Newborn photography?

stasianary · October 2010

Did any of you get professional newborn photography taken?

I'm on the fence. I really like how some of the images come out (on websites) but I feel like it's a lot of money.

What are your opinions about it? Do you have any recommendations? I'm not even sure how much a "reasonably priced" photographer is.

Also, did you send out professional baby announcements?

inamra · October 2010

Nope and nope. We had invested in a good DSLR before LO was born, so we just put that into good use and took our own pictures. I also made our own baby announcements and printed them on my photo printer. I also used the same paper (I got them from Joann's on sale + coupon) to make envelope liners that matched the announcement. We saved a lot of $ by going this route...

myday1708 · October 2010

Yes and yes. I splurged. I'm glad I did because the photos came out great and are displayed in our home. However, it was very expensive. I have since found a more affordable photographer who we have used a couple times since then... Keep in mind that you don't want to blow all your cash on a newborn photo shoot because as they get older, they get cuter and cuter and you'll want more photos taken then too!

MrsNicole&Brian808 · October 2010

We ruled out doing professional maternity and newborn photos early on because MH was unemployed and I just couldn't justify the added cost. We have some camera gear and will try to do our own amateur newborn photos. We also have some photography enthusiast friends who have offered to take photos for us. We'll see.

You might be able to find an up & coming photographer who's willing to do discounted photos to build up their portfolio, but I don't have any leads for you.

I plan to DIY announcements and will probably just get them printed at Costco, which is what I did for our wedding thank you photo collage. It was cheap and worked out well for us.

redshoegirl · October 2010

No on the pro photography - it just wasn't in the budget. We did, however, buy a nice camera (Nikon D90) since I've been steadily getting more and more into photography, and it's been nice to have to document them as they get older.

Nicole mentioned trying to find a photographer who is building their portfolio, and that's not a bad idea. Perhaps try Craigslist or the photography department of the local university? (

I designed our own announcements and printed them on oversized double sided postcards through vistaprint - waaaaay cheaper than getting professional ones done and I loved the way they turned out. Smile

Nicole...might the "photography enthusiast friends" be a certain knottie/nestie/bumpie that we all know and love? Wink

MrsNicole&Brian808 · October 2010

redshoegirl:
Nicole...might the "photography enthusiast friends" be a certain knottie/nestie/bumpie that we all know and love?

Lol..No, actually. Brian's co-worker/friend takes photos for our local newspaper. He offered to do newborn photos for us, but he's such a busy guy that I don't know if/when he'd be able to get the photos to us! We're still waiting on the photos he took at our shower. Stick out tongue I think I'll see what we can do on our own and save our friend for plan B. We have a decent tripod and external flash so I'm hoping we can get some photos of the 3 of us together.

redshoegirl · October 2010

MrsNicole&Brian808:
redshoegirl:
Nicole...might the "photography enthusiast friends" be a certain knottie/nestie/bumpie that we all know and love?
Lol..No, actually. Brian's co-worker/friend takes photos for our local newspaper. He offered to do newborn photos for us, but he's such a busy guy that I don't know if/when he'd be able to get the photos to us! We're still waiting on the photos he took at our shower. I think I'll see what we can do on our own and save our friend for plan B. We have a decent tripod and external flash so I'm hoping we can get some photos of the 3 of us together.

So much for my investigation skills lol.

Well even if he's a plan B, you still have a pretty good plan A!

BTW, do you have a coming home outfit for him yet? I'd like to submit this for consideration (I'd also be open to this, this or one of these two for a Halloween theme).

lelekay · October 2010

We did, but I looked on Craig's List and found a photographer who worked out of her home, and would do a one-hour shoot for $95, which included edited 40 images on CD (no prints, but we did that at Walgreen's). It was a great deal, and I'm glad we did it, though I wouldn't have paid much more than that. Most pro photogs in our area started at $500, and most didn't even include a CD, just a few prints.

Married2MrWright · October 2010

Yes and no(ish)...we did get pro pics done when LO was 10 days old...I then used those pics to create an annoucement that I had printed on 5x7 glossy postcards via www.overnightprints.com for $24 for 50. I printed them double-sided and then put them in white envelopes that I got from Michael's Craft Store.

That said our photog is not that pricey...we paid $240 for 40 edited images on disc with rights...the session was $100 but we got a $150 credit because we won her "first baby of the year" contest. We also did her "Baby Bundle" for $100 + prints/images. So we get a session at 3-6-9-12 months and then just buy whatever images we want. We always just get edited digital hi-res JPEGs with rights...10 for $195 and then print our own. She threw in our mat session for free since she was trying to build her bump portfolio.

My advice? Find someone who doesn't charge and arm and a leg, but who is good. There are many up-and-coming photogs out there who aren't as established who are more flexibile in their pricing. GL! For me, it was so worth it and I am glad that we've made this investment...they change SO fast in babyhood and I am glad we've captured it as much as we can!

mrspresley · October 2010

yes we got prof photos done...we got a package that included newborn, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 month sessions...and included w/that was custom announcements, prints, a story board, and a flush mount album. it was kind of a no brainer to go w/the pkg since it was so much cheaper than each indiv. component even though i could have done DIY announcements, album, etc

i've since learned a little bit more about photography and can get some good shots of her on my own but do like the prof photos so i can get some pics of her w/me since i am always behind the camera

personally i think the newborn photos (prof or not) are really impt b/c they are soooo tiny and cute and will never be the same again i agree that you can find some great photographers if you find out who is up and coming and trying to develop their portfolio.

don't forget to also document your baby's growth at home with the stickers from pickysticky.com

lola808 · October 2010

We did our own newborn photos. DH looked up how-tos on various websites and we put up our own backgrounds, played with props and did major editing on the Mac, which was what really transformed them into professional-like images. We love our pics and have zero regrets. We're way too frugal to pay someone else for photos, so this was the right choice for us.

vanilla15 · October 2010

we did do newborn photos, but we didn't pay a lot for them. I wasn't willing to pay an arm & a leg for maternity photos, but I would have done it if I had to for newborn. Luckily I found an up & comer who was willing to do both for free to build her portfolio. (but some of the photographers I found wanted as much as I paid for my wedding photos! I think newborn pics are important, but some of the prices...in my opinion...were out of control)

SanHawaii08 · October 2010

we will be doing pro maternity and newborn photos. I don't really feel the need for lots of maternity photos, i just want 1-2 good ones, but the package for both was only a bit more than for just the newborn shoot - and those are the ones I really want Smile

i too, found an "up and comer" who charges very reasonable prices - we're paying $150 for both sessions, and 40-60 edited images on CD. we'll be making our own birth announcements.

since our maternity session has been rescheduled a few times due to weather, i went ahead and had a friend take some photos for us last weekend - i haven't seen them yet, but i think at least some of them will turn out well!

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