Finding A Newborn Photographer

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When you want to capture moments forever, a professional photographer is the way to go. When your baby is just a few days old you can capture the moment safely and at the best quality. What a great way to capture your baby’s first days into the world or to announce the arrival of your baby than with a cute and high-quality photo-shoot.

Newborn photography has its own sets of challenges and so you want to ensure that the person you are choosing has experience in this area. Here are a couple of tips for finding the best newborn photographer for your new bundle’s photo shoot.

When Should I Hire a Newborn Photographer?

Newborn photographers don’t work with a session date, they instead work with your due date. So they will book you on your due date. This is because a newborn photo-shoot has to be done within the 1st 10 days of the birth of the baby. They will take your due date and only accept a limited amount of appointments for each week to accommodate babies born before or after their due date.

If you want to book a very popular newborn photographer you may want to book in advance as far as 3 months. Once you are certain you want to have a newborn photo shoot you should focus on selecting the photographer early on in your pregnancy. Try to get it done by the time you get to 20 weeks. So get to it!

How Much is a Newborn Photoshoot?

The average newborn photo shoot costs around $200 per hour. Price varies by location and experience of the photographer so you are looking from anywhere from $100 to $300 per hour.

What Should I Look for in a Newborn Photographer?

Not all newborn photographers are equal, with an industry that is unregulated your photographer doesn’t have to have any specific qualifications to be a newborn photographer. Here is what you should look for to ensure you don’t hire a photographer who has never done a newborn photo shoot before.

Choose a reputable and talented newborn photographer by looking at their portfolio and corresponding customer review and comments. Try to first get a personal recommendation from someone you trust, if that is not possible, take the time to do the research. This is another reason it is imperative to start your search early on in your pregnancy.

Review their website
Look for social media presence
Loof for customer comments and feedback
Make direct contact and ask questions
Ask about their qualifications, training, and experience
Ask about how they create baby poses
Have examples and pictures on the hand of poses you love
Ask how they maintain a baby’s comfort and safety through the photo shoot
Ask if they are comfortable working with premature babies

Do not be tempted to cut corners and simply go for a photographer because they offer cheap prices. Someone who is good at their job and in demand will have prices that reflect this.

Newborn PhotoShoot Don’ts

Your photographer should never force your baby into an uncomfortable or dangerous position.
Your baby should not be suspended from any height.
Your baby should not be subjected to positions that require them to support the weight of their body overheard.
Your baby should not be placed in a basket with the potential to topple over.

Newborn PhotoShoot Do’s

Your baby should be 100% safe at all times.
The baby should be 100% comfortable at all times during the shoot.
Your photographer should have an assistant or a spotter.

PhotoShoot Setting

Where will your photo shoot take place? Will you visit a photography studio of their choice or will you have the photographer come into your home. If you are opting to use their studio, ask if you can check it out virtually or in person.

Your photo shoot setting should be warm, relaxed and welcoming. You want your baby to be comfortable as well as you want yourself to be comfortable throughout the entire experience. Bear in mind that you may be in this setting for a couple of hours, so you really want to ensure everybody in the space is comfortable.

Aside from comfort and ambiance you have to consider logistics of your photoshoot setting. So if you are going to a studio you want to consider travel time. Always estimate with room for traffic or other problems on the road. It is better to get there early than to be late. You also want to consider parking. This will affect your time as well, if there is no onsite parking this may mean walking or even taking a bus there depending on where you are.

Consider the ease of access to the studio, will you be able to enter with a stroller or will you only be able to enter with a baby in hand or in a car seat? Will you have to take stairs or an elevator?

Consider the layout of the studio itself. Are there comfortable seating options, is there space to bring family members along. If you have children, are the facilities child friendly. Will you have access to feeding facilities or baby changing facilities while there?

These are all things to look for when considering if you should use their photography studio or not.

Manage Your Expectations

If you have seen a newborn photo that you absolutely love you should have this on hand when you meet with your photographer. This should be done ahead of time so you can align your expectations with the photographer’s abilities to accomplish that specific pose.

Ask if there are any items you need to purchase and bring that will make the photoshoot into what you want it to be. Most experienced photographers will have a wide range of teddies, wraps, and headbands among other items but depending on the uniqueness of your shoot idea you may need to bring along something. If you have a family heirloom you would like to bring in for your photos then you can ask if that would be allowed well in advance.

Do Hospitals Offer Newborn Photography?

While hospitals may not offer newborn photography they may allow it. This is a category of photography that is called a hospital photoshoot. These photoshoots include pictures of the birth session as well as of the baby within its first 48 hours of life. This type of shoot allows you to get photos of the actual labor and professional photos of you holding your baby for the very first time.

This type of photoshoot is very candid and is usually full of emotion as well. During the 48 hours after birth, you have the photographer come back and take posed photos as well as candid photos based on your needs and previous discussions with the photographer.

Just like we mentioned before, browse through photos ahead of time so you have ideas of what you want that you can share with your photographer.

How Long is a Newborn Photoshoot?

Typical newborn photo shoots can take between 2 and 3 hours. If you have a very delightful baby you may get your entire session done within an hour but there are those that may go as long as 4 hours. It’s best to be prepared for the long wait time just in case.

What Should I wear to the Hospital for Newborn Pictures?

When packing your hospital bag, dont forget an outfit for your first 48 photos. Also, pack one for your partner. Choose clothing items that are simple to get on and off as you don’t know exactly how much energy you will have after your birth. Keep it simple, neutral and solid. Remember that this is a more natural shoot with mostly candids or soft poses. A soft dress or nightgown will work for mom and a standard t-shirt and jeans setup for dad. You can put on some light makeup if you are up for it but if you don’t have the energy, don’t worry about it too much. Those first few hours can be hard but at least your photos will capture your real emotions. You can save the fanciness for a later mommy & me or family photoshoot.

Do You Use Flash for Newborn Photography?

Babies’ eyes are very sensitive and so they cannot be exposed to harsh lights until after they are a couple of months old. Your photographer shouldn’t be using pop up flashes but instead can use external flashers which are safer and allow the light to bounce from the ceiling not endangering and frightening the baby.

Even though this is so, most professional photographers choose to use ambient lighting. This offers a soft natural lighting experience. This is often achieved by keeping the photoshoot close to a window.

Another good option is constant studio light. These white lights take away the redness from the baby’s skin allowing for a more warm look in the photos.

How Do I Make My own Newborn Photoshoot?

If you can’t afford to pay for a newborn photoshoot, you can do your very own. You don’t need a fancy expensive camera with all kinds of lenses. Most modern cell phones now take really good quality images and so you can get great images without spending all that money to get a photographer.

Get these photos within the first 5 days when the baby sleeps a lot.
Be patient, both in the beginning and as you go through the process.
Get the baby ready by feeding her and ensuring she is clean and ready for a nap. You can use a white noise machine to get a baby into a relaxed mood if they are adamant that sleep won’t be had today.
Pick a room with lots of lighting, if the lighting is too much you can place a white sheet over the window or door to filter out some of it.
Keep it simple, some of the best photos you see are those where the baby is naked and there is nothing but a white background or another neutral background.
If you want patterns and color, use bedsheets, or receivers with a cute pattern to form your backdrop.
Get close up to the baby so you can capture the details, the yawns, the smiles, and the droopy eyelids all make for amazing pictures of your new bundle of joy.
Try different angles.
Prop them up with a pillow.
Turn off your flash.

Conclusion

Your baby changes so quickly after birth, capturing those moments before they are gone forever. Use the tips and resources provided above to find and employ a professional photographer for the best experience and the best keepsake of your baby’s first days.