What to Do With Your Professional Baby Photos | Philadelphia, PA

unsure of what You’ll do with your professional baby photos?

Don’t worry, that’s ok.

Here’s the good news: we’ll figure it out together.

The even better news? It will be a relaxed, enjoyable experience completely customized for you.

You will have an opportunity to touch and feel samples of my heirloom albums and wall art pieces at your in-home Design Consultation.

This makes it easy to envision your own professional baby photos presented in these different formats.

To give you an example of how I help my clients determine what to do with their professional baby photos, let’s look at Dave and Jillian’s experience.

pre-planning determines how best to showcase your Professional Baby Photos

The best time to figure out what to do with your professional baby photos is before they are taken.

When I first spoke with Jillian on the phone, I asked her what her plans were for her images.

She said she was interested in artwork, but wasn’t exactly sure what she and her husband Dave wanted.

This is completely normal; most families do not call with a specific album or wall art gallery in mind. Generally speaking, people know they are interested in tangible artwork (albums/wall art/etc.), but they’re not committed to a particular piece and are looking for professional guidance.

This is why I have integrated a Design Consultation as part of my client experience: it allows families to see firsthand how they could display their professional baby photos.

During the consultation, we discuss the different features the artwork mediums offer.

Through these discussions, and I am able to learn about each client’s styles and preferences.

The first thing I noticed when I entered Dave and Jillian’s home for their Design Consultation was how well decorated it was.  

From their unique chandelier to their coffee table to their gorgeous dining room set, everything tied together in a pleasing neutral/rustic decor.  I was excited to create artwork featuring their newborn baby and their family that would compliment their style.

We discussed their preference for albums and wall art, and they were interested in both. Knowing I needed to photograph for both mediums helped me customize their session.  

As I explain to all of my clients: techniques used to photograph for an album and wall art are different.  I can of course photograph for both (as I did for this session), but it’s important to discuss this information before the session.  

For example, if a family wants an album, doing numerous setups with different props and backgrounds is crucial so that the album has sufficient variety.

Photographing for wall art requires that ample negative space be left around the baby/family, especially if artwork is being enlarged for larger walls.

Weather-permitting, I love including natural elements in wall portraits as well since naturally-themed portraits give interior spaces a warm and inviting appeal.

During our Design Consultation, I gathered the information necessary to form a plan for their little one’s session.  This plan included which poses, props, outfits and accessories to use based on Dave and Jillian’s artwork preferences and based on where they were considering hanging their wall art.

Granted in this case, we didn’t know if baby was a boy or girl, so the plan oftentimes evolves up until mom and dad meet baby.

your photographer should take professional baby photos with the end goal in mind

Thanks to the Design Consultation, I had a detailed plan to create professional baby photos well suited for both an album and wall art that would compliment Dave and Jillian’s rustic, natural style.

What did not go exactly according to plan was that the little guy surprised us by arriving 3.5 weeks early (I like to think he probably just couldn’t wait for his session).

This is why I like to meet with my expectant families early, because you really never know when baby decides they want to meet mom and dad.

In any case, the in home session was a breeze because little Liam slept almost the entire time.

He very much enjoyed being wrapped and throughout the session repeatedly made a new, cute little noise at us as he slept.  Witnessing these “firsts” with parents is such a special part of what I do, and I absolutely love it.

Most of the session was done indoors using many different setups, props and outfits to provide a diverse enough portfolio for an album. I made sure to follow the plan as closely as possible to give Dave and Jillian a number of different looks for their album.

We also took advantage of the cloudy day and did some first family portraits outside since I knew David and Jillian were also interested in wall art for their living space.

Some families tend to worry if it’s cloudy the day of the session, but in many cases, clouds are preferable to no clouds since clouds diffuse light beautifully (see the image in the frame below).

if your session was planned and photographed with the end goal in mind, Your Professional Baby Photos will look amazing as artwork

When I returned to David and Jillian’s home for their Review and Ordering Appointment, they adored their portraits and ordering art pieces came easily since we had already reviewed their preferences at the Design Consultation.

Because I knew they were interested in an album, I had pre-designed a layout and together, we refined the design according to their preferences.

Dave and Jillian selected my vegan album, chose the album size, cover image and the color for the album and its accompanying display box (to the left of the frame).

They also ordered two identical grandparent books as gifts for family members.

When their album arrived, I unboxed it on camera:

Because I knew they were also interested in wall art, I had also pre-designed different wall galleries for their home.  I used images of their own walls and put their professional baby photos on their walls in different sizes and arrangements using special design software.

David and Jillian fell in love with a showcase design which featured one of their outdoor portraits to be hung in their living room behind their couch.  

They selected a beautiful and rustic repurposed barnwood frame and classic white mat.  The piece is truly stunning and perfectly completes the look of their space.

Dave and Jillian also decided to invest in smaller art pieces for their offices.

The 5x7 block compared to the 8x10

For their desks at work, they each ordered a 5x7 acrylic block with a double-sided mounted print (in other words, you see one portrait on one side and a different one on the other side).

The beauty of this piece is that in the future it is easy to update the images if desired since the images are inserted into a slot in the side of the block.

Selecting how best to preserve and present their professional baby photos came easily to Dave and Jillian since we had already determined what art pieces were specifically suited for them well before the session ever took place.

remember, the best way to showcase your Professional Baby Photos is in print

My clients who invest in digital files receive them the night of the review and ordering appointment.

I then place the artwork order directly afterward.

Oftentimes my clients immediately upload their portraits to social media to share with family and friends.

And don’t get me wrong - I love seeing how much everyone loves the digital portraits.

However, one of the best parts of my job is delivering my clients’ album and wall art orders because they see their professional baby photos in a printed form for the first time, and it’s always a special experience.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I feel like I can touch this baby!” or “This baby looks 3D!”  

People are always amazed with the final art piece, even though they have seen the digital copies.

There really is something to be said for cherishing your portraits in print after they have been prepared by a professional photographer with printing expertise.

If you’re interested in learning more about newborn photography in Philadelphia and the various art pieces I offer, please contact me.