1. They will NEVER be this little again You will really only have one opportunity to capture amazing newborn portraits, first birthday images, milestones and dedicated family time. I have 2 children of my own, both born before became a photographer. I took both of my children to a newborn photographer and I cherish those images! I would never have been able to capture those images with my point and shoot camera on on my mobile phone! It was that experience that motivated me to buy a "proper" camera, to study, to practice and to train with some of the UK's best photographers and with a newborn photography academy. To be able to get to know my clients, their tastes, their families and to create images with and for them to display and to cherish, gives me the greatest satisfaction.
2. There is a HUGE learning curve! Believe it or not, newborn photography takes years & years of practice & education before the images even look decent. I spent an entire year doing model calls & took many classes before I even started charging for sessions.
3. SAFETY This is really the number ONE reason. You are handing your new, precious child to a stranger. There is a lot of trust that must be placed here. There are many techniques that need to be mastered in order to achieve all of the yummy poses professional photographers display. The general public (along with inexperienced, aspiring newborn photographers) might not realize that many of these images are also composites (Meaning multiple images put together) to make sure that the baby is safe at every single moment during their session.
4. LIGHT Did you know that lighting is arguably the single most important factor in making a beautiful image? I didn't until after I purchased my 1st DSLR & began experimenting! It not only determines the brightness and darkness of your portrait, also tone, the mood and atmosphere. Light actually creates feeling. An image with beautiful, soft light sweeping down the face of your infant or child will showcase them in the most flattering way possible!
5. Editing Expertise Your child is BEAUTIFUL & I try to make everything as perfect as possible before I press the shutter button. But, newborns have skin issues such as baby acne & skin flaking. I am an expert with post processing (especially when it comes to skin) and will carefully and subtly take care of this for you. There is no need to worry about it before your session. Also, as mentioned before composites are a huge part of newborn photography and I use them in every session to bring diversity and artistry to your gallery. I will work with you before your session to share ideas and agree colours, themes and set ups that you will love.
6. The ACCESSORIES So, this is the FUN part! A professional newborn photographer has a studio stacked to the brim with amazing backdrops (I have over 50 of them), Buckets, Bowls, crates, swaddling wraps, headbands, hats, furs & fabrics to layer! Not to mention, Professional grade cameras, lenses & lighting equipment. I generally prepare 6 different setups for each of my newborns (not forgetting the poses with parents and siblings!) and have a great client prep guide to help you to pick clothing, textures and colours that will be the most flattering for your session.
7. Value for money We all have a budget and an idea about what we would feel reasonable to pay for a photographer and sometimes the cost of photography can seem like an expense that is unjustifiable for many I understand that very much and I carefully price my packages so that they are accessible. Each session requires pre-planning, lots of client communication, selecting props and accessories, setting up, deep-cleaning (especially in the current Covid-19 climate!), the session itself, deep-cleaning (again!) and at least the same amount of time in careful post production editing, if not double, to make each image perfect! It is said that you get what you pay for! This is certainly true when it comes to choosing a photographer. Going with the least expensive or the “best deal” can be the very worst decision. Remember, your newborn is only so tiny for a very short amount of time, so if you end up not being happy with your portraits, you cannot get those days back. Experience, knowledge & of course, the props and accessories are all reasons why great newborn portraits are priced higher than some other genres of photography. Also, imagine purchasing the props that a Pro would use at your session to try to take your own newborn photos.... that would end up totaling much more than you would pay for a session with an experienced photographer!
Do your research! Every photographer has their own style and it will be important that you choose a photographer who's work you like! The images you can expect from them for your own session will be similar to the work they post on their social media sites or on their website. Although you may draw inspiration from Pinterest or Instagram and share this with your photographer, they will interpret this in their own style, styling, lighting, equipment and may not be able to recreate it exactly, it will always be in their own style so be sure you like the style of their work!
I hope that this helps you to make the decision on which photographer might be the right one for you! Even if it's not me! If you live on the Wirral or the surrounding areas and would like to speak to me about a session, or have any questions, please drop me a message and I'd love to help you!
Kirsty
xxx
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