6 Challenges Nobody Warned Me About Newborn Photography

While there seems to be photographers on every corner, it takes truly special person to be a newborn photographer.  Before I decided to be a newborn photographer, I was shooting EVERYTHING!  Weddings, baptisms, children, adults, pets, you name it, I was shooting it!  This doesn’t work for me now, but it was great in the beginning.  I was doing anything to keep my camera in my hand.  I wasn’t happy with my “day” job as a retail manager, so at least in my spare time I was doing something I enjoyed.

As I stalked different photographers and browsed Pinterest for ideas, I would fall in love with newborns.  They were sleeping, not moving and just so darn cute!! I could do that!  I shot my first ‘newborn’ in July of 2014 and it did not go like I intended.  Riley screamed the ENTIRE time! Like the ENTIRE time!! 

I spent from July to December learning newborn photography.  I watched every YouTube video I could find and spent countless hours reading blogs.  I finally picked up on how to shoot newborns, but out of all that research, there were so much still to learn.  Here are the challenges I wish I knew about newborn photography before I started!

1.) Naked Babies = Accidents

This may be a little naive on my part, but I didn’t put two and two together with this one.  How do you keep the babies naked and not pee on your stuff???  Well, that is untrue.  Those little babes will pee on all your stuff.  They will pee on you.  They will pee on the floor!  If you want those adorable naked baby shots, you will have to expect to get peed on… and even worse, poo-ed on!  This is a risk we take as newborn photographers.  Call it a work hazard, but you do not have to take the diaper off to get great shots!!  If I know I am going to be covering up their bum in the shot I have planned, I keep the diaper off.  This is just my personal opinion.  Some photographers prefer to shoot without a diaper the whole time.  That choice is up to you! 

So what do you do when a babe soils your props?? Well, I NEVER buy anything that cannot be cleaned at home.  I love shopping for beanbag blankets/backdrops at Home Goods and TJMaxx.  But, BE CAREFUL!  Some really cute ones may be “Dry Clean Only.”  NOPE!  Sorry, but I don’t have the time or money for that!!  After every session, my props get washed.  Not everything can be put in the washer, so I hand wash everything.  If you have something that cannot be washed regularly, then I recommend only using it with a diaper.  However, even if you always use a diaper, please remember to wash your blankets and props as often as possible!

2.) The Working Conditions

Another challenge I didn’t think of was naked babies equal cold babies!!  Just imagine, you spent the last 9 months inside a room that was a constant 98 degrees.  Now, you step outside and it is only 70 degrees outside.  I bet you would be cranky at how cold it was!  That is how these babes feel, so I like to keep my studio warm…. LIKE VERY WARM!  My thermostat is turned up to about 82 degrees AND I have a portable heater next to me and the beanbag.  I am usually a sweaty mess within an hour of the session.  This is why I work with my hair up, with a headband and a tank top!

So, not only am I a sweaty mess, I am hunched over for two or more hours!  I never knew how physically exhausting a newborn session was until after my first “real” one.  Sessions fly by for me and I am not complaining at all, but they are A LOT of work.  I am usually the one handling the baby for most of the session, shushing, rocking, soothing the babe.  Of course I am sneaking in all the snuggles I can get, but I am also tiring to get this babe to settle and go into a deep sleep.  Even once they are asleep, it can take a few minutes to get the babe into the right position.  I take my time to ensure the babe’s safety and comfort.  I get so into a zone that I don’t realize I have been crouched down in a catcher’s position for over 30 minutes and I don’t feel the pain until after the session is over.  This year, I plan to use a yoga ball to sit on when soothing babes!  Let’s hope it works!   

3.) All the Photoshop

Oh my goodness!!! Look, someone put a baby into a glass jar with candy it!! Wow, a baby on a motorcycle!!!  I can’t believe that baby is able to hold their head up in their hands like that!!

NO…. NO…. NO!!!

None of this is true.  Please, I beg with cherries on top, research newborn composites before diving into newborns.  You’ll be surprised what the power of Photoshop can do!!  If you see an image and think to yourself, how is that possible, it was probably Photoshop.  The biggest secret of newborn photography is composites and I believe it needs to be exposed!  When I was first starting out, I thought it was perfectly acceptable to place a baby in a box.  I didn’t know any better because it was not talked about.  Not only that, I didn’t think to make sure there was a weight at the bottom of every prop.  Newborn safety is very important to me and I plan to share how I do all my composites.  The easiest way I can explain it is that I take two different pictures and merge them together.  Here is an example of how I use photoshop to create an image: 

Please, I beg with cherries on top, research newborn composites before diving into newborns.

Another challenge that comes with newborn photography is baby acne.  Yep, red bumps EVERYWHERE!  You would never know, because I remove most of them in Photoshop.  Dry flakey skin, stork kisses, back hair all are removed in editing.  Of course, I ask the parents how much editing they want removed.  For portrait images, I edit the baby to have really smooth skin.  However, for detail shots, like baby toes, I like to leave the flakes.  I believe some of those small details are what makes shooting newborns so special!  The flakes and bumps disappear and they are no longer your newborn!

I use frequency separation to edit my babe’s skin.

4.) Getting Parents to Trust Us

I’m not sure if this comes from being so young, or not having any kids of my own, but one challenge no one really talks about is getting parents to trust us.  This is especially true when first starting out.  Experienced photographers can show a portfolio of newborns to gain trust, but what about the beginner?  How am I suppose to convince this first time mother to hand over her baby to me?  My answer would be two different types of education.  The first one would be education in yourself.  Learn everything there is to know about newborn photography.  Then, let your clients know about the newborn safety classes or videos you are watching.  Attend a workshop or see if another photographer will allow you to shadow a session with them.  They might not allow you to take any images, but you can see what really goes on behind the scenes.  Stress to the experienced photographer that you really want to nail newborn safety and want to see how it is done.  She might respect that allow you to tag along for a session!  It’s worth a try, right??  The other type of education is educating your clients.  Make sure you are letting your clients know what goes on during a session!  Tell them you will be handling the baby, but they will be there the whole time!  I let my clients know they can sit back and relax during their session; I’m giving them a break!  (I’ve had some clients take a nap during their sessions!  Now that is trust! haha) 

Trust takes time, don’t forget that.  But once you gain the trust of your clients, the sky’s the limit!

5.) Patience

What truly makes a good newborn photographer is their patience and confidence.  Like trust, confidence comes with time.  However, even the beginners needs to have patience.  I’m not talking taking a deep breath patience, I’m talking about holding everything in and keeping calm for three to four hours patience.  Newborn sessions can take two to four hours and you don’t know how long your session will take until it’s over!  Newborns can feel your emotions.  If you get frustrated and start to panic that this babe will not stop screaming, the baby can sense that.  The key is to remain calm and keep your cool; easier said than done, right??  If the baby is screaming, the mom is probably starting to worry and some even get embarrassed.  Reassure her that it is not her fault and the baby runs this show!  I always keep that in the back of my mind…. I am NOT the boss of this session.  I really think that is what helps me get through a session.  Not everyone has that type of patience, and honestly not everyone can be a newborn photographer.  Take the time to really imagine yourself in that situation and think if you can remain professional in that type of situation.  That is the true test of a newborn photographer!

6.) No Respect

The last challenge is a personal one for me.  Not everyone will experience this, but it really hits home to me.  When I first started my photography journey, I found a few groups of fellow photographers that were all about “Community over Competition.”  In 2014, these group of photographers truly helped me in growing my business and never judged me for my stupid questions.  This group was mostly made up of wedding photographers and helped with a lot of the backend portions of my business.  However, they do not look at studio newborn photography the same way the look at weddings.  I am not sure if it because they are uneducated in newborns and do not realize the amount of work to accomplish one image.  Irregardless, I feel as if our niche receives little respect in the industry as a whole.  I am making it my mission to bring awareness to what we as newborn photographers do and we are just as important as wedding photographers!  I could go on forever about this subject, but I am going to stop here so my keyboard doesn’t get me in trouble!

If you are just starting your photography journey and aren’t sure which direction you want to head, I hope these challenges I wish I knew when I was first starting out, are helpful.  Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!  I am here to help!