Choosing a Newborn Baby Photographer – Lowestoft, Beccles, Great Yarmouth

I’ve seen a lot of posts lately about people being disappointed with photos they have had taken, whether they are wedding photos, family portraits or of their new baby. So I thought I would take the time to do a post and give a few tips on how to choose a newborn or baby photographer that is right for you 🙂

I will start this post by saying I will give advice from my own personal knowledge and experience and even though I will give examples of things I do at Klash, this post is not aimed to make everyone choose me to be their photographer. As much as I would love for you guys to come work with me, it’s to help you decide on a photographer that is right for YOU, and if that is me then great 🙂

Safety

When looking for a newborn photographer in your area the first and most important factor to think about is always going to be safety!! Your new arrival is so precious and delicate that they should not be handed over to just anyone. There is so much safety that goes into posing a newborn in the cute snugly poses so you need to make sure you pick someone who knows exactly what they are doing. Have they had training in working with babies? Has this training been carried out by a professional? How many newborns have they photographed? All of this information you should be able to find on their website. Unfortunately there is currently no law that a photographer has to have had certain training, but please don’t hesitate to ask a photographer what training they have had and what makes them a ‘newborn specialist?’

I’ve personally invested into 3 lots of baby training classes myself, one being with Kelly Brown who is one of the most known Newborn photographers in the world. And another being one of the first ever newborn specialists in the UK. Safety is so important in my studio that I will never stop investing my own money to make sure my knowledge is kept up to date.

Style

Most photographers have their own unique style. Whether this be natural tones such a beige, cream or brown, or bright colours like pinks and purples. Some even like to do a bit of both! Go for a photographer that suits you and your own personal style. Think about the way your home is decorated and what photographers photos would look great in your living room! Are you after photos that will be timeless or a photo that is currently in trend?

Location

Some photographers have commercial studios, some with studios built in their garden, some who will travel to your home and some even shoot in their living room. Think about how you will get to your session. Have you got far to go? Do you have someone who can take you after a c-section? These are things to plan before baby arrives 🙂 Location also fits into ‘style.’ Yes it may sound great that the photographer will travel to your home, but these are more likely to be life style photos rather than ‘posed’ and do you have natural light for the photographer to work with? Again please check the photographers website for information.

When should I book?

The answer to this is simple. It is never too early too book! Newborn sessions can take up to 4 hours at times, so photographers only have a very few number of spaces. So book early to avoid disappointment. If the photographer is booking in 4 newborn shoots a day, are they going to allow enough time for you?

Price

Okay, so I’ve left this one until last because no one really likes to talk about it. But truth is price can be hugely important to the quality of your photos and the end result. Everyone likes a bargain including myself, nobody wants to pay more than they need to. However, when it comes to pictures of your new arrival these are portraits that you are going to treasure forever, even your babies own children in the future will adore these photos and even theirs! Newborn shoots are usually done when the baby is under 2 weeks old to capture their ‘newborn’ essence! After this point they are no longer classed as newborn and you can never go back in time to re capture these photos! Thinking about it this way do you really want to risk paying a low budget photographer to take your photos and then be unhappy with the result? Same applies to wedding photos. Photos are memories and are the only thing you will have to remember of your big day. People pay thousands on wedding food that will just be eaten, so why wouldn’t you pay just a little bit more for photos that you are going to have forever? This is something to think about before you ask your uncle who has a professional camera to take your wedding photos to save a bit of money.

There is always going to be a reason as to why one photographer is cheaper than another and there is always going to be reason behind why the high end photographer is charging more than double. They are not trying to ‘rip you off.’

Here are a few factors to think about when looking at pricing;

• How long has the photographer been in business?
• What camera are they using?
• What training do they have?
• If a photographer is offering you a full session with 100 images on CD for £100 or less are they going for quality or quantity?  Are they a professional or is it a hobby? Are they going to spend hours upon hours and work through the night editing your photos to perfection or simply put straight onto a disc? Are they going to thank you after their work is complete and treat you like a friend or will you never hear from them again? Do they take their time during your shoot or simply rush you out the door to get as many people in as possible?
• When calling round your local photographers to compare pricing is the photographer spending their time trying to convince you that you won’t get a better deal anywhere else? or asking about the kind of photos you are looking for and going through the different products you may like?

The moral of the story here is ‘you get what you pay for.’ I completely understand that everybody is different and each individual has a budget to stick to and this is completely okay. Here at Klash I offer price plans so that clients can spread the cost of their photos without feeling like they have blown the budget 🙂

I hope all of these tips help you and once again this is from my own personal experiences. If you have any other questions regarding choosing a photographer I will be more than happy to help 🙂

Jamie xoxo