Congratulations, you’re about to have a baby! You’re probably Googling at all hours of the day: looking for the best car seat, the fastest route to the hospital, researching where your pediatrician went to med school juuuust to make sure it’s legit.
I beg of you: give the same amount of care to choosing a newborn photographer. There are many investments that make sense to choose based on price alone. This is not one of them. The moment you hand your week-old newborn to your photographer, watching that person handle what you hold most dear in this world, you’ll understand why. Your baby’s comfort and well-being are in that person’s hands. Choose wisely.
But what should you look for? To add to the confusion, there are no standard certification processes or requirements to meet within the newborn photography industry – anyone can start a business at any time, with no training or education. So, it’s up to the client to carefully evaluate your candidates.
Below are a few things to look for prior to hiring your newborn photographer:
1. How many newborns have they photographed? A photographer could be in business for decades and never photograph a newborn, whereas a newer photographer may choose to specialize and has already served dozens of newborn clients. Look for the latter.
2. Do they specialize in newborn photography?
3. What qualifications do they have to work with newborns? There are many avenues to receive newborn photography education, such as in-person workshops, mentoring, and online training.
4. Are they up to date on vaccinations, such as the flu shot and TDAP?
5. Do they have a studio?
6. Do they have props, backdrops, and outfits for you to utilize? A good newborn photographer knows what sort of fabrics and outfits will photograph best and typically supplies these for their clients.
7. Do they work with an assistant/ask the parent to help during the session? Many poses require a second set of hands and should NOT be attempted by one person alone.
8. Does the photographer’s newborn portfolio match what you are searching for? Look for timeless images which feature calm, content, and comfortable babies. Baby should be the primary focus of the images.
9. Are you able to speak with or meet the photographer before the session? A good newborn photographer must be gentle, caring, and endlessly patient. They should be someone you’ll want to spend as long as three hours with in the days after you give birth, comfortable with breastfeeding, and a source of calm and understanding to the myriad issues you may be dealing with.
Want me to be your newborn photographer? Let’s chat! I can’t wait to work with you and meet your little one.
