What makes a Good Newborn Photography Session
Over the next 12 months I will be addressing my answers to the following questions in depth.
Here are the short answers. Keep your eyes peeled for posts about each topic in depth.
What questions should I ask my Newborn Photographer?
Do you have availability for my due date?
How many newborns do you schedule per month?
When will my session be? Do you do weekends?
Where is your studio and can I see the space before my session?
Do you do posed or lifestyle newborn photography?
Do you offer Maternity, session bundles or baby plans?
What experience do you have photographing babies?
What skills do you need for newborn photography?
What safety measures do you take with my baby?
What if my baby won’t settle or sleep?
What age is best for my session?
What should I expect from my session? baby acts, sets ups, image gallery #s
How long does a newborn session last? Time, how
Are parent and sibling poses included in the session?
What do you provide and what do I need to bring?
How do I prepare for my newborn session?
Do you offer wardrobe options?
What are your fees and turnaround times?
Why is newborn photography so expensive?
Do you offer payment plans?
Do you offer a baby registry?
PRODUCTS
Do you offer print products and wall art?
Do I get all the digitals?
Where can I get birth announcements?
My Answers
STUDIO DETAILS
Do you have availability for my due date?
We hope so! book early to make sure you get a spot on our calendar. We encourage booking as soon as possible! Heck if you pee on a stick and wanna put us on your list of people to call we love it, you can pay your session fee and get a permanent spot on our calendar for your due date. Most people book in the 2nd trimester after finding out the sex of their baby. This is ideal timing for your consultation so that we can plan all the details for your perfect session.
How many newborns do you schedule per month?
We schedule only 8 babies a month in order to give the best service and experience to each client. Babies come when they want to so having only two due dates a week on the calendar leaves room for babies’ timing if we need to squeeze a few more in certain weeks.
When will my session be? Do you do weekends?
We try to keep newborn sessions on Thursdays and Fridays at noon, but we can be flexible for other weekdays if needed. We don’t normally work weekends but can accommodate a Saturday need for an additional $100 fee. We don’t work Sundays.
Where is your studio and can I see the space before my session?
The studio is an extension of Emily’s home in Syracuse at 4118 W 1235 S. You will get a full tour of the studio space at your free consultation. Every client will meet Emily in person for a consult to go over all the pricing and product details as well as plan the details of the session. This is ideally done in the late 2nd trimester or early 3rd trimester (20-30 weeks).
Do you do posed or lifestyle newborn photography?
Em J Photography specialized in posed newborn photography. We do not offer in-home lifestyle sessions or come to your home for posed sessions.
PHOTOGAPHER EXPERIENCE
What experience do you have photographing babies?
I am in my 10th year of business. I my newborn education in my second year shooting. I have taken many courses, workshops and mentorships over the year. I started teaching other photographers my craft about 3 years into my business. This is what I love!
What skills do you need for newborn photography?
PATIENCE! That’s number one, but also safety training, wrapping & posing training, knowledge of proper lighting, editing skills, business skills and people skills in general. It’s not for the feint of heart!
What safety measures do you take with my baby?
I have a newborn assistant that has hands-on or near your baby at all times. We are safety trained. We clean and sanitize our space after every session. We are trained in posing and how to properly pose babies without putting them in danger, many of our images are composites (more than one image combined) in order to keep baby safe.
What if my baby won’t settle or sleep?
We’ve got this! We are very patient! Sometimes babies just need some wiggle time to calm down, sometimes one pose can take up to 30 minutes. We will try every pose up to 3 times before giving up. If all else fails, and baby just won’t settle (this is rare), we will reschedule to make sure you get the image you are wanting. We stay aware of parents and the emotions that baby’s fussing and crying evoke (it’s normal). We will not do anything you don’t want us to do. At the end of the day baby is in charge and we capture each baby accordingly.
THE SESSION
What age is best for my session?
ideal timing for a newborn session is between 5 and 14 days when they are still sleepy and curly. That said COVID helped us find out our success rate with up to 12-week-old babies. It’s never too late to photograph your baby, the results just look a little bit different at different ages. So if we can work in that two-week window, it’s best!
What should I expect from my session?
BABY IS BOSS! You never need to apologize or worry if your baby doesn’t settle easily. It’s about 50/50. We move through the session according to baby’s needs. Baby may need to take a break to settle or feed or be soothed, or even pee or poop on us…it’s okay! We take our time. Don’t feel rushed and please don’t rush us. We will photograph about 9 table poses and 3 props unless otherwise specified in your consultation, your preferences will be planned out ahead of time. Our typical 12-set workflow usually takes 2-3 hours, sometimes a little longer when family and sibling poses are wanted. The studio will be WARM! Usually around 80 degrees, so dress lightly. Within a week of your session, you will have a viewing and ordering appointment back in the studio. You can expect to see 60-100 proofed images to choose from at your ordering appointment. We like to give you pose, angle, close-up vs further away options to choose from. We don’t want to overwhelm you but we want you to be able to choose favorites (don’t worry we help).
How long does a newborn session last?
An average session is between 2 and 3 hours long
Are parent and sibling poses included in the session?
We can include parent, family, and sibling poses in your session time. These are usually done at the beginning of the session, so that all but mom and baby don’t have to stick around if they don’t want to. There is no obligation to purchase images you don’t love, so if sibling (usually toddler aged) don’t cooperate, there is no pressure to buy. That said we have a few tricks up our sleeve for cooperation!
What do you provide and what do I need to bring?
10 years of newborn prop addiction on my part means you don’t need to bring much! We will send you home with a prep guide and other goodies at your free consultation before your session. You will also get a reminder the night before (in case you misplace said prep guide!) While we love for you to be prepared our prep guide is full of optional suggestions. We don’t want you to stress about anything! So aside from having a way to feed your baby (breast or bottle) all you really need to bring is baby!
You are welcome to bring an heirloom item or two that you’d like to have baby photographed in or with, but we really do have everything you need. We have backdrops, props, clothing items, hats bows, lovies, wings, rainbows, binkies, sanitizer, baby powder, diapers, shushers, soothers, you name it we’ve got it! We are ready for anything!How do I prepare for my newborn session?
You can take a peek at our prep guide here.
Do you offer wardrobe options, what should we wear?
We have more than you’ll need or want in options for baby attire, and if we don’t have it you can request we get it! We have a small under 3yo client closet for siblings and a few random sizes for older siblings. We have a full closet of flowy gowns for moms to wear for maternity or in the newborn session (flowy is great after having a baby). We suggest neutrals, or muted tones with no large logos or patterns for family and sibling poses. Keep it simple. Let the subjects shine! If you purchase an outfit specifically for photos that you or your kids likely won’t wear again and want to donate it to the studio, we will trade for an extra image or two from your session depending on the item.
COST
What are your fees and turnaround times?
We have session fees for all sessions, the price varies from $50-200 depending on the session type. Our session fees do not include prints or digital images, those can be purchased in your ordering appointment after your session for additional fees.
Wall art starts at $90, Collections start at $690. Our average client spends around $1500/session (that’s average! Can be more or less to fit your budget) You can get full pricing details by booking a free in-person consultation.
Our turn around time is 4-6 weeks from the time of your session depending on when you sign up for your ordering appointment (2-3 weeks from ordering).
Why is newborn photography so expensive?
The short answer is years of experience, costly camera gear, lighting, props & clothing, studio rent/payment, prep time, editing time, heirloom products, insurance, software, subscriptions, taxes, office supplies and other business expenses. We only make about 30% of what we bring in per session.
Do you offer payment plans?
We offer 2 types of payment plans.
You can do a payment plan on your end through paypal or afterpay. With this you will get your order right away.
Or you can set up a six month payment plan through me and receive your order upon final payment.
Do you offer a baby registry?
YES! If you really love our work and know you might need a little help paying for your perfect session and products for your home you can set up a baby registry for your baby showers! It’s such a great way for friends and family to give you the perfect gift. They can donate any amount they want starting at $25.
Do you offer Maternity, session bundles or baby plans?
We love Maternity sessions and would love to combine them in a bundle with your newborn session! When booked together the maternity session fee ($150 is waived).
We also offer a baby plan for baby’s first year:
For $3990 you get (savings of $1300):
Maternity Session
Newborn Session
Sitter Session
Cake Smash Session
40 image album including images from each session (average 10/session)
24x36 Framed Print or Canvas
brag book for each session
digital copies in color + b&w
PRODUCTS
Do you offer print products and wall art?
Yup! This is our specialty! We have sourced the best prints & products from around the world. These items are heirloom quality and will stand the test of time. They can be passed down generations and loved by all. We have several print mediums and sizes as well as folio boxes, albums and more! You can find details about our products by booking a consultation. You’ll get to see and touch and feel all the options and ask Emily as many questions as you’d like.
Do I get all the digitals?
This is a question I get a lot. LET ME BE CLEAR. You get the digitals you pay for. Every print purchase comes with a matching digital copy. Additional digitals can be added on to any print purchase at discounted rates. If you want only digitals they are $69/image and include color and b&w. I do not release/sell unedited images or discount all image galleries. My art is not completed without editing, and does not represent my work. The images you proof at your ordering appointment will be pre-edit images and will be finished to order. The digital is the most valuable part of your order because it is what we create the art with. We focus on printing as a tangible product but we understand the value of each individual piece of art we create for you, whether digital or print. We spend hours perfecting each image and making it represent our art as a whole! There is much value and many hours that go into each image before and after clicking a button to capture the perfect composition!
Where can I get birth announcements?
We offer Birth Announcement design for $30 for a double sided 5x7 design that you can print on your own or have us print. We also offer high-quality printed 5x7 cards with self-addressed envelopes in sets of 25 for $55/set. We’d love to create a design for you to match your style, decor and color scheme!
Whew! That was a lot of information! But I will still dig deeper in posts to come! Don’t forget to watch for all the good information in future months! See you soon!
Do you offer Maternity, session bundles or baby plans?
We love Maternity sessions and would love to combine them in a bundle with your newborn session! When booked together the maternity session fee ($150 is waived).
We also offer a baby plan for baby’s first year:
For $3990 you get (savings of $1300):
Maternity Session
Newborn Session
Sitter Session
Cake Smash Session
40 image album including images from each session (average 10/session)
24x36 Framed Print or Canvas
brag book for each session
digital copies in color + b&w
PRODUCTS
Do you offer print products and wall art?
Yup! This is our specialty! We have sourced the best prints & products from around the world. These items are heirloom quality and will stand the test of time. They can be passed down generations and loved by all. We have several print mediums and sizes as well as folio boxes, albums and more! You can find details about our products by booking a consultation. You’ll get to see and touch and feel all the options and ask Emily as many questions as you’d like.
Do I get all the digitals?
This is a question I get a lot. LET ME BE CLEAR. You get the digitals you pay for. Every print purchase comes with a matching digital copy. Additional digitals can be added on to any print purchase at discounted rates. If you want only digitals they are $69/image and include color and b&w. I do not release/sell unedited images or discount all image galleries. My art is not completed without editing, and does not represent my work. The images you proof at your ordering appointment will be pre-edit images and will be finished to order. The digital is the most valuable part of your order because it is what we create the art with. We focus on printing as a tangible product but we understand the value of each individual piece of art we create for you, whether digital or print. We spend hours perfecting each image and making it represent our art as a whole! There is much value and many hours that go into each image before and after clicking a button to capture the perfect composition!
Where can I get birth announcements?
We offer Birth Announcement design for $30 for a double sided 5x7 design that you can print on your own or have us print. We also offer high-quality printed 5x7 cards with self-addressed envelopes in sets of 25 for $55/set. We’d love to create a design for you to match your style, decor and color scheme!