How much did you pay for newborn photos?

[Deleted]

I used a dear friend of ours, and feel like I'm getting royally screwed. She charges $150 for the session and then you have to buy prints through her.

Jesus Christ on a crutch, the prints are expeeeeeensive. Like $30 for a 5 x 7". $100 for the digital image. It's totally my fault for not clarifying costs with her, but damn, we can't afford to do this frequently. I'm going to buy about 4 out of 160 images from her and call it a day.

What did you pay?

[zeewifeandmama]

We paid $300 for digital images of the whole shoot. It was our wedding photog and she did both of my children's shoots.

[Brie]

$350 but it included a CD of 20 digital images. Our photog is awesome and just gave us all the ones she liked, probably about 45 of them. Then we printed them cheap on Snapfish. We're doing the same for his 6 month pics.

[ijack]

This is why I'm a fan of photographers who charge that way. Much better to charge a higher sitting fee since that is where the work is, not in making prints.

[Deleted]

We bought a cd of all images from the company that did hospital photos. I think it was $125-175. The session was free. For hospital photos, I thought they turned out great but I wish I would have had them done once we came home so I felt somewhat human enough to be in a picture. I had just gotten out of the shower and the chick showed up unannounced.

[pugz]

yeah I don't use photographers that charge that way, even the friends I know that do great work. I shopped around and got a 1st year package for $1500 that includes newborn photos, 6 months, and 1 year. Disc of all images after each session, birth announcement design, and she'll design and print an album of the best images at the end.

[Deleted]

It has been years but we paid $150 and got a CD of high resolution prints.

When we moved to TN I called someone who was recommended. She was $3k. I said that was more than my wedding photographer and didn't use her. I have a friend that does mini-sessions and I think she's about $150 plus prints.

[Deleted]

So I'm learning an expensive lesson here, huh?

I just texted her to say that we won't be able to order more than 4 of the cheapest prints, and to ask what the cost would be to buy like 10-20 of the images on a cd.

I'm glad she has a good business, because she won't be getting our business again.

[Deleted]

$0. My SIL did them.

However, I do think I want to do a family shoot before the baby is born. I'm guessing it is going to be about $400 just for the shoot.

ETA- I just looked up the photographer that I really like. $175 for the session, but prints are super pricy.

[aspentosh]

We didn't get them and I regret it. All the people I found (whose pictures I liked) were a $500+ sitting fee and then you still had to buy the prints (NOT digital images).

[mellymel]

We spent between $500-$600 for our newborn photos. I think the session fee was $150 or $175, then we paid the rest in images. I bought 10 digital images from her so I would have them forever and could make my own prints, announcements, photo books, etc.

It's not cheap but a good photographer is worth it.

[starlily]

I also used a friend. I think it was $200-250 ? That included 35-40 digital images on a CD. She also threw in a mini "brag book" gratis.

[everam01]

$200 for someone who was still trying to build her business. She gave us about 20 edited images on a CD. It took the poor thing about 3 hours to get those 20 pictures.

[Deleted]

$0. I just couldn't stomach the cost so we didn't do it.

[justjen]

I forget... maybe $125ish? It was just the hospital ones.

[Ashley&Scott]

$150 for the session. It included all images edited & on a disk. Color & BW versions of each. Love our photographer, she was so accommodating, we were there for a few hours. She had no problem taking breaks for feedings & diapers changes.

We ordered prints through mpix.com.

ETA: There were 40ish shots from that session (so approx. 80 images since we were given color & BW versions)

[curbsideprophet]

More than that, I have a tendency to splurge on photography. We paid for full resolution rights so that we could get whatever prints we wanted.

[biscoffcookies]

$400 total, including a disc with all digital images. We've been really really pleased with her work -- we used her for DD's 6 month photos also and are going to use her again for 1-year pictures.

To anyone who is in the Charlottesville, VA area and might be looking for a baby/family photographer -- I can give you her info!

[scribellesam]

Got them for free as a shower gift from a friend who is a professional photog. But we paid her $150 for 6-month portraits, which included a disc of all digital images. We usually buy prints through her anyway as a thank you - I'm fairly sure the sitting fee is a friends and family rate. We've been extremely pleased with all her work.

[Deleted]

We spent $500, but it is a package that includes newborn, 6 month, and 1 year shots and 10 digital images from each sitting (30 total digital images that we can print elsewhere). We didn't buy any prints from her.

[nonsenseabound]

$150 for digital prints on cd. She also did my daughters birthday pics for that year since my kids share a birthday. Plus we used em for our Christmas photos

[whitterbugk]

I'm pretty LCOL, but I used a reputable, professional photographer in our area. We paid $200 for a "First Year" package, which includes three shoots, 5 images on a disk from each shoot (15 total). He sells us additional images on disk for $10/each.

[GailGoldie]

that is the going rate for a good photo, even pretty cheap for here in the NJ area.

we used an amazing photog for newborn pics of the twins + griffin, right after the twins were born... it was about $250 for the sitting fee, and then had to buy prints- they were expensive, too - but we knew we were paying for super quality -she's amazing..... we were lucky enough to win a package from her worth $3000 a year later and did 1yo shots and full family shots - which was awesome b/c we got all the digital negs, huge canvas, etc - best prize i ever one.

but we have also used some newer photogs who charged minimal b/c they were just getting started- and got some amazing photos, too.

[ssmjlm]

Well one lady wants $900 for just the newborn digital package. Sorry but too much for me.

The other two I'm looking will do ours in our home and I'm looking at $400-$500. Which includes digital.

While I understand photography is a business an a lot of work I've found I really want a family photographer and not someone who is channeling their inner Anne Geddes.

[pugz]

our photog came to our house for the newborn photos. G was about 2 weeks old. She spent 3 hours capturing photos. Plenty of time to stop and feed her when needed. It was awesome.

[ilikedonuts]

Well with ours we needed to buy a package to be able to then buy the digital rights.

Our package was like $550 and included the session and like $250 in print credit which we used to get 75 birth announcements, 2 8x10s and 4 5x7s. Then we paid $175 for 15 full res images on a CD.

Crazy amount of money, but we absolutely love the pictures and they are worth every penny. We paid about $100 less for DD's 1 year pictures as well (but they included a huge canvas and less christmas cards).

I'm a complete photo snob. I won't even mention what our wedding photographers cost.

But we did just go to JCPenny for DD's 3, 6 and 9 month pictures and spent less than $100 total on all 3. So I tried to save a bit of money.

[MadamePresident]

My BIL took ours for free. I am so glad we have a photographer in the family.

[ijack]

Jan 5, 2013 0:11:17 GMT -5 BirdGirl said:

Jan 4, 2013 12:41:45 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

$150 for the session. It included all images edited & on a disk. Color & BW versions of each. Love our photographer, she was so accommodating, we were there for a few hours. She had no problem taking breaks for feedings & diapers changes.

We ordered prints through mpix.com.

ETA: There were 40ish shots from that session (so approx. 80 images since we were given color & BW versions)

I am shocked when I see numbers like this. She is either working all the time or scraping by because she easily spent 10 hrs on that shoot to edit the photos + shoot time/transportation. Plus she has equipment costs and pays taxes at the higher self-employment rate.

I agree this is super low, but 10 hours on a shoot and editing? That's a little over the top.

[sessy]

We spent around $700 that includes the session fee and we opted to buy the rights to the digital copies rather than buy prints. Our photographer was amazing and well worth the price.

[jessesgirl08]

Our package from our wedding photog was over $1,000. 😳