Afterwards, I decided to play a bit and I made her a promotional slideshow that she could use for her website, Facebook page, etc.  I had so much fun with this project I decided it is something I am going to branch out and start doing more!  I have met so many talented ladies who create baby blankets, newborn hats, etc…I thought it made sense to offer them my photography services and provide them with quality photos of their products and extras like slideshows and video to help them with the promotional side of their business.

Check out the slideshow for Little Wrappers.  I would love to hear what you think!

In the last month I have had 3 of my clients tell me they have a friend who has decided to become a baby photographer.   I am very lucky, because they decided to hire me to do their baby’s portraits.  When I asked them why, they all said it was because they wanted someone with experience.

I realize we all at one time were “newbie” photographers but it really makes me wonder, do people really think it is that easy to become  a baby photographer?   That is a whole other topic for blogging!  This blog is meant to help the new parents find the perfect photographer for them.

Next to your wedding photos, your newborn baby’s first portraits are probably the most important portraits you will have done.  So, when you decide to hire a photographer to do your baby’s portraits, here are a few questions you might want to ask:

-How long have you been a professional photographer? It seems like an obvious question but I know I rarely get asked that question.

Now a days, it is really easy to have a professional “look”…trendy websites, cute logos and marketing materials on everything to do with setting up a photography business are readily available to buy online.  This helps give the photographer a professional look quickly and easily but how experienced are they?

- How long have you specialized in newborn or baby photography. I know I had done wedding photography for over 10 years before I decided to specialize in baby photography.  When I started doing baby photography, I spent over a year doing newborn portraits for friends and former wedding clients. I used this time to get experience, develop my style and create my Babys First Year photo sessions.   The clients I did have during that first year knew I was learning so they allowed me to be their baby photographer in exchange for baby photos.

- Do you have things like back up equipment in case something happens the day of the photo session? You are all set for your first photo session as a family…it is alot of work just getting yourselves ready and over to the studio for your session.  Then, the photographer’s lights or camera quit working.  What happens next? If you want the newborn/7 to 10 day old portraits, a reshoot really isn’t an option.

- Why/How did you get into baby photography? I think this is a great way to get a really good feel for who you are hiring without offending someone.  Why are they doing what they do?   For me, I LOVE meeting the new parents – they are so nervous/excited and it is always lots of fun watching them with their new baby.  I LOVE showing clients their baby portraits for the first time and seeing their reaction!  I love working with clients and brainstorming about what they are going to do with all these great portraits we got of their new baby!

- What do you do if the baby cries or things don’t go well? This is where experience kicks in.  For most experienced photographers, this is the norm.  All babies cry and we know that.  Alot of getting those wonderful baby portraits is knowing how to read the baby’s body language, how baby is reacting during the session, etc. that tell us – time for a break or I have to do something different.  Also, allowing enough time for the photo session itself.  If the photographer is doing 6 sessions a day and is giving you an hour of his/her time, that says alot.

Next, thing to do…take a look at their website and check out the following:

- Do you love their work? There are so many different styles of photography out there.  Make sure you love the photography you are seeing on their website.

- Do they have alot of photos on their sites and is it a variety of clients? I saw a website recently where the entire gallery was 1 baby!

- Testimonials - this is a great way to see what previous clients are saying about the photographer.  I realize that photographers are probably only going to post positive comments so check out other places like GOOGLE, BING, etc and see what clients are saying

- What services do they provide AFTER the baby portraits are taken?   Do they provide services such as professional framing, baby albums, canvas prints, etc.  Most of the new parents I meet do not have the time, interest or desire to do their own printing, getting framing done etc!

- Do they use a professional lab for their printing. It is amazing to me how many photographers use 1 hour labs or home style printers to do their printing.

- Do they guarantee their work? If they are a professional, they do!

• FRESH/CHARGED BATTERIES - Probably the most important step – remember to charge your camera’s batteries.  If you use AAs make sure to buy a fresh package of batteries so you don’t have to worry about the camera dying half way through your weekend 
• NEW CARD - Make sure your digital card has lots of room on it.  There is nothing worse than shooting away and all of a sudden getting the message your card is full!  I usually put an empty card in so I can take lots of photos without worrying about it.

MAKE A LIST - Think about what photos you want to take this weekend.  If I am going to be seeing extended family I will often make up a little list of who I want to get photos of.   Here is a short list of some family portrait ideas:

1. YOU AND YOUR PARENTS – When was the last time you had a photo of you and YOUR parents?  They will be thrilled to have an updated photo!
2. UPDATE YOUR FAMILY PORTRAITS – Remember to get someone to take family portraits of our family together.
3. YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN – Make sure you moms get lots of photos with you and your children.  My clients comment all the time how they have lots of photos of the kids with daddy but hardly any of them with the kids.  Its the same in my family!
4. 3 or 4 GENERATIONS? – This is the perfect time to get 3 generation or even 4 generation photos! 
5. ALL THE GRANDCHILDREN – This is a great time to take a family portrait of all the grandchildren.  I like to do a few of them sitting nicely together and then a few of them doing whatever they want.  Make sure you do the sitting nicely ones first THEN let them get crazy!
6. YOU AND YOUR SIBLINGS – When was the last time you had a photo of you and your sister/brother?  Always nice to have and yet something we often forget to do, especially once we all become parents. 

Remember to charge your video camera battery too and to make sure you have lots of room on the video tape/hard drive to shoot lots of video this weekend.

Keep the video and digital camera visable and easy to get at on Sunday.  Sometimes in the rush of the day we forget to take advantage of all those wonderful photo oppportunities!

And finally, all families seem to have that one person who is the designated photographer.  Remember to give that person a hug this weekend!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Lorena

Some of the photos were in rough shape – the color was bad or they were dirty but after playing with Photoshop, they looked really nice.  We decided we wanted to document who was in the photos, where/when they were taken but it turned out to be so much more than that!  

It was great because I could take these tiny old photos – some of them were only 2×2 in size, enlarge them on the computer screen and really show her all the detail in the photo.  I would then record her as she talked about the photos.  It was amazing because some of the photos would bring back all kinds of memories for her.  We spent many hours laughing over all kinds of great stories she had to share and I realized that she had been our family’s original photographer at a time when women were rarely the ones taking photos!  

The life story ended up being 28 hours of audio tapes and almost 300 type pages of her words and photos and it was easily one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.  As a surprise last Christmas, I made my mom this photo collage of her life.  She hadn’t looked at these photos in probably 30 years.  Now it is framed and on her wall in her home. 

Need something to inspire you in 2011?  If you have old photos, grab a pen an paper, audio recorder, video camera – whatever you need to capture your parents and grandparents as they share their stories.  Not sure where to start… I did a quick google search on “restoring old family photos” and found a ton of resources about geneology, restoring photos, caring for your old photos, etc.    Oh yeah…if you look closely at the bottom right photo, you can see me at about 6 years old! 

They work with parents “to provide them with reliable information and effective tools that will help parents help their child develop strong communication skills in a natural, empowering way.” For more information check out their website!