How To Become A Newborn Photographer

Publish A Book About Your Work

How I started my Photography Business – How did I become a Newborn and baby photographer?

Another helpful thing you can do to enhance your freelancer profile is to publish a book about your work. Companies like Highlights helps writers, scholars and photographers self-publish their work to professional standards and sell their work on their online bookstores. It can be a great way to increase your income through selling these books, and you can even show this to potential customers as an extension of your portfolio.

Other Considerations For Newborn Photography

Another big consideration to make is whether you will be working from your own studio or you will be mobile. Which of these best fits your lifestyle and business model? With your own studio space, you will have more in the way of flexibility with your scheduling. You will also have more than enough space to store all your props and supplies.

With a studio space, you also have to set up newborn safe studio lighting, you will have everything you need within easy reach for newborn pictures, and you wont have to transport it or carry it around like you would if you offered mobile services.

On the other hand, mobile newborn photography might be a good move for a lifestyle portrait photographer because you will have the unique opportunity of taking photographs of the child in their home and capturing them in those everyday moments.

While it doesnt really take too much to start a career in newborn photography, you still want to have this list of must-haves to make the experience and transition a bit smoother for everyone including your newborn photo subjects.

Sofa cushions, blankets, and a boppy pillow are staples for any newborn photo shoot. It also allows a quick and easy setup if you are mobile and the photo shoot is at the home of the child. It is a simple, easy to accomplish, low budget setup for a newborn photography session.

Do I Really Need Training

The short answer is yes. It doesnt matter how skilled you are at photography, because the skills required to be safe and of a good standard as a newborn photographer are really very different than anything you have done before. If you decide to become a wedding photographer with no training, the worst that may happen is you let down a couple on their big day. As bad as that could be, no one will get hurt.

Newborns are delicate and must be handled correctly. They can suffer circulation problems, are poor at regulating their temperature, and cannot tell you when they are feeling uncomfortable, which means they are relying on you to take care of them at all times. The correct training will teach you safe handling techniques, how to spot signs of baby not being happy for many reasons, as well as general safety and other important areas.

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Establish Your Online Presence

Youre never officially in the business until you have some level of internet presence. The most obvious platforms to get into are Facebook and Instagram. Setting up a business page on both platforms will take less than an hour, and youre probably already familiar with both so start sharing your work. Remember, a lot of mothers and expectant mothers hang around these sites and theres a fair chance theyre scrolling through hundreds and hundreds of baby photos every day, waiting for the style of newborn photography that clicks with them.

The beauty of marketing your services on the internet, aside from improving your reach and discoverability, is that itll net you instant credibility. Curating content, which usually means sharing pieces of content from other sources to your audience, is a great way to start. Break the pattern of the usual uploading of photos from past projects and share content that parents will find useful. Position yourself as an expert and itll make it easier for very emotional moms and dads to trust you.

The Newborn Photographers Society offers three tips on how you can effectively market your newborn photography business.

Plan Each Session In Advance

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About a week before each session, reach out to your clients to answer any final questions and to finalize your photoshoot plans.

You never want to alter your brand style simply to suit a client. But you can ensure a great outcome when you know your clients expectations. Consider creating a session guide using one of Design Aglows Welcome Packet templates. Your guide should include details like:

  • arrival guidelines
  • how to get their baby in the mood for photos
  • available backdrops, wraps, and props
  • tips for bringing their own items from home
  • print and album recommendations

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Who This Course Is For:

  • New moms and dads who want to photograph their baby and have absolutely no experience with photography
  • Are you a newbie photography hobbyist who wants to explore baby photography? This introductory class will introduce you the very basics of baby photography.
  • This course is NOT for a professional photographer.
  • This course is NOT for an advanced photographer.

Well Known Baby Photographers

Anne Geddes is commonly referred to as the worlds most famous baby photographer, whose work uses babies as her adorable models of choice for artistic shots inspired by flowers, zodiac signs and sea life to name a few.

Robin Long is another famed photographer whose work spans maternity to motherhood and enjoys a bright, fresh aesthetic to reflect what she calls a renewing of lives.

Have a warm fuzzy feeling inside now? Looking to start a baby photography career, or maybe you already have, share you experiences with us below!

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How I Became A Newborn Baby Photographer

I cover on my About Me page exactly how I came into photography in general, but the step into newborn photography was much later on and I cover that in this blog post how I became a newborn baby photographer.

Way back in 2014 my partners sister who lives in Albrighton was due to have her first baby and asked me if I would photograph baby when the little bundle decided to arrive. Obviously I said yes! I started to google newborn photography and was amazed by what I found. So many amazing and talented photographers who created stunning images of babies in these adorable poses. I was hooked.

From that I started researching how these pictures were created, and I big question I asked myself was it safe?, how can I do this wonderful job?! While browsing facebook an advert popped up for a Newborn Photography Training Course run by the lovely ladies over at Newborn Baby Posing who sell photography props especially for baby photos. The training course would be run by Jillian Greenhill Photography who specialises in newborn photos based in the UAE. It was the best day and basically changed the course of my life!

The workshop spanned the whole day and many photographers were there from across the UK. I cover the day in another blog post. But heres a snipet:

Jillian showed us the safe way to handle such precious and delicate babes in a number of poses on the beanbag and also in photography props.

Laura xx

Qualified Newborn Photographer Certification

How to become a baby photographer

The Qualified Newborn Photographer Certification aims to recognize competence and professional standard for those who earn their living as Newborn Photographers. It is designed to provide a specific title to uphold professional status, and is a basic quality assurance certification now available to Newborn Photographers around the world.

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Make It A Family Affair

Newborn photoshoots can sometimes include more than just the infant: Mom, Dad, and siblings might come along as well.

Communication and planning are key. Discuss in detail what is going to happen on the day, what the clients will be wearing, and what youâre going to be bringing. Coordinate their outfits with your props, or, say, the babyâs booties with their decor. You have to think of it all. Best of all, if you hit it off with the family, youâll get that referral and your client base will grow. Speaking of whichâ¦

Creative Poses That Keep Baby Safe

Safety is the most important aspect of baby photoshoots. Babies are heartier than they appear, but theyre still delicate little folks. Make sure to stay vigilant of their soft bones and fragile skin.

Meggan employs an assistant to help with baby-only poses, and relies on the parents arms for family portraits.

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What Qualifications Do I Need To Become A Baby Photographer

As a commercial photographer many studios, and even clients, will expect you to have a solid education in photography, not only in capturing images but also in editing them to be the best they can be. You may have a natural creative eye and talent, but you also need to know how to effectively work in a studio environment.

Time management, equipment usage, client interactions and aftercare as well as maintaining professional conduct are all things you can only learn from experience in a commercial business, so in the vast majority of cases, you will need to have served as a trainee or assistant in a studio. As you are working with children, you will also need legal clearance to do so in the form of a DBS check. Some studios may also be interested to see previous evidence of your interaction with children before letting you cater to their youngest clients a love of children is essential, so you should have suitable experience to reflect this.

How To Keep Baby Safe During The Shoot

10 Things to Know About Before Becoming a Newborn Photographer

It is really important to know what you need to do to keep a baby safe during a newborn portrait session.Never use a heating pad underneath a baby. This can lead to second degree burns since newborn baby skin is sensitive.A floor heater is best at a safe distance. Shut it off during the session and only used before the baby arrives to warm the room.

Never pose a baby without an extra pair of hands either holding the baby or next to the babys body at all times.Are you planning on doing newborn poses in accessories like a baby hanging from a branch? Have a safety pillow underneath, and do not hang the branch high. This means less than a foot off the ground!Also always have hands holding the baby even in the hanging branch.You can photograph a setup without the baby. And later you can retouch the final image and edit the helping hands or people out of the photo.Support the babys neck and head at all times. Newborn babies dont have control of their heads and cannot hold them up. Youll need to be careful when handling a baby and holding the back of their neck.They are also very fragile and unpredictable in movements. Keep this in mind when photographing them.

Keep a clean set and wash your hands and clothing with baby safe soap and detergent before your session. This is very important. It will keep germs from getting on the baby and keep allergic reactions to a minimum.

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Get To Know Your Client

This is one of the biggest and most helpful things you can do when starting your newborn photography career. Learn how to handle a newborn. This way, you will know what they need as you move through your photo shoot.

If you have a studio setup, you should consider purchasing a comfy armchair so the mother can feed the baby comfortably between takes.

Now that you know what items are must-haves whether you are starting a photography business in a studio or you are going mobile, you will be better prepared to handle the clients that begin flowing in hoping to schedule a newborn photo shoot with a professional photographer.

Once you are an expert when it comes to newborn photography, you can then begin to consider branching out and doing a maternity photo shoot as well!

Trained Experienced Safe Insured

What better way to celebrate your babys first birthday than with a fabulous cake smash and splash! Babys love smashing, chomping and laughing their way through this session. This is actually three sessions in one!

First, we take a selection of clean portrait shots with various different backgrounds and props then we move on to the cake smash, then we finish the photoshoot with a marvellous splash in a vintage bath!

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How Do I Become A Baby Photographer

The process to become a baby is not altogether unlike what is necessary to become any other type of photographer: you should have knowledge and experience regarding photography and an interest in your subject matter. Sports photographers are often people interested in sports, glamour and fashion photographers are people with an interest in and an eye for fashion, and baby photographers are no different. If you do not inherently at least like babies and infants, then you may not want to consider this as a career. On the other hand, if you love babies and have an interest or passion for photography, then you may want to try to become a baby photographer.

Baby photographers are people who, typically, specialize in taking pictures of babies, infants, and newborns. With such a potentially squirmy and difficult subject, this is usually not a career for someone who lacks patience or the ability to improvise while photographing something. Sleeping babies may provide an easier subject, but many parents want to see the facial expressions and looks that their child only has on his or her face while awake.

How To Become A Newborn Photographer

What you NEED to consider BEFORE Becoming a NEWBORN Photographer

Starting a newborn photography business is not easy as with any other business. It takes a lot of hard work and patience and a lot of time to build it up. Sometimes it can seem like you are not getting anywhere and want to give up, I have almost given up so many times! I do think though that if you are persistent and keep going you will get there in the end. You just have to build up your knowledge and experience and never give up!

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