen. But, also as a creative, its concerning that an image can be created out of thin air like this and used to advertise for sessions. Some of the social media platforms will put a tag on the photos and let others know that AI was used in creating the image. It doesn't specify how much of the image was created or corrected with AI but it does let you know if it was used. There was recently a post going around that showed samples of newborn photos and milestone/smash cake images that were created with no sampling of an original photo. They were just made using keywords and used to advertise the photographer and try to sell sessions. There are a few reasons to me initially that raise concern... first, can they physically recreate the images they are advertising? Are the photos they deliver in your gallery going to be in line with what they are posting to gain your business? The same lighting scenario and props they are showing in the photos they are using? Also, does the fact they are advertising with AI generated images mean they lack experience and don't have images of their own to post? If I'm being honest, I also don't know how to use the AI generator and am still stuck in the stone age of hand editing all of my images. This gives me control of the photo as a whole so I can manipulate it and get the result I picture in my mind when I initially click the shutter of the camera. I'm not saying I wont ever learn how to use the AI feature but I can assure you that the images in my portfolio have been taken, edited, styled and corrected as needed by me!

So, even if I am not the photographer for you or I am out of your budget, I want you to go into your newborn session with some knowledge of what you should look for and what questions you should ask. Are they trained and certified in NEWBORN safety? Do they have experience? Do they work with an assistant? Do they offer packages or payment plans? Do they provide prints and products? Is their business insured in the event of injury? Newborn Photography is much more than your baby's first photo session and I want you to have all the information you need to keep your baby safe, even if its not with me. But hopefully it is! And feel free to reach out to me! Ask me questions! Do I have any new props I need to get photos of? Do I have any specials coming up? I will NEVER turn away a mother who is wanting to learn more and concerned about safety when it comes to their new babies photoshoot!