You’re expecting and you can hardly wait to put eyes on YOUR baby! It’s so incredibly exciting. You could down the days, and as your belly grows you may begin to consider hiring a professional newborn photographer to help document all those precious little details or your newborn.
You begin scouring the internet. You ask friends. You get sucked into Pinterest and have more ideas than you know what to do with. But now what?
Do you reach out to all the newborn photographers in your area and just ask for prices?
Allow me to share a few helpful things to ask your potential newborn photographer:
1.) Tell me about your training.
A professional photographer usually seeks out additional training, no matter how advanced their skills. From safely handling and posing, to shooting angles, to lighting and camera settings, there is always more to learn. I’ve taken multiple workshops and attended countless training sessions from experts in the field and I’m more than happy to share with parents who inquire.
2.) Are you insured? Are you registered with the state/county?
It can be hard to tell if you are looking at the work of a professional or a really good hobbyist. The difference is that a professional will carry full liability insurance and will be registered with their local and state business offices. (You can go to the secretary of state office and look up businesses by name. For a long time I fell into the “really good hobbyist” catergory but I eventually took the steps to become licensed and registered.) You want to ensure you are trusting your new baby to someone who is insured!
3.) Have you been trained in infant CPR and first aid? Are you immunized?
I realize immunizations may be a hot topic for new parents, but you don’t want to expose your fragile new baby to anyone who may unknowingly be carrying a preventable illness. An adult with a healthy, mature immune system may get very mild symptoms to an illness that could be life threatening for a brand new baby. Not only am I fully immunized and up to date on my boosters, but I’m an experienced firefighter and paramedic. Not only am I trained in basic CPR and first aid, but help teach it to others as well!
(Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with infant CPR: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/performing-cpr/child-baby-cpr )
4.) How do you create specific poses?
While each photographer may be different, certain poses should always be performed as a “composite” image. That means that an image is accomplished by taking several different images with an adults hands on the baby. The final image appears that baby is supporting themselves, but newborn photographers should never sacrifice safety in the name of time or convenience.
5.) What type setting do you do your newborn session in?
Newborns have a hard time regulating their body temperature. They get chilled very easily. They are accustomed to being curled up tightly, in a 98 degree environment, with lots of white noise and muffled conversations. For this reason, your newborn will be very comfortable in a studio that’s very warm, with a lot of white noise, and wrapped up snugly.
Your newborn session should be relaxed and comfortable. Do your research, ask questions, and only trust your baby with a trained professional!
What to ask a newborn photographer. 5 things to ask newborn baby photographer. photography. photographer. Atlanta. canton ga.
