newborn pics

[kershnic]

We really really want to do newborn pictures. The photographers whose websites we love all charge sitting fees of $250+ plus huge fees for the digital files (like $750 for a session's worth).

A friend of DW's does nature photography and is looking to break into portraits/family photography. She offered to do newborn pics for us for free to build her portfolio.

Free sounds great, right? I'm concerned because the window for newborn photography is small and if we miss it it's gone. And newborn photography, especially twins, is a delicate art. But she's a good photographer, just not experienced in this genre. To use a professional we have to book NOW so we can't just wait and see.

Thoughts?

[smock]

Does the friend have any previous newborn shots to show you, or would this literally be her first time shooting newborns? I would definitely lean towards the free option, but that might sway me.

[purrbox]

I would go with the free option. Look at it this way, with all of the pictures she'll be taking, you're bound to love at least some of them. And it's for free. With the other photographers, you're still taking a gamble.

[Deleted]

I would go with free. Newborns are easy. They don't move. If you said you wanted to use her for 1 yr pics I would be more hesitant.

[purrbox]

One more thing: if you go with the free photographer, I'd leave a nice tip because of her generosity.

[IndiaInk]

I'd do it, personally. My sister is a pro wedding/family photographer and did our friends' newborn shoot for free for the experience. She did a wonderful job and they were very happy with the photos. She did say she got a lot of technique tips from her friends who specialize in newborn photography, so that she'd know what to do. But it does sound like a challenge, what with the short time window and the fact that you have to keep the heat cranked up in the house. The baby she photographed was really cooperative, so that made it easier for someone who is new to it.

[changedname]

See I feel differently for this one. I had a friend offer to do my newborn pics for free and I was concerned about his lack of experience with newborns and the poses etc. I may have felt a bit differently if it was a girl/mom.

The photographer I wanted was also very expensive ($45 per digital file minimum 30 or $250 for one). In the end I found someone more in my price range through CL. I love her work and it is only $225 with all the digital files.

[chickadee77]

Honestly? I would totally take her up on it, IF she'll also be using it as a portfolio builder/getting experience thing - BUT - I would also consider doing a session with someone experienced, in addition. This, of course, depends on your relationship with her. If she would be offended, I might just say, "Thanks, but no thanks," IDK. As you said, it's a short window, and it would be a shame to miss it or not commemorate it the way you want.

If she's offering it more as a gift, then I don't know. I guess it would depend on how awesome she is in other genres combined with whether or not I'd already been eyeing up an experienced nb photographer with a style with which I was totally in love, you know?

[Deleted]

I would find a cheaper newborn photographer-maybe $300-$500ish. The ones I first saw on google were really expensive but you just have to dig deeper to find ones that are more affordable and advertise less. I might consider the nature photographer in addition to a pro newborn photographer ONLY if she has children or really knows how to handle newborns. I think it's important that she knows how to pose the babies safely and baby photography is really different from nature. You don't want to regret it if the pics aren't what you want later.

[kershnic]

Jan 24, 2014 13:04:35 GMT -5 smock said:

Does the friend have any previous newborn shots to show you, or would this literally be her first time shooting newborns? I would definitely lean towards the free option, but that might sway me.

Shedoesn't have anything on her website, but I will check if she has any not posted.

[kershnic]

Jan 24, 2014 13:13:33 GMT -5 purrbox said:

One more thing: if you go with the free photographer, I'd leave a nice tip because of her generosity.

Yes, we'll definitely do something nice for her if we do it!

[kershnic]

Jan 24, 2014 13:19:53 GMT -5 changedname said:

See I feel differently for this one. I had a friend offer to do my newborn pics for free and I was concerned about his lack of experience with newborns and the poses etc. I may have felt a bit differently if it was a girl/mom.

The photographer I wanted was also very expensive ($45 per digital file minimum 30 or $250 for one). In the end I found someone more in my price range through CL. I love her work and it is only $225 with all the digital files.

The photog in question is a woman, but not a mom. I have been looking for a lower price, but that seems to be going rate in my crazy expensive area... Glad you were able to find someone!

[changedname]

Jan 24, 2014 14:04:47 GMT -5 kershnic said:

Jan 24, 2014 13:19:53 GMT -5 changedname said:

See I feel differently for this one. I had a friend offer to do my newborn pics for free and I was concerned about his lack of experience with newborns and the poses etc. I may have felt a bit differently if it was a girl/mom.

The photographer I wanted was also very expensive ($45 per digital file minimum 30 or $250 for one). In the end I found someone more in my price range through CL. I love her work and it is only $225 with all the digital files.

The photog in question is a woman, but not a mom. I have been looking for a lower price, but that seems to be going rate in my crazy expensive area... Glad you were able to find someone!

Yeah, I feel sexist saying this, I was just worried what a 30 year old guy with no kids would know about positioning a newborn safely etc. (not that I know!) KWIM?  I would go for the free one and maybe put the other one in your back pocket in case you are not happy. With you having twins, I would be even more cautious about posing the babies etc.

[kershnic]

Jan 24, 2014 14:18:39 GMT -5 changedname said:

Jan 24, 2014 14:04:47 GMT -5 kershnic said:

The photog in question is a woman, but not a mom. I have been looking for a lower price, but that seems to be going rate in my crazy expensive area... Glad you were able to find someone!

Yeah, I feel sexist saying this, I was just worried what a 30 year old guy with no kids would know about positioning a newborn safely etc. (not that I know!) KWIM?  I would go for the free one and maybe put the other one in your back pocket in case you are not happy. With you having twins, I would be even more cautious about posing the babies etc.

Yeah, especially if he's not a parent I do see why you would be concerned. I'm going to find out more about this woman before we choose... I hadn't even really thought about safety!

[changedname]

Jan 24, 2014 14:20:43 GMT -5 kershnic said:

Jan 24, 2014 14:18:39 GMT -5 changedname said:

Yeah, I feel sexist saying this, I was just worried what a 30 year old guy with no kids would know about positioning a newborn safely etc. (not that I know!) KWIM?  I would go for the free one and maybe put the other one in your back pocket in case you are not happy. With you having twins, I would be even more cautious about posing the babies etc.

Yeah, especially if he's not a parent I do see why you would be concerned. I'm going to find out more about this woman before we choose... I hadn't even really thought about safety!

The only reason I'm a bit paranoid is that my sil did newborn photogs last year using a GC she was given by a friend. It's her 3rd kid so she knows her stuff and she said she felt the baby was put in some potentially unsafe positions (on a log etc) and also was cold etc.

[VillainV]

I would let her do photo journalistic stuff, but NOT any of the posed shots. Those are tricky and can be dangerous if the photographer doesn't know what she's doing. I would only let someone with lots of experience do those shots. But as long it's just photos of me, h, and the baby as a family, I would be cool with it.

[narockshard]

I would absolutely go for it assuming she takes really good nature pictures; that will show she's competent in her camera settings and editing skills and can likely transition fairly easily from nature to people. Just find a bunch of cute samples from Pinterest or online that you can recreate and give them to her in advance so she knows what you expect. Like someone else mentioned, with all the pictures she'll be taking you're bound to love at least a few, and that's probably all you're going to need anyway. Also, since it's someone you know and she's doing this for free, don't hesitate to ask her to show you some shots right from her camera after she takes them (like from the screen that's built in the camera).

[ilikedonuts]

Depends on what you want. If the baby is laying on their back for pictures or in your arms sure, but I would never hire someone inexperienced to do posed newborn pictures (like resting their head on their hands laying on their stomach, in a hammock, etc). That's really unsafe IMO.

[changedname]

Jan 24, 2014 15:44:25 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Depends on what you want. If the baby is laying on their back for pictures or in your arms sure, but I would never hire someone inexperienced to do posed newborn pictures (like resting their head on their hands laying on their stomach, in a hammock, etc). That's really unsafe IMO.

Agreed, you need someone who knows what they are doing.  What made me decide on the girl we have ultimately booked is that I sent her a hammock photo and she wrote back this:

As for the coveted Hammock shot, I would LOVE to try this with you. It is a very difficult shot to get, and your husband's help would probably be necessary. It may take a very long time to get it, but if you have the patience and time we can absolutely try! It's done with several images/composites, so someone is actually always holding the baby and ensuring their safety, I will also have a big cushion beneath. I then merge the photo's later in Post Production to make it look like they are just sleeping away by themselves Any shots like this are done at the very end, because they are the most difficult shots to get.

[D2M]

Maybe I'm missing something, but taking pictures of sleeping babies just doesn't scream safety hazard to me, so that would not be my concern in this situation. Chances are, your friend won't do any harm to your babies. If she suggests something nutty like putting an open flame in their cribs, you can shut that down immediately.

That said, in my experience, free = not so free in the end. Your friend may have very specific ideas about the types of photographs she wants to include in her portfolio and her vision and your vision may not align. For example, a good friend of mine who also wanted to get in to shooting newborn photos and was looking for free/cheap work, said she specifically did not want to do things that were popular on Pinterest, like posing babies in old time-y bathtubs or on fur rugs, etc. As a non-paying customer, you may not be able to give as much input on the style of photos you want.

I'd still do it, though. I'd have a chat about expectations, about the style of photos your friend wants to take, and I'd ask her -- if she hadn't already -- to talk to other photographers about tips on taking newborn photographs. There's an art to making sure the babies are asleep and looking cute and whatnot. I know when my sister had my nephew's newborn photos taken, the photographer brought a white noise machine, etc. and that was a major help.

ETA: Just read changedname's photographer's comments about the hammock and that definitely seems like a complicated shot to take.  I wouldn't expect your friend to have the expertise to pull that off yet, though, anyway.

[disappointedkittens]

Hey, we just got our newborn shots done a few days ago. I was amazed at the patience of the photographer, I would have NEVER gotten him posed in those positions myself without mad screaming, and I was really glad we went with a pro. I think it just depends how important the pics are to you. For me I can't take a pic to save my life so I felt like we HAD to have these ones done and I would have been crushed if it didn't work out.
So anyways, I think it's a very personal decision. For me I don't think it would have worked out with a non pro because our baby hates being unwrapped, but the girl we hired had that covered.

[curbsideprophet]

I would hire a professional. If you still want to let your friend take some pictures I say go for it. However I would not want those to be the only pictures.