… it’s important to choose the right photographer for your baby
Over the past few years, booking newborn photographer, when you’re expecting a baby, has become as important as booking a wedding photographer, when you are getting married.
From the moment you see that positive pregnancy test, you’ll want to do everything just right. From telling the world you’re pregnant, perhaps a gender reveal, a baby shower and those precious first photographs. It can all be quite daunting.
Your brand-new baby will be the most precious thing in your life, and the photographer who takes their first photographs, needs to be somebody whose portfolio shows they love what they do. They should understand both you, and your partner, and your baby. (And be very good with little siblings, if this isn’t your first child).
There really is no second chance at newborn photographs. Your baby will change so quickly and time is so precious in these first few months.
It’s much easier to start researching for the best photographer while you’re pregnant. Once your little baby has arrived, you’ll be busy with feeding, changing and trying to grab yourself some sleep. This really isn’t the best time to finding the perfect newborn photographer in your area.
The best newborn photographers tend to get booked up weeks or even months in advance. So book in well ahead of your due date.
Choosing the right photographer to take your babies’ very first pictures is as important as choosing their stroller, their crib and their highchair, so take your time about it and make sure that you get the one you want. After all, you are going to have your photographs as beautiful memories, long after the baby equipment has been put in the attic. One day you’ll be showing these photographs to your grandchildren.
Many new parents to be, don’t even realise that newborn photography is a thing. It’s become more and more popular over the past five years. Now most babies will be taken to a professional photographer within the first few months of being born.
How To Research The Best Newborn Photographer
It can be difficult to know just who to hire for your baby. Unless you are already married, you have probably never booked a photographer before. And just like booking a wedding photographer, it can be difficult to choose the right one for you. Here’s some ways that you might find useful to start your search.
Word of mouth and referrals
If you have friends who are new parents, ask their advice. Some key things to ask…. Do they love their baby’s photographs? What was their overall portfolio, so you would want the same photographer for baby’s first year pictures, and eventually family pictures? Was it a wonderful experience for both them and their baby? What was the customer service like, both before and after their photography session? Where they given good advice on how to display their images, and were they able to purchase wall art to save them all the hassle of having their photographs framed? Was their photographer able to make an older sibling feel at ease and capture those magical sibling moments?
Personal recommendations really are like gold.
Social Media
Photographers are highly visual people and almost all of them will have social media accounts. You may be already follow photographers in your area, but if not, use the search facility in Instagram and Facebook to find photographers near to you. At gracefuleye photography, I have tiny clients from all over Illinois, so make sure your search is wide enough.
Maternity Photoshoots
Not only is a maternity photoshoot the first stage of your baby’s journey. It gives you a wonderful insight into your photographer. Booking a maternity session is a great way to get to know your photographer in advance of your newborn session.
Google and Other Search Engines
Google is still a great resource. Professional photo studios will have a website as well as social media pages. It’s always good to look at their portfolio and gain sense of who will be photographing your baby. You will be visiting the studio when you have not long given birth and this can be a very emotional time for your and your partner. So finding a photographer that you feel will be sympathetic to all your needs as new parents, is really important. Check out photographers “About” pages, and get to know a little more about them and their values.
What sort of things should you consider, when finding the perfect Newborn photographer for your baby?
Your Newborn Photoshoot Experience
At gracefuleye photography, I believe there are two parts to the perfect Newborn session. The most important thing it’s obviously your baby’s beautiful photographs. But the whole experience is also incredibly important. I want you to be able to look back at your photographs and remember the absolutely wonderful time you had, with your baby and your partner and any little siblings.
So the whole experience is wrapped up in your enjoyment of your final pictures. They will be in your family for generations to come, the pictures will decorate your home and will be passed down to future grandchildren. Every time you look at them, I want you to be transported back to that magical time when your baby was very, very, tiny and when you were new parents.
Small and large elements of the photoshoot, can make you feel comfortable on the day. Did you have to pay to park in a busy side street? Struggle with the stroller, perhaps for the very first time? Walk in the rain, trying not to get your hair wet? Climb 3 flights of stairs to get to the studio? The location of the studio should be considered in your choice.
If the studio is in the photographers home, is there a separate entrance, or do you have to walk through the photographers house to get to the studio? You may not feel at ease walking through someone else’s home. Is there easy parking nearby? Is there somewhere safe and convenient that one parent can take an older sibling out, to get some fresh air? It takes patience and time to get beautiful newborn pictures, and that sometimes is too much for a small sibling. Having a park nearby is perfect, so both your newborn and your older child can be happy.
Is the studio completely dedicated to your needs? Is there somewhere comfortable for you all to sit? I remember when I’d just given birth, and sitting on a comfortable sofa was top priority.
Will you be able to breastfeed or bottle-feed in comfort and privacy?
Does the studio provide you with a selection of outfits for you and the baby, in their signature style?
When you look at the Studio’s portfolio, is it consistent? Do you know exactly what you’re going to get? You don’t want any surprises, as this is something you’re only going to do once.
Newborn Photography Safety
One point that you’ll see mentioned, in almost every newborn photographer’s website, is safety.
At gracefuleye photography safety is top priority.
At gracefuleye photography, babies are not posed. They are gently encouraged to lay in positions that are comfortable and that look completely natural. Your baby will be photographed to look the way you see them almost every day.
When you’re deciding on your photographer, have a look at the photographs on their website and in their instagram galleries and see if that’s the kind of look, that you’d like for your baby. Do you think you’d be comfortable with your baby being put in these positions? Does the baby in the portfolio photos look comfortable? Only you can decide that. Scandi-style, baby pictures are set up in a safe way that doesn’t put any pressure on your babies tiny joints.
Newborn Photography Style
Newborn photography styles vary massively between different studios. You will usually find that a photographer has their own style. You should absolutely choose a photographer whose style you love. There’s no point in going to a studio who does incredibly posed baby photos and uses lots of props, and asking them to do a more relaxed lifestyle session for your baby. (And vice versa)
gracefuleye photography believes that baby photographs should be timeless. They should be as adorable now as they will be on your baby’s 21st birthday. My Scandi-style, suits any home decor and will never date.
Family and Sibling Photographs
Think about whether you would like family photos with your baby. Some studios only offer to take pictures of your baby and perhaps your baby and an older sibling. Many new parents don’t even consider that they might also be in the pictures. But it’s these family photographs, that your baby will come to treasure most, when they are adults. Think about your own parents. When they get elderly, how much will you cherish any memories that you have of them. When you book a newborn photoshoot, you’re not just doing this for you to enjoy now, you are giving your baby a beautiful gift for their future family.
Some families have a wide age gap between children. Photographing a 10 day old baby with a 2 year old sibling, is very different from photographing an 8 year old or a 14 year old with their new baby brother or sister. Each age group requires a different set of skills. Mabel & Møøse specialises in babies with siblings who are very small. Between 12 months and 5 years. At this age, children can’t be posed, and it takes a very experienced photographer to get those precious moments between your children. Choose a photographer who is skilled in creating a wide range of photographs of the whole family.
Detail Photographs
You will want to remember all those tiny special details about your new baby. Taking creative, macro shots, requires a certain extra skill, and it’s not something that every photo studio offers. Lighting and focus is key to getting these beautiful details. Tiny toes, milk spots and those miniature hairs on their velvety skin. Pictures of those tiny details, take on a more “artsy” feel, and make fabulous wall displays. Look through the photographer’s portfolio and if you don’t see creative examples, then the chances are, they don’t specialise in them.
Editing Newborn Photographs
Editing style plays a large part in the final look of your baby’s photographs. Most photographers will use an editing style that gives their photographs a distinct look. Make sure that their style suits your taste. gracefuleye photography has a very natural white editing style, that preserves your babies skin and hair colour.
Editing and retouching are not quite the same thing.
Retouching is all about removing blemishes, stray hairs, and anything that detracts from the people in the photograph. Retouching can vary widely from studio to studio. The results can look very different. Sometimes every single red blotch on your babies skin and every blemish, on your skin, will be left untouched. At the opposite end of the scale, some photographers will retouch everything, and your baby’s skin will look, dare I say, a bit unrealistic.
At gracefuleye photography, minimal retouching is done to every photograph, on an individual basis. Every image is lovingly tweaked, to make it as natural as possible. Your baby’s perfect, imperfections, will all be there for you to remember. Those sweet milk spots, will still be kept for you to enjoy, but some distracting flaky skin in their hair might be removed. And of course, if you, as new mom, develop a post, giving-birth spot on your chin, that will be gone and never mentioned!
How Do You Receive Your Photographs
All The Digital Files
Again, this differs from studio to studio but it’s really important that you find out what happens after your session, before you even book. It could determine your choice of photographer.
Some photographers will supply you with all the photographs that they take, usually as digital files. On the face of it, this might seem like the ideal choice. But in my long years of experience as a photographer I know that most parents will never do anything with their digital files. At best they will print off a few with an online printer, and the results will not represent what the photograph could look like if it was printed by a professional printer. Your baby’s might look slightly green or orange. Their skin tone will almost certainly not be as your photographer intended. Many of the photographs might well be very similar to the others in your gallery. So having 60 photos, that all look pretty much the same, is a different choice, from having a gallery of 25 very distinct images. Usually it’s an all inclusive price that you pay for your session. This is often the cheapest option.
Online Gallery Viewing
Posting your baby’s photographs to an online gallery, is another popular way that photographers can present your images to you. This is done so as you can choose digital files (then you will have the same problems as I mentioned above), or to choose professional prints or wall art (framed photographs or photographs printed on to metal, canvas or acrylic).
It can be a convenient method, for both you and your photographer. You can log on to your gallery, usually it’s time limited, and choose what’s right for you. However, I know from bringing up my own family, that life gets in the way. You might never find the time to choose your photographs, and if you do, you often end up doing it without your partner to share the experience and make your choices, as you’ve left it to the last minute, and your gallery is expiring the next day. You don’t have the photographer with you to give your their expert advice, and you can easily end up ordering the wrong things.
Generally you will pay a session fee and this will include a print or a credit to spend online and then everything else is charged at the time of ordering.
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