Chesterfield Newborn Photography: Top 5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Newborn Photographer

As a mom and newborn photographer, I understand how important it is to choose the right photographer for your newborn session. Your first few weeks with your newborn fly by so quickly, and you want to make sure this season is documented just how you’re envisioning. There are so many newborn photographers out there, and each one has crafted their newborn session experience to serve their clients in a different way. Below are the top 5 questions I would ask a photographer in preparation for your Chesterfield newborn photography experience.

1. What is your approach to newborn photography?

The two main approaches to newborn photography are lifestyle newborn sessions and posed newborn sessions. Lifestyle newborn sessions focus on highlighting your family’s connection with your newborn. Think of it like a family session, but it is centered around your newborn baby. Posed newborn sessions often focus primarily on your baby and involve posing your baby in unique positions using various wraps and props, with some family photos. Each photographer can include different elements in their approach, so it’s best to ask the photographer you’re interested in about their personal approach.

My newborn sessions are lifestyle sessions. These are often the first photos of your family with your newborn baby, and I find it’s so special to document the bonding and connection that happens in those early days. We’ll often start with some photos of your baby on their own, using gentle and natural posing on a bean bag, on a bed, or in a woven basket. I’ll capture all the details – their tiny fingers and toes, their adorable nose, their hair. We’ll then typically move into full family photos, and photos of your baby with mom and dad, each parent, siblings together, and each sibling. Poses and prompts will be used to create images that are organic and true to you. Since my sessions are also baby-led in nature, we’ll follow baby’s lead throughout the session.

2. What is your photography style?

There are so many different photography styles out there and within each style is also variability. The three main photography styles are light and airy, dark and moody, and true-to-life. There are also photographers that incorporate film, whether they’re film-only or hybrid digital and film. Be sure to review the photographer’s portfolio on their website to gain a better feel for their personal photography style and which style you’re most drawn to.

I photograph my sessions with a true-to-life style, and I use both digital and film photography in most of my sessions. My goal is to create timeless images, so that your photos are just as beautiful 20 years from now as they are today, free from trends that strongly date your photos. Using film helps to create these timeless images, as the colors produced by film are true-to-life.

3. Where could we have our session?

In-home newborn sessions are most common, but newborn sessions can also be in a photography studio or outdoors. Some photographers may only use one of these locations, while others may use all three. It’s best to ask the photographer if the location you have in mind for your newborn session is also a place where they photograph.

My newborn sessions are often in-home, in the space where families first bring their babies home from the hospital. Some families opt for an outdoor newborn sessions to photograph their family at a location that’s meaningful to them or to document their baby in the season they were born. We can also rent a studio space for your newborn session if you want something indoors, but you don’t love the idea of having your session in-home.

4. What is included with my session?

This varies greatly from photographer to photographer. Think about what you most want out of your session experience. Some things to consider are:

• Access to a print store and the options available: Are the types of products offered what you’re looking for?
• Style guidance and client closet: Do you want guidance on styling your family to help make it a lower stress experience?
• Location guidance and choice: Do you want guidance in choosing a location that meets your vision?
• Props: Do you want to have your photographer bring blankets and swaddles known to photograph well?

In my sessions, I currently include access to a growing client closet of dresses that photograph beautifully, personalized style guidance, location of your choice and guidance in choosing a location, film photography, and timeless props like newborn blankets, swaddles, baskets, and a bean bag. Following your session, you’ll also gain access to my print store which features a curated collection of artwork pieces like heirloom albums and fine art prints. My goal is to make the entire experience lower stress from start to finish, so I take care of not only taking your photos, but styling your family and printing your session photos.

5. What options are available to print our photos?

There is a big difference between printing your photos at a drug store or consumer-grade online lab versus a professional print lab. Ask your photographer what options they have available and if they’re working with professional print labs. See if the options they have available are what you’re looking for. With being a mom, I find it’s so easy to just not get around to printing your photos, and after putting so much into your session, you’ll want to get your photos printed.

The professional print labs I’ve chosen to work with produce the highest quality of albums and prints I have seen, and they only partner with professional photographers. I’ve hand-selected timeless artwork options that are meant to be family heirlooms – items you can physically hold, view regularly, and pass down to your children and their future children. Linen- or velvet-wrapped heirloom albums with thick photographic pages or matted pages, fine art cotton prints with or without matting, linen and glass print boxes, and custom-framed wall art are some of my favorite options I carry.

I hope you’ve found this list of questions a helpful place to get started as you explore newborn photographers for your Chesterfield newborn photography experience. If you’re interested in learning more about my newborn sessions, I’d love to share more about what it’s like working together. Feel free to contact me today to learn more.