Well, I am sure you have noticed
that newborn photography costs wayyyy more than your normal family
session. I get told “well so-and-so charged me the same amount for
digitals but I got 100+ photos and you only give 15-20” Ok..first
off.. if you are paying cheap prices and getting a ton of “edited”
photos then chances are either they are inexperienced or not running a
legit legal business. I know this because I was there once! I have
years of experience and have taught myself lighting, expensive camera
and lenses, studio equipment, props, etc on top of having to pay Uncle Sam his part.
It is just not possible to run a legal and profitable business only charging $100 or less for a session and giving ALL the digitals away.
Next question you may
ask.. your newborn session fee is $200 and that doesn't even come
with prints or digital images! You are correct! That's where my
specialty comes into play... Newborn photography costs a LOT more
than family sessions and here is why...
1: Training and Experience: I have invested
a lot of money and time into classes to learn proper safety of how to
handle a newborn and posing techniques. The saftey of your newborn is of the utmost importance! PLEASE choose your newborn photographer
carefully because your newborn is fragile and I have seen very
inexperienced photographers trying to attempt poses that are just
unsafe the way they do them.
2: Flexibility and Schedule: Babies don't
always come when you want them to. We can plan, plan, plan and they
will show up when they are good and ready. With that being said.. I
can't choose an exact date for your session based on your due date
which limits me to how many babies I can book around the same due
date. Limiting the number of sessions I can take means upping the
cost to make up the difference.
3: Time: Newborn sessions
take a lot of time!! Unlike your family session outdoors which can take
anywhere between 30-45 mins, an average newborn session takes 2-3
hours. The baby will need to be fed between poses, changed (baby will poop and pee and that takes a lot of cleanup), soothed
to sleep between poses, etc. It takes a lot of patience to pose them in the right
position and make sure all those little fingers are where they are
supposed to be.
4: Culling and Editing: Newborn session
editing is much more time consuming that your normal family session.
Babies are typically yellow, red, blotchy, hairy, etc. SOOOO many
hours goes into making sure their skin is nice and creamy and smooth
to have that beautiful finished product.
5: Props and Equipment: Newborn props are
expensive! $35-40 per fabric backdrop, $12-20 per headband, $30 per
bonnet, $40-50 per romper, $60 bowls, $50-60 antique buckets.. I
could go on for days. Not to mention when baby has an accident in one
of the outfits or wraps they need to be hand washed and sometimes
just replaced. I am constantly on the lookout for new props so your
session can be unique and different!
Lastly, this is not only
a passion of mine and what I enjoy doing but it is my sole income and
business. Yes I get to wear t-shirts and yoga pants...lol...but I do
have to help support my family just like all of you :) Seems like
everyone these days is a photographer. However, it really takes time,
experience, knowledge, money, and passion to be able to give your
client quality AND most importantly professionalism. Please just
remember all this when pricing photographers in your area. It's not
all about just snapping a photo and burning a CD with 100+ pictures
on it. It is about creating QUALITY ARTWORK you will cherish for
years to come!!
So the saying goes... “You
get what you pay for”
