Considerations When Choosing a Newborn/Baby Photographer
How will you know who to choose? There are so many! Hopefully these tips will help!
1. Do you love their work? First and foremost, (and the most obvious!) you MUST love their work! After all, that’s why you are hiring them, right? Do you share their style? Do you like their posing, props, lighting? Is their style and ability consistent? Meaning, could they recreate this for you?
2. Price. While price is definitely something to take into consideration, it shouldn’t be the only thing that matters. Ever hear the phrase “you get what you pay for”? It holds true for photography as well. Your neighbor’s cousin’s sister might have a “fancy camera” but that certainly doesn’t mean that she will produce the type of work you are looking for. Now, we all had to start somewhere so if said photographer is needing a model to practice on, OK, but take into account that your priceless memories may not turn out to be what you were expecting. Often times parents choose their photographer solely on the cheapest price but that decision frequently ends up being a mistake in the end.
3. Trust. This may be the most important. Who are you trusting to handle this new, most precious being you just brought into the world? Your photographer should not only be skilled with the camera but also with the safety of your new baby! Have they been trained on safe newborn posing and handling? How much experience do they have working with newborns and babies? Are they a trustworthy person overall? Are you compatible working together?
4. Type of photographer. I can’t stress this enough… Being a newborn and baby photographer is a specialized field. Just because someone is an amazing wedding photographer does not mean they will be an amazing baby photographer! It takes a whole different set of skills, different equipment, lenses, lighting, posing, safety, etc. It is completely different! I know the images make it LOOK easy but let me assure you, it’s a lot of work! I personally wouldn’t know where to begin if you asked me to photograph your wedding because it’s not what I’ve studied and practiced. Would you hire a foot doctor to perform your open heart surgery? No? Why not, they went to the same medical school. Because your heart surgeon is SPECIALIZED! Someone who claims that they’ll photograph anything and everything is not a specialized photographer. Just remember… Jack of all trades is master of none.
5. Do they offer what you are looking for? Are you looking for a customized boutique experience that is tailored to your specific baby? One that does the work for you in terms of prints and products or do you want a shoot and burn photographer? I personally believe that your precious memories are doing you no good on a disk in a desk drawer but if that is what you are looking for, this is something to take into consideration. Do they have the wardrobe and props you’d like to see your baby in (so YOU don’t have to buy them!)? Be sure that whoever you choose is offering exactly what it is that will work best for you!
Make no mistake about it, your baby’s portraits will be cherished for generations!
How do you want to remember this time?
In the end, the most important thing is that you’ve chosen to document
this MOST important time in your baby’s life!
They are only little for such a little while!