Choosing your baby photographer: avoid things going wrong by asking the right questions!

If you have just found out that you’re expecting a baby, or if you are willing to treat a loved one with a newborn photography session gift, this blog post is for you. I’m going to be giving you the heads up on what you should be considering when you're shopping around for the perfect newborn photographer for these precious babies.

Every day, I receive several newborn photography enquiries, and too often, they pretty much consist of only one question: “How much will the photos cost?”. This typically happens because people don’t know what else to ask. Of course, you should consider your budget for photography, but you shouldn't make your decision based on price alone.

When it comes to giving your most precious new-to-the-world baby to a stranger, you should definitely inquire on other topics, such as the photographer’s level of experience, their training in safety, style and consistency, reputation, and so on.

In this post, I will list the keys considerations to help you finding the perfect photographer for your family.

The following topics will be discussed:

1. Safety during the newborn photo sessions.

2. Style, duration and consistency.

3. Sales and pricing.

4. Digital files and printed products.

5. Service and turnaround times.

6. Is the photographer insured?

Safety during the newborn photo session

The very first thing to consider when you are coming to choose a newborn photographer is, of course, if they are fit to keep your little one safe. To this day, the newborn photography industry here in the UK is currently unregulated. That means that there is no specific qualification that a newborn photographer must obtain before they can start offering the service.

So, in theory, even a novice photographer, with zero experience of handling babies, could potentially setup shop and market themselves as a newborn photographer! This is very worrying but, unfortunately, happens a lot and very unfortunately babies put in the hands of inexperienced and untrained photographers are too often put at risk.

A good newborn photographer will typically have quite a few training sessions under their belt and a very strong portfolio to show off their artwork. They will be familiar with safe posing and work with a professional editing program. They possibly also use an assistant to keep an eye and hand on your baby at all times. Of course, these trainings and programs have a cost that will reflect on their prices. If a photographer offers their service at a very low price, the chances are that they are not trained, nor are they using professional equipment to create your images.

To avoid putting your baby in the wrong hands, it is worth spending the time exploring the market to find a photographer who can demonstrate a track record of satisfied customers and high standards of professionalism.

• Review their website and social media presence

• Look for comments and feedback from recent customers and see how they interact online.

• Do they seem positive, passionate about what they do, and good with people?

• Can they demonstrate how they create baby photography poses safely?

• Contact them directly and ask questions.

Example of composite images and safe posing:

Style, duration and consistency

While it might seem obvious that you should like the style of your chosen photographer, you might overlook two other important criteria: the length of the session and the consistency of the photographer's work.

Some photographers spend as little as an hour on a session, while others are willing to take as long as is needed to create a beautiful set of newborn photos. How long a session takes tends to be related to the variety of poses.

Our newborn sessions last approximately 3-4 hours and result in about 20-30 unique photos that are shown to the family a week later, at their viewing appointment.

Some of the images from baby Erin's session

The other aspect that you want to examine is how consistent the photographer's work is. An experienced photographer will be able to maintain standard in its posing and images style, and while this sometimes does depend on how cooperative the newborn or siblings are, if the portfolio of the photographer shows similar images, the odds of them being able to get the same kind of images for your family keepsake are far greater.

Display of similar posing with older and younger babies and children.

Sales and pricing

Once you have found a photographer's work you are in love with, and that you are reassured that they are trained a professional, it is time to require more information on their prices.

I would recommend arranging a meeting with your photographer to have an informal chat. During this meeting, you might ask various sales related questions like:

• Where will the photoshoot take place (ask to see the studio if they have one)?

• Can you bring siblings and other family members for the session?

• What are the studio policies for you making prints out of digital files?

• What is the digital file resolution and will there be a watermark on images?

• When you will see the photos and where?

• How does the sales process work?

• What does the packages include?

Digital files and printed products

Let's face it, everyone wants the digital files! And while I want you to have them to share to you hearts content on social media, I also want to make sure that you have a visually beautiful, touchable record of the session to take home too.

A very important note about digital files: how we will be able to look at these in 10 years time. You may want to think about how you will present these images 10, 20 or even 30 years down the line. Will you give your children a USB stick as an heirloom? Or a broken link to a long gone social media platform? (Remember those VHS tapes filled with family movies collecting dust on your shelf? )

Taking that in consideration, you might want to seek professional displays of your images. A reputable photographer should be able to source for you, high quality products that will last for decades without changing. They are also likely to be able to present you with samples to help you decide what range of product has your preference.

While having the digital files might allow you to enlarge them at a low cost, the truth is that, with certainty, the colours will fade and the fabrication will be poor, affecting their longevity. I do believe that your images deserve the best quality display available on the market, so if you would like to pass these as a legacy to your children, you will want to inquire if the photographer is able to provide you with such a service.

Our round Acrylic on display:

Service and turnaround times

The service provided and turnaround times vary greatly between photographers. Some photographers will see you only one time on the day of your session, others will spend time in consultation talking with you, defining preferences prior to your session. Some will provide you with an online gallery or "all photos on usb" while some will invite you back in their studio to reveal your images. As for turn around time, it can be anything between a week and several months, so it's always worth asking beforehand to avoid unnecessary frustration.

Is the photographer insured?

It is always a good idea to check whether your newborn photographer is fully insured. While you hopefully will never need to make a claim, being insured is also a sign that a photographer is legitimate and has a professional mindset.

I hope that these six important consideration will help you hire a photographer who will deliver the quality of experience that you desire and that your new baby deserves, and photos that you will treasure for a lifetime.

Should you wish to choose Rockabye Baby Photography, you can contact me on 07434430780, email me at catherine@rockabyebabyphotography.co.uk or complete the form on my contact page: https://www.rockabyebabyphotography.co.uk/contact

Is my baby too old for a newborn photo shoot?

We finally have it! A date for our photography studio to open after this third lockdown! It will have lasted nearly 14 weeks and so many sessions had to be postponed, so many due dates approached and passed. Hearing the news that a new little bundle has come to enlighten the lives of so many parents and not being able to give a firm date to these families for when they will be able to come for their newborn session has been very frustrating.

There is no doubt that for a family hoping to capture their little one’s brand new features in images to treasure forever, missing their session has been upsetting.

Well, let me reassure you, postponing your newborn session does NOT mean missing out! Although in general, newborn photo shoots are best taking place in the first few weeks because of baby’s long sleep patterns and extra squishiness, we have learned from the past year, its lockdowns and Covid restrictions, that we can create a beautiful gallery of images with your older baby, in a style and poses very close to a brand-newborn session.

Baby Sophia, 10 weeks old

Up to around 10 weeks of age, we can still achieve an incredible gallery of images for you. With an older baby, they may take longer to settle and the range of poses may have to be tailored, however, with the right touch and patience older newborn sessions results in the cutest bubbly baby photos.

What if my baby doesn't sleep?

Older babies generally sleep less, but that’s also a bonus – we can then capture some beautiful eye contact and engagement with parents. And with some patience and a few tricks of the trade, we may just get some sleepy shots too! We will focus on the poses that are suitable once your baby is more alert and less flexible and will often offer more wrapped poses which are ideal to photograph your little one in props or with other young siblings.

Henry (7 weeks old) Hazel (7 weeks old)

Luca and Margot (5 weeks old and 21 months old)

Our 'in hands' style images are also the perfect addition to your older newborn session and the occasion to capture these amazing open eyes images as well as detailed shots of your baby's tiny features.

Hazel and Henry (both 7 week old).

Will there be fewer images in my gallery? Absolutely not! Although the types of images might differ from a typical newborn session, we will do our best to provide you with a beautiful gallery full of variety. As I said, we have the added advantage of stunning awake shots. Your baby will also be stronger so depending on their skills, we can also incorporate some tummy time images too, which are super cute!

Henry (7week old)

Sophia (10 weeks old)

We photograph babies through their first year, with all the stages in between. The three month old photos as well as the 6 month old milestone are absolutely adorable! Babies these ages have a budding personality, are eager to interact and have beautiful smiles. So if your baby is past the age for an older newborn session, then you can consider milestone portraits as a beautiful alternative.

Lottie (5 month old)

Henry (5 month old)

Remember, your baby is still the lovely new addition to your family. Even if you can’t have the newborn session you dreamt of, you can still have stunning, professional images, to look back on for years to come.

We can't wait to be open again and welcome you lovely families in our studio. So if you have had a baby during this lockdown or are currently due soon and have been cautious about booking a photo shoot, fear no more and get in touch. We would love to create these forever memories for you.

How to photograph your newborn baby at home

Lockdown is such a strange time for us all, almost everyone’s life has been turned upside down by current events, and if you're pregnant or have just had a baby you might be feeling this even more than others.

All of those things you thought you would be doing, like introducing your new baby to family and friends for the first time, seeing your best friend for a well needed coffee and chat, attending baby classes or having a newborn photo shoot are suddenly not a possibility anymore.

My heart truly hurts thinking that so many families will miss out on having professional photographs of their baby taken in those early days. I know how important these memories are and our little ones are changing so fast, so I thought I should write my very first blog post relating to some of tricks that could help you take your own beautiful newborn photographs at home.

In this article I will go through the following points:

• Lighting

• Safety

• How to position yourself

• Tips on how to keep baby asleep

• Angles and shots variety

These tips can be used by anybody. You don't need to have a fancy camera, you can just use the camera on your phone or a point-and-shoot if you have one.

1/ Lighting and how it defines your ideal spot

Turn off overhead lights and your camera’s flash and use window light! This will give you the softest, most adequate type of lighting for your newborn photos.

Using window light will necessitate that your photoshoot takes place in the daytime, when window light is available.

Find a time when the light isn’t so bright that it’s streaming in (no direct sun light) as it would be creating really harsh shadows. You might have to move baby further away from the window if the light is too strong.

The Direction of Your Light Matters. Once you’ve picked a spot with nice light, you’ll need to figure out where to lay your baby down in relation to the window. Pay attention to where the light is coming from, and the direction it hit’s your baby’s face.

You want your baby’s head to be closer to the light then their feet and try for the light to hit the forehead first, feathering down.

Here’s a visual that might help:

2/ Safety

Of course, this is your number one priority! While you may have seen “froggy style” poses where it looks like a baby’s head is propped up on their hands, or babies hanging in a hammock, these are actually achieved through the magic of Photoshop and would be very unsafe to attempt yourself. Please don’t try it at home! Other things to avoid: Anything up high, anything that involves a “prop” (basket, bucket, baby bed, etc.) without a spotter, anything that could break or tip over.

Use your common sense. The middle of the bed or a large sofa cushion placed on the floor offers you a safe environment to start with. Also be aware that even at a very young age, babies can have jerky movements getting them out of position, so do not pose them close to an edge neither.

When taking a photo of your baby from above, always have the camera ensured to your arm or neck with a strap to avoid risking to drop it on your little one.

3/ How to position yourself

Obviously you want your little one to be the main subject in your photo so make sure that you are close enough to get rid of any distractive background and busy surrounding. Your position matters too. Make sure you do not shoot “up the nose” (basically, you do not want to be able to see the inside of your baby's nostrils, that is true from every angle - top and side).

Here is another visual that might help illustrating the matter:

4/ Tips to keep your baby asleep

You will want to find a time when your baby is usually sleeping during daylight hours. It’s worth it! It will be much easier - and somewhat safer - to photograph your baby when they are asleep than when they are awake.

Typically brand new babies spend most of their time asleep, however, they seem to be more settled in the early morning and become more restless as the day goes. Therefore, my advise is to schedule your session just after a morning feed and change, which should enhance your chances of having them dozy and sleepy.

Among the things on your check list to ensure baby stays settled while you photograph them, make sure that:

· Baby is fed and has been burped.

· Make sure they’re in a clean nappy.

· Make sure the room is warm, especially if you are planning on naked images (26°C +)

· Use white noise (look for White noise app on your phone store)

· If you like that style, you can swaddle them tightly in a simple wrap.

4/ Angles and variety

You are now all set up and it is time to experience, embrace, trial, and most of all, enjoy! Take a full length photo of your baby first, then a close up. Photograph all the little features and details that are so fast changing and that you will love to remember. I remember my son being born with little pixie ears and extra long baby toes. These photos always gets me to 'aaaaw' and I can only pat myself on the back for having had the thought of getting these images at the time (we were not newborn photographers back then).

Also make sure that you include yourself and any sibling if they are around, as for your little ones, the photos with other members of their family will be the ones they will cherish the most as they grow up, no doubt about that.

Think about changing angle, for example by placing baby on the floor and taking the photo from above. That is also an ideal and safe position to include siblings in age to hold and understand the concept of keeping baby safe or to create an original baby announcement and keepsake with all the information regarding your little one's birth.

I really hope this article has been helpful to you if you are not able to get to your professional newborn photo shoot for any reason and are feeling down about it. May you have fun experimenting with your camera and lighting, capturing those precious little features, and documenting these precious early days. You will be photographing your little one for years to come so these tips surely will come handy between any professional session you might attend too.

If you have any questions about photographing your baby please do ask and let me know in the comments below. And if you have a favourite that you would like to share, please tag us on Instagram at @rockabye.baby.photography. We would love to see what you come up with!