9 Best tips for choosing a newborn photographer

Overwhelmed?

That sums up how I felt when I had an endless list of photographers to select from. I was just looking for a wedding photographer…I never knew there were that many local professional photographers. 

I can also imagine that it’s probably the same for parents searching for a professional newborn photographer or the best newborn photographer.

Let’s say you searched for “newborn photographer in San Diego”, I guarantee there will be a long list. Warning, you may experience overload fatigue (it’s when you have too many options & you become indecisive). As a result, end up closing your laptop. 

Whether you’re an experienced parent or a first-time parent, I’m here to share the 9 best tips to consider when you’re stuck and unable to figure out which newborn photographer to work with. This guide will help guide you to the right newborn photographer, especially if you are first-time parents.

The list can be overwhelming, but the last thing you want to do is go with the photographer that shows up first on your Google search. Here’s why:

There’s a photographer for every family

Just like how everyone has a favorite music genre for those long car rides, there’s also a photographer for every family. The photographer that ranks #1 on your google search may specialist in a style of newborn photography that doesn’t match your aesthetics or style.

The purpose of this blog is to help you find a photographer that’s best for you.

Tip #1 – What’s your style of photography?

For the sake of simplicity, I narrowed it down to 2 criteria so you don’t feel overloaded with all the types of photography editing styles. I recommend using the formula below:

Your Style = Editing Style + Newborn Posing Style

Photography Styles:

The first thing to consider is the photographer’s overall editing style. Since you’re keeping these images for a long time, you need to make sure you love that style.

Below is a simplified list of styles I’ve seen these past years:

• Dark & moody – Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds. This style combines rich warm colors with deep shadows to evoke a mysterious feeling, yet it can feel very intimate and impactful.
• Light & airy (that’s me!) – I’ll let my images in this blog from cute Baby Emmy explain this style. It comes off very clean, trying to stay true to skin tones, and is overall brighter, but not over-exposed.
• Warm Amber – The skin tone is always warm with this style and it often reminds me of the Hollister Co. or Abercrombie & Fitch models on my shopping bag. Check out Nathan Chanski Photography.
• Film photography – I am a huge fan of this style, especially when taken with a medium format film camera like the Contax 645 (introduced in 1999). Check out @tiffanylephotography on Instagram you’ll immediately see what I mean.
• Bright & vibrant – This style always makes me feel happy & joyful because of its vibrant and saturated colors. Think of a rainbow, but amplified with a touch of vibrance. Check out Kate L Photography.

Posing Styles:

• Posed newborn session – This newborn portrait will focus on the baby wrap and lots of poses, sometimes combined with many creative props. These types of photos are really cute and artistic and usually require a sleeping baby (it’s easier for the photographer) or sometimes the baby can be awake. This style reminds me of the work by Ana Brandt Photography
• Lifestyle newborn session – This style lets your newborn be exactly how he or she is, asleep or awake. It gears towards a more natural and simple approach to documenting the day-to-day life of your family.
• Themed Props & Photoshop – This style uses many props that often fit a theme and leaves room for lots of creativity to happen in post-processing with Photoshop. This is often combined with a posed newborn session. Check out Ana Brandt Photography for her Christmas-themed newborn photos

You’re probably wondering what style my photography portraits fall into. This is my recipe:

SNP = light & airy + lifestyle newborn session

Tip #2 – Ask your friends and families for recommendations

This is a reliable source, but keep your options open.

It’s good to ask your friends about their experience with their photographer. A good friend will always give you good tips & advice. If none of your friends invested in newborn photos and you’re the first in your circle to do so, I just wanted to say I’m proud of you!

Skip to the next tip if you don’t have any friend referrals or recommendations.

However, keep your options open.  Don’t settle just yet.

Tip #3 – Check Google reviews or social media

Read the reviews & feedback from other clients.

Besides googling “newborn photographer in San Diego” or whatever city you reside in, I would check the reviews (both the good and bad ones). As a small business owner myself, a bad review is probably something I’m not proud of, but let’s be real, it can happen to any business.

If the photographer you’re interested in has a bad review, it would be good to see how he or she responds to the review (there is a response option for every review made).

I once saw a restaurant on Yelp with a single bad review and the business owner’s response wasn’t the nicest. What I usually look for is an apology of some sort and how they intend to address or resolve the issue itself (if needed).

However, please don’t let one bad review from 3 years ago ruin a chance to work with the photographer. Check how recent the incident was. If the majority of the most recent reviews were 5 stars this year, there’s a high chance they’re not that bad.

Tip #4 – If you see red flags, then it’s a red flag

Always trust your gut instinct & run away from something that looks sketchy.

I feel like this applies to any situation and I find myself doing this a lot when I search for a new place to eat in San Diego. 

Sometimes, when there are 10 sushi restaurants with 4.5+ ratings and within a 20-mile radius, it doesn’t help filter out which one you should go to. If distance is what matters most to you, then obviously go for the closest sushi restaurant. However, with a San Diego newborn photographer search, you have to dive deeper. 

Potential red flags:

• Their profile picture is not a professional portrait of themselves.
• Prices are shockingly low compared to other local photographers (Example: $50/hour). It might not be a legal business. A real photography business has lots of business expenses to cover like insurance, camera gear ($5000+), tax, fees to operate a business, LLC fees, etc.
• A high percentage of negative reviews
• The newborn session duration is short, like 30 minutes. There are a lot of unpredictable factors you have to consider with your newborn.
• The photographer’s website looks outdated & there are no recent blog posts or something is just off about it.
• The portfolio is lacking (you’ll know when you see one)
• No ratings or social proof on any platform like Google, Yelp, FB, or Instagram
• Very poor communication to the point of frustration
• Not having a contract agreement 
• Any signs of terrible business practice
• Your gut & instincts scream “It’s a bad idea!!”

Tip #5 – Communication with your photographer

The initial interaction gives you a lot of clues about your photographer.

Communication is the key to any collaboration/relationship, including a photo shoot. As a San Diego newborn photographer, these are a list of things I do to ensure that communication is crystal clear for my clients:

• Provide multiple ways for my clients to get in touch with me
• If I cannot answer them immediately, I will acknowledge that I received their message and will get back to them by a specific day (I try to keep it within 24 hours).
• When a client fills out the contact form on my website, I immediately offer a quick call to introduce myself, explain the SNP portrait experience, and answer their questions.
• If my client decides to work with me, a pre-session meeting will be arranged to listen to my client’s visions, guide them with outfits, and understand their needs.

​FYI….I love talking to my clients over the phone during their initial consultation. It’s the fastest way for me to answer their important questions and be able to portray my comfort level and confidence level. Most of the time, I’m speaking to moms and our conversations sound like we’re friends or just a meaningful girl talk.

Tip #6 – Newborn safety measures

Don’t overlook this, this is just as important.

As a newborn photographer in San Diego, your baby’s safety is my priority. This is to protect my clients, their newborn, their families, and of course myself and my own family. I just made the tone of this blog post sound very serious, but I mean it.

Sometimes people forget that a brand-new baby is very fragile and they’re still building their immune system. The tiny details matter, I can’t emphasize that enough.

The following situations may or may not occur:

• Sick child
• COVID-19
• Baby with jaundice
• Studio equipment drops
• The camera drops during the session
• The photographer is sick but fails to tell the family.

Precautionary steps I take to prioritize safety:

• Sickness happens and is more frequent during flu season, so be flexible. Flexible enough to reschedule the session so the sick person doesn’t spread it around to anyone else.
• As a newborn photographer, I avoid places I know will get me sick easily. I can’t risk rescheduling all of my newborn sessions. It’s just not fair & poor self-care as a small business owner.
• If I do get sick, I will do the right thing and reschedule the session
• If I am healthy, I will still wear a face mask around the newborn and wash my hands before I begin my session
• I don’t own a studio, but if I do in the future…safety will still be my #1 concern. 
• As a lifestyle newborn photographer, I will be entering the client’s home 100% of the time and the first thing I do is wash my hands and wear a face mask.
• Your photographer should always be 10 steps ahead of you. To prevent anything terrible from happening like a camera falling on a newborn, the photographer should have a strap to prevent the camera from dropping in the first place.

Tip #7 – Consistent portfolio

Consistent portfolio is the key

What’s your favorite Starbucks drink? 

No matter how long the name of your order is, you know that your craving will be satisfied when you step into any Starbucks franchise. Why is that?

Consistency.

The same concept applies to photography. You want to work with a photographer that delivers beautiful photos and work is consistent with their website’s portfolio.

Tip #8 – Is your photographer organized?

This might be a good deciding factor

As a photographer, these are the things I do to keep track of all of my clients and stay on top of my schedule:

• I use Dubsado to keep track of all inquiries, emails, bookings, and payments. Such a powerful tool!
• I take notes during our calls and Dubsado has a special notes section for each client.
• I am on time! Being punctual is my sign of respect for your time.
• All booked sessions are automatically linked to my phone calendar (that’s the main calendar that I check almost daily).
• After each session, I immediately back up all images to two locations: a computer & portable hard drive (I’m extra)
• I send email reminders 1 week before the session and 1 day before the session. The reason why I do that is because I don’t want my old email to be buried to the bottom of all your other emails.
• I check the weather 1 week before the session and 1 day before.
• I provide my clients with a .pdf styling guide 
• I ask for each family member’s name and I memorize it before the session for better communication.

This may be something you should look for when you work with a newborn photographer. In most cases, experienced photographers have their systems and workflow down.

Tip #9 – Consistent customer service

The keyword is “consistent”

​I hate it when I pay for a service and the salesperson is extra nice to me at the beginning to “lure” me into the service. After he/she has taken my money, I feel abandoned and that same person stops being extra nice. 

There are many photographers in a single city that offer newborn portraiture, but in my personal preference, what makes them all different from each other is their customer service, it needs to be consistent. The overall service (not just the initial service) is what differentiates them from each other and makes that person the right photographer for your baby.

Photography Details

• Canvas by @willow_canvas
• Hair & Makeup by @glambylindseyt
• Sony A7ivR