Finding A Newborn Photographer In Portland Maine
So you are in the market For a newborn photographer…
A newborn baby. Tiny fingers, perfect little nose, itty-bitty feet, fuzzy little hairs and that delicate, oh-so-soft skin. A newborn photography session truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to document all those tiny details. It seems like every day I’m seeing moms posting on Facebook asking for recommendations for a newborn photographer. Not even an hour later said post has 40+ comments recommending photographers and lots of photographers offering up services. sound familiar right? So how do you choose who is right for you and your family? Id like you to think about these 3 things when choosing a newborn photographer…
1) Your Newborn Photographer Should Be Qualified.
Anyone can pick up a camera and call themselves a photographer, literally anyone. Does that mean you should trust them with your newborn? Nope!
When my daughter was first born I didn’t trust half my family to hold her let alone a stranger. Some newborn poses are dangerous and can cause some serious harm to your baby if not done correctly. Often times those cute poses you see require a second person and lots of post processing to complete the image.
While there is plenty of ways to get qualified as a newborn photographer, having a certification is a big one. If you’re shopping around for a newborn photographer don’t forget to ask about their qualifications. You are well within your right as a customer to do so. If they say they received training, don’t be afraid to ask them what kind. Remember, you are handing your brand new, fragile, baby over to them trusting that they will keep them safe. You’re allowed to ask!
2) SAFETY!
Okay this one sounds like a no brainier right? You want to make sure the person you are trusting to hold your newborn is being safe. Newborns should NEVER be left alone on ANY surface. A knowledgeable Photographer will make sure to have a spotter any time they are not with your newborn. Babies flail, kick, roll and are generally unpredictable.
Photographers should never set a newborn on a shelf or hang your baby in a hammock where they run the risk of falling or being dropped. Its a baby not a prop! Babies head should be supported at all times.
A huge part of newborn photography is temperature, The room needs to stay warm to help make baby comfortable and sleepy. Often times you will enter a newborn studio space and it will be hot, there may even be a space heater going this is to help keep naked babies nice and warm. Newborns are not able to regulate body temperature so keeping them warm is a must!
Your Newborn photographer should be up to date on all immunizations. To me, immunizations are not really optional if you’re working with a newborn, who hasn’t yet built up an immune system.
3) Ask Lots Of Questions.
It always strikes me what question is missing from all of these inquires, what I feel like is the most important question. I have seen upwards of one hundred mamas asking about newborn photography and The questions I’ve NEVER seen asked, not by ONE mama: Are you licensed? Are you insured? Did you complete a safety training or course? (The answer to all of those is yes!) And thinking back at my own experiences of my little one being photographed, I never thought to ask it either. Why? I think we all just trust the photographer knows what they’re doing: Just like we trust our plumber knows what they’re doing, and our child’s teacher knows what they’re doing.
But photography is different. It would be great if there was some sort of mandated courses to be in this industry, like there are with nearly all other career fields. But the truth is, there isn’t. Anyone with a camera can take newborn sessions with zero knowledge of newborn safety. That is pretty scary.
I see lots of people grabbing a camera, charging pennies, with no training, no insurance and no knowledge of how to safely handle a baby, and advertising newborn sessions. While we all love a bargain, I don’t think any of us love a bargain enough to knowingly skimp on the safety of our children, by handing them over to someone with no training. However, that’s something most of us never even stop to think about!
We’re so used to every other industry having regulations in place, this is kind of uncharted territory.