A match made in heaven?
If you're investing in newborn and family portraits that you want to cherish forever it really is important to make the right decision when it comes to the photographer you choose. But how do you know? We're all so different, our approach, our style, our workflows. What we do and don't include. Posing, props, products.
It can be so so overwhelming, and if you've never done anything like this before, where do you start? Or if you have done this before, what were your takeaways?
The likelihood is, you'll find it much much easier to come up with a list of what you don't want from your session, rather than what you do!
And as much as not every photographer is for you, not every client is right for me! And that's fine!
Hopefully you've had a look around my website and I've already ticked a lot of your "want" boxes, but if you are still pondering the decision, here to help you is my list of 5 reasons I'm NOT for you!
TOP FIVE
1. I just want one photo
This is never going to happen. I have never shot for "one photo". I have never given a client just one option. I find it impossible not to explore my subjects personality on a journey to true expression. I love to experiment to create something unique. A true portrait captures personality, be it in an expression or in styling of your newborn shoot. I hunt for true moments and emotion. And that can't be captured in just "one quick snap". It's a process, it takes time, and you will have options to choose from, along with enjoying a fun experience which isn't just about a photograph, but a happy memory together.
2. I just want big smiles direct at the camera
I am not interested in getting your child to sit still in one spot and grin at the camera. That is not a portrait. That is not the essence of your child. That is not your child or your relationship to them.
Shy, thoughtful, boisterous, playful, giggly, inquisitive, silly, coy, forever in motion, forever evolving, at play and at pause, that is your child. And that's what I want for your gallery!
And when a child is relaxed and you give them a reason to, the smiles will naturally come.
3. I want my baby posed like a superhuman...
You may have a Pinterest page full of inspiration for you Newborn shoot. Pose after pose of baby in all kinds of positions, and here's why I don't do them!
The best example is "The Froggy" when a bendy newborn looks like they have their head supported upright in their own hands and their legs folded so their feet are by their heads, their knees out to the side like a frog.
Essentially this can look cute and demonstrates just how curly and bendy newborns are- but, newsflash, a new baby can't physically support their own head in any way, and these types of images are usually (hopefully) photographed by a photographer with an assistant who is there to support the baby safely at all times. The finished image is a composite- meaning it's made up of multiple images blended together to look like the baby wasn't assisted at all. Magic right? Absolutely when done with safety in mind.
But I'm sure alongside your Pinterest mood board, you have an ironically titled "nailed it" fail board too, where people haven't realised these poses aren't "real" and babies are posed really unsafely. It sends shivers down my spine. Babies with unsupported heads. Babies in a glass vase of baubles. Babies hanging from a tree in a homemade hammock. Babies balanced on dogs, on motorbikes on bucking broncos....
It's not safe and it's not cool, and it most certainly is not real, so I stay away from those kind of images. I prefer to nestle baby safely and securely and create something much more natural and authentic.
4. I want a cinematic viewing experience
Picture the scene. You've waited weeks, maybe months, for your images to be ready to view. You return to the studio, you settle yourself in the viewing room, cup of tea or if they're really fancy, champagne in hand, ready to view your newborn session gallery.
The screen illuminates. The music swells. Your beautifully edited images appear as big as a billboard for you to fall in love with. A tear comes to your eye. You adore each and every one.
"Now lets choose which ones you want to keep and which ones you want to be deleted" charmingly segues the salesperson.
As you discreetly wipe away tears, you realised your images only come in "collections" for which you'll need to remortgage the house to afford. It's much more than you anticipated spending, but what kind of a parent would I be if I "delete" my own child!
So you spend more than you planned, future you can worry about that. But future you is closer than you think and future you will look back at this experience and think "how did I allow myself to be emotionally held hostage" and future you will look at the 4ft canvas, that's bigger than your chimney breast, which past you purchased and think "What a mug".
But then Zen you will chime in with "Give your self a break. You had to decide there and then and you were swept up in it all with a foreboding sense of loss and you're not the first and won't be the last. This is how these studios work. They've spent hours creating your images and this experience and they have space and staff and champagne to pay for so move on sweet cheeks".
So, that's why I don't do that. I don't want to be that sour taste in your mouth. Your Photography hang over. You get to choose your images at your own pace, from your own home, making a well thought out decision that isn't solely based on emotion.
5. I want you to come to me
Nope. Not me. I've spent time and money and effort perfecting my bijou studio space so I can control all I need to get consistent results in an environment suited for this baby photography lark. Warmth, lighting, props and accessories to hand. I can't make this mobile and get the same results. So I won't.
You come to me, I'll make sure you are as comfy and content as your newborn is :)
