Newborn photographer stockport
Choosing the right newborn photographer for your precious newborn is tough, knowing how they practise is also difficult.
How do you know which is the right photographer for you?
Do you base it on the pretty images you see?
The recommendations from your friends?
or your knowledge on how a newborn session should be?
Choosing a photographer shouldn’t just be a pick out of a hat, newborn photography is the only area of photography where the subjects well being needs to be the main priority. The most important aspect you should be thinking about is what experience will you have, and your baby’s safety.
Every photographer works differently, and will have different priorities when it comes to your session, you will have your own expectations of how it should be and this experience should be enjoyable for you.
Here are a few questions you should know about your photographer or ask them about ahead of time before you book your newborn session with them. Your photographer should have no hesitation in answering these for you.
Research!! –
- When looking for a photographer for your new baby, always look well ahead of time, most new mums look to do this around there 20 week scan, most photographers book up a few months in advance, so as they say, the early bird catches the worm, or in other words.. you book your dream newborn photographer! Earlier the better.
- Research your chosen photographers via google i.e – newborn photographer stockport, and look at websites and social media platforms, this can be quite tricky, as like I explain more below, the photography industry is unregulated and therefore means any one can pick up a camera and set up business. This happens more than you think, and without training your baby could be at rest in unsafe hands, so please be vigilant of who you choose, question them on training and how they handle your baby, there has been a couple of leaked videos in the photography world recently of bad handling of babies at sessions, and to be honest its completely terrifying.
- Read real reviews from past clients and listen to your friends experiences. They will be the first to tell you if their session went well or not.
- Ask them questions! get to know them, are they friendly? polite? open and honest? Passionate about their job?
Will your baby be safe? and is your photographer trained? –
Now photographers don’t technically ‘have’ to be professionally trained in their line of work to run a photography business and unfortunately there is no qualifications they need to have or regulations they need to meet so this does mean anyone can pick up a camera and market themselves as a newborn photographer, which is scary, I for one had heard a few horror stories, so just be aware and again, ask them questions about their line of work, their training, their experience.
For the safety of your newborn, training is a MUST is a professional photographers book! Safety should be paramount in your newborn session, Your photographer should be asking you how your baby’s post birth health checks went, along with communication and outlining expectations if baby has any issues post birth, ie, reflux, hip problems, or anything which could effect your baby’s comfort. Your photographer should be able to read baby in a few moments of handling them, knowing what they like and don’t like, as depending on their positioning in the womb, some babies don’t like certain poses. All of your newborn session should be completely baby led, your photographer should know how to shoot your baby and if any moment you feel uncomfortable with anything your photographer is doing, you should definitely be able to discus this with them.
Is your photographer trained in more complex newborn poses? –
There are some poses and positions photographers should not try or do if they are not trained to do so, If you have seen the cute ‘froggy’ pose, or ‘baby in a hammock’ pose, then like most onlookers you wonder how baby is positioned like that? First of all no baby should have be left in any pose unattended, the ‘froggy’ pose especially, baby’s head is too heavy to rest on their wrists unsupported, so therefore is a ‘composite’ image, where hands are on baby at all times and a few images are put together and edited out afterwards. Therefore if a photographer is not trained to know how to do these safely, Your photographer will be able to show you how they do these poses before hand if you wish to know. Like below…
Your baby should be happy, content and comfortable at all times.
Is your photographer insured? –
Insurance is so important, and we’re not just talking about equipment insurance for your photographer, but all newborn photographers should have Public Liability insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance, and some other insurances depending on the photographers business needs. (To protect you and the photographer if an accident or similar was to happen during your session) Photography by Leonni is fully insured and like all photographers should, I will happily show any certificates on request.
How much should I be paying for a newborn photography session? –
There is a simple answer for this… You do get what you pay for. Now i’m not saying the best photographers have to be the most expensive, but just be wary of photographers that are ‘too cheep’ most of the time it is too good to be true, and always trust your gut instinct. Professional photographers will have prices that reflect their service, that have their business as a full time job, their experience, training and knowledge. Its entirely your choice but don’t expect a professional grade service from a £50 photographer.
a few questions to ask your photographer…
- Do you require a deposit
- Whats included in the deposit
- are there packages available
- do I have to purchase a package
- do you sell products
- are there any hidden costs
- when do I pay for my package or products
- do you do gift vouchers
A professional photographer will never have any hidden costs, they should be available to view on their website, and be easily understood. all photographers work differently with their pricing, one photographer may have all inclusive packages and select your images online, another photographer may have an in-person viewing session where you will purchase your images after your session.
The service –
Having photos taken of your baby can sometimes seem daunting, but don’t worry, this is also such an exciting time, you want to capture those first moments. Have a think about what your expectations are for your newborn session, what images you would like, and the service you want to receive, this will highly impact your choice on which photographer you choose.
Your photography session should be about you, your baby and your family, after you have checked out all the safety regulations, you should feel a little more at ease. Every photographer works very differently, I for one take pride in my service as a package. This isn’t just about beautiful images but also your session should be about the emotions you feel, do you feel comfortable? does your photographer go above and beyond your expectations? Does your photographer offer a premium service with added extras that you will enjoy? Do you have the images you hoped for? Do you want to tell all your friends? The very best photographers come to you by word of mouth. We want you to be completely;y happy with your experience from start to finish. Choose a photographer you get along easy with, choose one who acts like a friend on a professional level 🙂
Your session –
Your photographer will be able to go through all the questions your may have, and tell you how they run their sessions, what to bring, what to wear, what happens after you session etc.
A few things to check out about or questions to ask your photographer:
- Where is their studio, and is it easily accessible for a pram, not far from parking etc.
- Are family members are allowed to sit in on the session.
- Are siblings welcome to the session.
- is their studio clean and comfortable.
- are products available to display your images
- how does payment and packages work.
- are their prices available to see before you book
- what’s included in your session.
- is there in-person image viewing after your session.
At photography by Leonni were always open to any question you may have, but here is our ‘Guide to Newborn Photography’ to hopefully fill you with all the information you need before booking your session with us.
Your expectations –
Before your session talk with your photographer about the images you would like to have, is there certain poses you would like? specific products you wish to have at your home? family images being more important? Have some of your favourite images saved to show your photographer.
After you have had your session at Photography by Leonni your invited down to the studio before your session for an in-person consultation to discuss your expectations and plan your session, also for you to get a feel for the studio, and have a nice coffee and a chat! here is a few topics we will discuss so you have the session you’ve always wanted and the very best experience…
- what images you would like to achieve
- colour palettes you would like to use
- props and set ups you would like, anything sentimental you would like to use
- Types of images, ie. family, sibling,
- Your home decor so we can match your images perfectly for you to display in your home
- any products your interested in
- how will your session work and what to do when you get here
- the expectations you have for your session and the outcomes you would like
- who you want including in your session (pets can also come along)
- and just general chit chat about you, how you’re feeling, what’s special for you etc.
Most photographers will produce a range of images for you to choose from, at Photography by Leonni you receive 20+ professionally retouched images in your gallery, after your session you will come back to the studio to view them in a beautiful video and go through your image and package options.
I hope this little guide has helped you with how to choose the best photographer for you, and hopefully has given you some insight and think about some questions you didn’t think about asking.
Here at photography by Leonni were always open to any question you may have, but here is our ‘Guide to Newborn Photography’ to hopefully fill you with all the information you need before booking your session with us. or pop on the website to see our FAQ’s and book your session.
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