Top 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Newborn Photographer

So you’ve decided you want to hire a newborn photographer.  

You have made an excellent decision.

The newborn phase is unlike any other phase of your child’s development, and creating your newborn baby's portraits is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Here are five things you should consider before hiring a newborn photographer:

1) Do you want to hire a newborn photographer who specializes in lifestyle or posed photography (and what training do they have in these areas)?

Newborn photography can generally be categorized into either “lifestyle” or “posed” photography.  

Lifestyle is more of a documentary style - rarely are props and different outfits used.  Some examples might be parents giving baby a bath, mom putting baby in the bassinet, etc.  

Posed newborn photography can still include parents and siblings, but is characterized by the use of props, different poses, different outfits/headbands/hats, etc.

Jessica Catherine Photography specializes in posed newborn photography which includes family members as well; some of our family portraits do tend to be more “lifestyle-like.”

Consider asking the newborn photographer what kind of training and experience they have in handling and posing newborns.

For example, have they taken training classes? Were these online, or in person, or both? Have they been trained in newborn safety?

2) When will the newborn photographer conduct the session?

Most posed newborn sessions are held within the first 14 days of life.  This is due to a number of factors including baby’s sleepiness, flexibility, muscle tone development, etc.

However, if you are hiring a lifestyle newborn photographer because you want more documentary style images, generally this type of portraiture can be done after 14 days.  

Since we specialize in posed newborn photography, Jessica Catherine Photography comes to your home within the first 14 days to capture those sleepy and curly images. 

3) Where will the newborn photographer hold the session?

Newborn photography can be done either in your home or an a studio; the main difference of course is whether or not you need to leave the house.  

At Jessica Catherine Photography, we believe it is easiest on new parents to create newborn portraits in your home.

We bring all the props, outfits, headbands and hats to you and use the natural light streaming in through your windows to illuminate your baby.       

4) What portrait art does the newborn photographer offer?

You have decided to hire an artist to create your newborn’s portraits and are taking time to carefully research and select the right photographer.

Something to consider is what is your main goal of hiring a newborn photographer?

What do you want to walk away with once the session is completed?  Do you want to simply post the images to social media where they’ll receive a few hours, or if you’re lucky, a couple of days of attention, or do you want the portraits to be cherished every day by your family?  

At Jessica Catherine Photography, we believe in the value of portrait art, and almost all of our clients invest in either table art, such as an heirloom album, or wall art, such as a framed portrait.

We believe that if you’re hiring a professional photographer, you deserve a professional art piece, and we offer a variety of carefully curated archival and/or museum quality pieces.  

We want you to complete our client experience with receiving a beautiful art piece your family can appreciate for generations. But don't worry, we also offer high resolution digital files for online sharing, too.

5) What customization if any does the newborn photographer do?

A parent portrait with their newborn proudly displayed in my client’s living room.

Does the newborn photographer take the time to get to know you and your family, your style, your likes and dislikes?  

Do they ask you a series of probing questions to reveal this information?

Do they visit your house to see your home style and decor to ensure the portraits created will compliment your home?  

These are important questions to consider.

At Jessica Catherine Photography, we do all of this and more in our in-home Design Consultation, which is the first step of our baby portraits experience.  

This article should leave you with much to consider.  

There is an abundance of talented newborn photographers eager to create your newborn’s portraits.

We encourage you to select someone whose work you admire and and who you feel will be the provide the best newborn portrait experience for you and your family. 

We hope you have found this newborn photography information to be helpful.

We would be honored to create your newborn’s first portraits.