Investing in Newborn Photography | Sydney Photographer

Updated: Apr 4, 2020

Jump on any local mums and bub's Facebook group and you’ll find an abundance of requests asking for recommendations for a newborn photographer. Underneath the request post you will see hundreds of replies with phrases like “my friend Kelly did ours, I’ll send you her number”, or “Jo over at Jo’s Photography is great, and she’s just starting out in photography so her pricing is really reasonable”

Now think about this, you’re going to invite Kelly or Jo to come into your home and you’re going to hand over the absolute most precious thing in the world, yep, just hand over your baby to someone that you’ve never met. Think about that statement again.

They come with a Facebook recommendation which is a great start. You saw some images on their Facebook Page, they looked ok. They didn't seem to have a website. But, they did come with a recommendation so we're good right?!

What kind of experience does Kelly have handling babies do you think, she seems kind of young. Jo is more mature, but she's only just starting out. Hmmm, the price is too good to pass up, right?

When my husband wants to buy an item he researches it for hours, weighs up options, reads reviews, compares prices, quality - you know the drill. And it's usually just a TV or a new car.

Doesn't it stand to reason then that when choosing a person to handle and capture such important images of the most precious thing in your world that you weigh up similar options. Not just price.

What happens if Kelly (remember she’s the buddy who said she’d bring her camera and snap a few shots for $100) has only captured one other baby and doesn’t have the experience to wrap and pose the baby safely, what if she’s recovering from a cold, hasn't had her Whooping Cough immunisation, or what if she swaddles your precious bundle too tightly or places the baby into a position that looks great but in actual fact is dangerous if held for too long? Is it really worth the risk?

I’ll answer that for you, no, it absolutely isn’t. Newborn photography looks easy (how hard can it be?), and who doesn't love cuddling a newborn. It is ANYTHING but easy.

Here's the thing. Newborns don’t sleep on command, they fuss and squirm, wrap a baby incorrectly and you risk serious harm. Would Jo (she's new to photography) know what to do if the baby was choking? Is she insured if something goes wrong, her cards corrupt and she loses all the images from the session?

Does she know how to soothe a cranky toddler, while dealing with grandma who is hovering, mum who is struggling with breast feeding and dad who REALLY doesn't want to be having his photos taken, all while bub is just NOT sleeping the way Jo thinks she should - all the photos on the internet look so peaceful! Does she know that the average newborn shoot can take up to 3 hours to complete. And that the work does NOT end when she leaves the house.

Kelly doesn't own a retouching program, and now that she is home and looking at the images has no idea how to remove the awful hormone rash off bub's face. And the baby really didn't look that red during the shoot, so why do all the images look so awful now?! Ok, so you've received the images from Kelly and you are kind of disappointed, they don't really look how you imagined they would. But hey there is one that you are ok with, but Officeworks are now telling you that it isn't big enough to print. Huh? It seems that Kelly really didn't know much more than you about Newborn Photography. And your bub is no longer small enough to qualify for another portrait session. You have missed out.

Professional newborn photography is not a hobby.

It can't be, there is too much at stake

We take Newborn Photography very seriously.

We take the safety of the babies in our care very seriously.

We’ve been at this for a looooooooooooong time.

Before Sarah was a photographer (she's our baby whisperer) she trained as a registered nurse, she's a mother of four and will look after your baby as if he or she were her own. She has a Working with Children Check (as do all of our photographers), is immunised against Whooping Cough, and stays up to date each year with Flu Vaccinations.

Sarah will bring along a huge assortment of props, and backdrops to the session in your home (sometimes it feels a little like she is moving in - but we promise she takes it all with her when she leaves)

And then once she does leave the real work begins.

We know that all babies are beautiful and unique and have their own tiny personalities even at only a week or so old, but we also know that things like baby acne and red blotches aren’t what you expect when you get your photos back, lets face it, even if they are on your baby, you’re besotted and don’t see them anyway, so we take care to make sure that you don’t see them when you look at our pictures either.

Hours and hours of work (it can be up to 40 hours) go into processing and editing the photos (on average an image takes about 10-15 minutes to retouch) before we send you the link to your gallery.

The investment is worth it

When you choose to hire a professional newborn photographer you can be assured that the person handling your baby is experienced, that they will not arrive unwell and risk anyone’s health, they will provide everything they need to complete the session to their high standard, they will create and capture beautiful moments, impart all of their knowledge, tips and tricks from handling hundreds (Sarah has captured over a thousand babies in her career, in hospitals, studios, on location and in clients homes), will leave you feeling excited about the session and then work HARD to ensure that the images of a high professional standard.

Don't trust Kelly and Jo with your irreplaceable memories.

Choose to invest in a professional instead.