How to choose your newborn photographer…….

…… it’s important to choose the right photographer for your baby

Over the past few years, booking newborn photographer, when you’re expecting a baby, has become as important as booking a wedding photographer, when you are getting married. 

From the moment you see that positive pregnancy test, you’ll want to do everything just right. From telling the world you’re pregnant, perhaps a gender reveal, a baby shower and those precious first photographs. It can all be quite daunting. 

Your brand-new baby will be the most precious thing in your life, and the photographer who takes their first photographs, needs to be somebody who is experienced and caring. They should understand both you, and your partner, and your baby. (And be very good with little siblings, if this isn’t your first child) 

There really is no second chance at newborn photographs. Your baby will change so quickly and time is so precious in these first few days. 

It’s much easier to start researching for the best photographer while you’re pregnant. Once your little baby has arrived, you’ll be busy with feeding, changing and trying to grab yourself some sleep. This really isn’t the best time to finding the perfect newborn photographer in your area. 

The best newborn photographers tend to get booked up weeks or even months in advance. So book in well ahead of your due date. 

Choosing the right photographer to take your babies very first pictures, is as important as choosing their pram, their cot and their highchair, so take your time about it and make sure that you get the one you want. After all, you are going to have your photographs as beautiful memories, long after the baby equipment has been put in the loft. One day you’ll be showing these photographs to your grandchildren.

Many new parents to be, don’t even realise that Newborn photography is a thing. It’s become more and more popular over the past five years. Now most babies will be taken to a professional photographer within the first few months of being born. 

How To Research The Best Newborn Photographer 

It can be difficult to know just who to hire for your baby. Unless you are already married, you have probably never booked a photographer before. And just like booking a wedding photographer, it can be difficult to choose the right one for you. Here’s some ways that you might find useful to start your search.

Word of mouth and referrals 

If you have friends who are new parents,  ask their advice. Some key things to ask…. Do they love their baby’s photographs? Was it a wonderful experience for both them and their baby? What was the customer service like, both before and after their photography session? Where they given good advice on how to display their images, and were they able to purchase wall art to save them all the hassle of having their photographs framed? Was their photographer able to make an older sibling feel at ease and capture those magical sibling moments?

Personal recommendations really are like gold. 

Social Media

Photographers are highly visual people and almost all of them will have social media accounts. You may be already follow photographers in your area, but if not use the search facility in Instagram and Facebook to find photographers near to you. At Mabel & Møøse I have tiny clients from all over Scotland, so make sure your search is wide enough. I am going to use “Dundee” as an example in these hashtags, but please put in your own “local area”, to do your own search. Terms like #newbornphotographerdundee #babyphotographersdundee are a good starting point. Also try just using #YourLocalTown. 

Maternity Photoshoots. 

Not only is a maternity photoshoot the first stage of your baby’s journey. It gives you a wonderful insight into your photographer. Booking a maternity session is a great way to get to know your photographer in advance of your newborn session. 

Google and Other Search Engines 

Google is still a great resource. Professional photo studios will have a website as well as social media pages. It’s always good to look at their portfolio and gain sense of who will be photographing your baby. You will be visiting the studio when you have not long given birth and this can be a very emotional time for your and your partner. So finding a photographer that you feel will be sympathetic to all your needs as new parents, is really important. Check out photographers “About” pages, and get to know a little more about them and their values. Google and Facebook should also show you reviews from their past clients. Read through them, and see if there are lots of other happy mums and dads, and what they particularly enjoyed about the experience. 

What sort of things should you consider, when finding the perfect Newborn photographer for your baby?

Your Newborn Photoshoot Experience

At Mabel & Møøse I believe there’s two parts to the perfect Newborn session. The most important thing it’s obviously your baby’s beautiful photographs. But the whole experience is also incredibly important. I want you to be able to look back at your photographs and remember the absolutely wonderful time you had, with your baby and your partner and any little siblings.

So the whole experience is wrapped up in your enjoyment of your final pictures. They will be in your family for generations to come, the pictures will decorate your home and will be passed down to future grandchildren. Every time you look at them, I want you to be transported back to that magical time when your baby was very, very, tiny and when you were new parents. 

Small and large elements of the photoshoot, can make you feel comfortable on the day. Did you have to pay to park in a busy car park? Struggle with the pram, perhaps for the very first time? Walk in the rain, trying not to get your hair wet? Climb 3 flights of stairs to get to the studio? The location of the studio should be considered in your choice. 

If the studio is in the photographers home, is there a separate entrance, or do you have to walk through the photographers house to get to the studio? You may not feel at ease walking through someone else’s home. Is there easy parking nearby? Is there somewhere safe and convenient that one parent can take an older sibling out, to get some fresh air? It takes patience and time to get beautiful newborn pictures, and that sometimes is too much for a small sibling. Having a park nearby is perfect, so both your newborn and your older child can be happy.  

Is the studio completely dedicated to your needs? Is there somewhere comfortable for you all to sit? I remember when I’d just given birth, and sitting on a comfortable sofa was top priority. 

Will you be able to breastfeed or bottle-feed in comfort and privacy? 

Does the studio provide you with a selection of outfits for you and the baby, in their signature style?

When you look at the Studio’s portfolio, is it consistent? Do you know exactly what you’re going to get? You don’t want any surprises, as this is something you’re only going to do once.

Newborn Photography Safety

One point that you’ll see mentioned, in almost every newborn photographer’s website, is safety. 

At Mabel & Møøse safety is top priority. 

But a little word of advice: It’s easy for expectant parents, to think that all newborn photographers are given specialist safety training. Unfortunately, this is not the case. It’s not like being a doctor, or a nurse, or an early years worker. Their training is regulated by exams before they can practice. There is no governing body for photographers in the UK, and therefore nobody can claim that they are specially trained in baby safely.  Taking this aside, all newborn photo studios will have your baby’s safety at heart. 

At Mabel & Møøse babies are not posed. They are gently encouraged to lay in positions that are comfortable and that look completely natural. Your baby will be photographed to look the way you see them almost every day. 

When you’re deciding on your photographer, have a look at the photographs on their website and in their instagram galleries and see if that’s the kind of look, that you’d like for your baby. Do you think you’d be comfortable with your baby being put in these positions? Does the baby in the portfolio photos look comfortable? Only you can decide that. Scandi-style, baby pictures are set up in a safe way that doesn’t put any pressure on your babies tiny joints.  

Newborn Photography Style

Newborn photography styles vary massively between different studios. You will usually find that a photographer has their own style. You should absolutely choose a photographer whose style you love. There’s no point in going to a studio who does incredibly posed baby photos and uses lots of props, and asking them to do a more relaxed lifestyle session for your baby. (And vice versa) 

Mabel & Møøse believes that baby photographs should be timeless. They should be as adorable now as they will be on your baby’s 21st birthday. My Scandi-style, suits any home decor and will never date. 

Family and Sibling Photographs 

Think about whether you would like family photos with your baby. Some studios only offer to take pictures of your baby and perhaps your baby and an older sibling. Many new parents don’t even consider that they might also be in the pictures. But it’s these family photographs, that your baby will come to treasure most, when they are adults. Think about your own parents. When they get elderly, how much will you cherish any memories that you have of them. When you book a newborn photoshoot, you’re not just doing this for you to enjoy now, you are giving your baby a beautiful gift for their future family. 

Some families have a wide age gap between children. Photographing a 10 day old baby with a 2 year old sibling, is very different from photographing an 8 year old or a 14 year old with their new baby brother or sister. Each age group requires a different set of skills. Mabel & Møøse specialises in babies with siblings who are very small. Between 12 months and 5 years. At this age, children can’t be posed,  and it takes a very experienced photographer to get those precious moments between your children.  Choose a photographer who is skilled in creating a wide range of photographs of the whole family. 

Detail Photographs

You will want to remember all those tiny special details about your new baby. Taking creative, macro shots, requires a certain extra skill, and it’s not something that every photo studio offers. Lighting and focus is key to getting these beautiful details. Tiny toes, milk spots and those miniature hairs on their velvety skin. Pictures of those tiny details, take on a more “arty” feel, and make fabulous wall displays. Look through the photographer’s portfolio and if you don’t see creative examples, then the chances are, they don’t specialise in them. 

Editing Newborn Photographs

Editing style plays a large part in the final look of your baby’s photographs. Most photographers will use an editing style that gives their photographs a distinct look. Make sure that their style suits your taste. Mabel & Møøse has a very natural white editing style, that preserves your babies skin and hair colour.      

Editing and retouching are not quite the same thing. 

Retouching is all about removing blemishes, stray hairs, and anything that detracts from the people in the photograph. Retouching can vary widely from studio to studio. The results can look very different. Sometimes every single red blotch on your babies skin and every blemish, on your skin, will be left untouched. At the opposite end of the scale, some photographers will retouch everything, and your baby’s skin will look, dare I say, a bit plastic. (Sorry there is no other way to put this). 

At Mabel & Møøse minimal retouching is done to every photograph, on an individual basis. Every image is lovingly tweaked, to make it as natural as possible. Your baby’s perfect, imperfections, will all be there for you to remember.  Those sweet milk spots, will still be kept for you to enjoy, but some distracting flaky skin in their hair might be removed. And of course, if you, as new mum, develop a post, giving-birth spot on your chin, that will be gone and never mentioned! 

How Do You Receive Your Photographs

All The Digital Files

Again, this differs from studio to studio but it’s really important that you find out what happens after your session, before you even book. It could determine your choice of photographer. 

Some photographers will supply you with all the photographs that they take, usually as digital files. On the face of it, this might seem like the ideal choice. But in my long years of experience as a photographer I know that most parents will never do anything with their digital files. At best they will print off a few with an online printer, and the results will not represent what the photograph could look like if it was printed by a professional printer. Your baby’s might look slightly green or orange. Their skin tone will almost certainly not be as your photographer intended. Many of the photographs might well be very similar to the others in your gallery. So having 60 photos, that all look pretty much the same, is a different choice,  from having a gallery of 25 very distinct images. Usually it’s an all inclusive price that you pay for your session. This is often the cheapest option. 

Online Gallery Viewing

Posting your baby’s photographs to an online gallery, is another popular way that photographers can present your images to you. This is done so as you can choose digital files (then you will have the same problems as I mentioned above), or to choose professional prints or wall art (framed photographs or photographs printed on to metal, canvas or acrylic).

It can be a convenient method, for both you and your photographer. You can log on to your gallery, usually it’s time limited, and choose what’s right for you. However, I know from bringing up my own family, that life gets in the way. You might never find the time to choose your photographs, and if you do, you often end up doing it without your partner to share the experience and make your choices, as you’ve left it to the last minute, and your gallery is expiring the next day. You don’t have the photographer with you to give your their expert advice, and you can easily end up ordering the wrong things. 

Generally you will pay a session fee and this will include a print or a credit to spend online and then everything else is charged at the time of ordering. 

In Person, Studio Reveal Sessions

A studio reveal session, does involve you and your partner, making some time to come back to the studio, to see you baby’s photos for the first time. (But it’s so worth it, as it’s a wonderful experience)  I know how busy new parents can be and often one parent is back at work after parental leave, so at Mabel & Møøse, I have afternoon and early evening times to suit your life. Coming to the studio to see your pictures is all part of the full experience. Imagine sitting watching your baby’s beautiful face appearing on the screen. Squeezing your partner’s hand, as you realise just what an amazing little human you have both created. That rush of love, when you see an image of your partner cradling your tiny baby. And that feeling of self value, when you realise that a photograph of YOU and your baby, is incredibly beautiful. A photograph that you really didn’t believe YOU would get. You ARE a beautiful mum, and you look fabulous! Those are are very special moments to share together. Coming to the studio means that you can see, touch and feel the print collection that’s been created for your family. You can decide whether you want to invest in mounted prints, wall frames or canvases. And if you choose a frame that has multiple images, we can lay them out together, and with my expert help and guidance, you can decide what will look best in your home. 

Usually a session fee is changed which includes your baby’s photoshoot, your Reveal session and one favourite photograph, as a small print. All other prints and framed wall portraits are changed in addition to your session fee and you should familiarise yourself with these costs before you book. Some photographers have them on their website and others can send you a full price list when you enquire. Most studios can also sell you digital files or else they are included when you order print collections or framed prints. 

Have a wonderful time choosing your newborn photographer. It’s all part of your exciting pregnancy journey. If I can be of help in any way. Please get in touch. And of course I’d love to see you in the studio with your baby.