Maternity/Newborn photos?

ErikandAfton · July 2016

Who's planning on doing these?

I have a friend I went to high school with who does photography and was offering a special. I booked both! Obviously the newborn will not be officially booked until he's born, but we are doing our maternity photos at 33 weeks on November 5th. She is only charging $250 for both and we get digital copies of all the photos! Now to break it to DH when he gets home

kbduke · July 2016

Good luck breaking it to DH! We booked a similar combo deal this week with the same maternity session date.

I have a question to those who have done maternity pictures before - are they worth it? I've had body image issues for most of my life and I'm not loving the way I look now. I'm concerned that I will just hate the maternity pictures. Any thoughts? I was thinking I might be able to switch out for like a 6 month session instead.

phoenix870509 · July 2016

My best friend and SIL are both photographers. We're asking them each to do 2 shoots for us. SIL is doing announcements (already done) and newborn. She's also taking some maternity for her portfolio. My best friend is doing the maternity and naming ceremony/baptism we are doing. We haven't talked prices with them yet but we are paying them (or in the case of my SIL paying for a subscription to an online get she plays)

cjt121413 · July 2016

We'll do newborns but not maternity. I feel like I have enough pics of me and DH, and I don't want to spend money on pics of me and/or me and DH with no kids in them.

karmba · July 2016

I'm not interested in maternity, at all - but I've been looking into newborn pictures. Most of what I've seen is $250 for an hour session and then everything else is a la carte - and that will add up fast. I'm debating getting a nice camera (which we want anyway) and doing it ourselves. I need to check with my hospital, but I think they have the option to do a few newborn shots before you leave. I just really really don't want to spend $500-750.

swhiddon33 · July 2016

I've just picked our photog who is offering a double package for maternity and newborn at $300. I'm so excited!

Gizmo1231 · July 2016

We will do newborn photos. I'm jealous of all the deals you are booking. We paid $1200 for newborn photos with DS and just booked the session for DS2 at $700 which I thought was a "steal"

ashleaf2018 · July 2016

I think there was another thread about this somewhere and I may contradict what I said then, but we've decided no maternity pictures other than the bump pics I take. We are going to splurge instead on an in-home newborn session, I think it lasts up to four hours. So they'll just take candids, and I think some posed pics, of FI and I with the baby in our new place. I'm really excited because we'll get some of us with the baby plus in baby's first home, so when he's older we'll always be able to show him where we lived. Plus I'm just not a fan of squishing newborns into weird poses, I'd rather have the candids of breast feeding and just living life with a new baby.

penelope4612 · July 2016

We're doing newborn photos and also a mini maternity session (15 mins, 10 pics). I am not sure I will want/like the maternity pics but I figure my best chance of having some flattering maternity pics is with a professional
photographer so I'm going for it. @Gizmo1231 - the photographer rates around here are similar, around $900 for newborn pics. I found someone for $700 who is an hour away and DH said no way are we taking a 1-2 week old an hour away and an hour back so we ended up booking someone closer.

scatherinem · July 2016

DH was into photography for a bit, and bought a super fancy camera that mostly collects dust these days. Now he thinks he's going to have that camera out 24/7 after the baby arrives and get professional-grade pictures. So we'll see how that goes...

My brother is getting married in October and I assume he'll have a professional photographer there, so whatever I happen to be photographed doing at the wedding will be my maternity pictures.

Edited for typos

LinziLoo09 · July 2016

No maternity photos for me. My mom used to be a professional children's photographer, so she'll do some newborn pictures for free, which is nice.

For all those doing maternity shoots, here are some GREAT ideas: https://worldwideinterweb.com/1733-the-50-most-awkward-pregnancy-portraits-ever/

Please do them and post them for me. Please. Like a lot.

jennbaylor12 · July 2016

I did a maternity and newborn shoot with DS. Not doing maternity this time around for sure, still deciding on newborn.....

zubenescamali · July 2016

Not doing maternity. I photograph awkwardly and don't know what I would do with a bump photo of me on the beach covered in a silk drape outside of posting it on FB. We will do the hospital newborn photos and probably the regular milestone photos as LO grows. Might get a bump shot when we do Christmas cards, but not if it looks too cheesy.

Mamax2 · July 2016

With DD, we did the hospital newborn photos, and spent right at $400. This time, I'll take my dslr and snap some, and we'll have a friend do some for us.

LoneStar21416 · July 2016

lurking from Jan 17. I like to check in on you guys since my due date is right after the new year

We're doing the same @penelope4612. I actually never thought I would want to do maternity photos, but now I do. I settled on a mini maternity plus newborns. My main motivation is that we don't have a lot of pictures of us together. We live far from family and our close friends, so most of the time it's just the two of us. Our "pictures" wind up being bad selfies. I hope we wind up liking them! Oh, and the prices here are definitely very steep. Very similar to what your describing. I probably could have found someone cheaper, but this photographer is established and came highly recommended. Figured it was worth it, especially since I was on the fence.

Lisa3379 · July 2016

Not doing maternity, but definitely need to look into newborn photos.

R0824H · July 2016

I'm looking into doing them (DH does not yet know he will be volun-told to do these lol) and they are $300 but the newborn session is included. I'm on the fence of how I feel about them: just pictures of DH and I? Yes but also its my first and I want to not regret getting them done. Looking at end of October maybe start of November

ErikandAfton · July 2016

@R0824H
That's exactly why we are doing them. This is our first and I don't want to look back and wish I had done them. Dh is a little like why are we spending money on this but if if that's really what you want fine.

bren9019 · July 2016

I am a professional photographer and will do my own maternity and newborn photos. I am going to use the tripod. I am extremely self conscious and am ALWAYS behind the camera but this is my first and last baby so I feel like I would regret it if I did not document it. Even if I am the only one who sees them. As for newborn photos if I was not a photographer I would for sure get them done professionally. I wish everyone would get nice pics of their new babies as they are only that small and fresh for such a short amount of time.

princesslockness · July 2016

H and I took lots of pictures as we saw cute or new natural poses. We have probably 200 pics from before l was 3 weeks old. To us it isn't worth it to get newborn pics with how many we take.

crystalmir91385 · July 2016

I didn't do maternity the first time, and won't this time either. Our hospital offers a newborn package with a local studio. They come in the day after delivery and do about 20-30 mins of photos. They are actually pretty good. It was a fee of $125 for the disc with all photos.
Otherwise, since I am due the 1st, we will probably do a family shoot and use that for Christmas cards/announcements.

emisi · July 2016

I booked a photographer for our newborn photos, she's good and reasonable, as opposed to the amazing photographer that I fell in love with that charges OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS for the sitting fee and 10 digital images! Insane.

Kacie209 · August 2016

I have my maternity shoot booked already, for some time in October. I'm doing newborn with the same gal after the baby arrives. Her maternity is considered a "mini" session, and it's 25 minutes. Her newborn is more lifestyle and can range between 1-2 hours in our home. For both, it was $500 (maternity $175 and newborn #325). All edited images on a disc, and all rights, which is nice. She does packages for 3, 6, 9, and 12 months that I may look into, too.

We're actually having some others done this weekend as I won a credit from our wedding photographer around Thanksgiving last year that needed to be used by August. It's a 45 min. session for about $150 or so. I plan to use this weekends as more of a "we're having a boy!" session... with some props. All edited images on a disc and all rights.

DH is not thrilled with either as he hates pictures, but whatever. I know they're not necessary, but I want them done. We did some cheap engagement shoot with a cousin of his BIL's, and I wish we would have done one with our wedding photographer instead... the pics were OK. Out of 20, I liked maybe 2-3. So, I feel that this kind of makes up for it.

jenlynne0624 · August 2016

It's 400 for me to use the same girl for maternity and newborn photos. I really want the maternity since this is our last baby and I want to document, professionally, one more session of just the three of us. Those would be used for Christmas cards and taken at some point in October. Newborn pictures early Dec since I'm due the sixth but will probably deliver early. I'm debating on having someone else take the maternity pictures if dh isn't willing to shell out 400 for all of the pictures.

cgss11 · August 2016

We're just gonna use the ones from the hospital. A friend said it was around $150 for 8 images.

I really, really wanted to do newborn pics, but they start around $500 in my area and with buying a house and moving and painting said house, I just don't think it's in the budget.

Amecsey · August 2016

@cgss11 i totally forgot about the hospital pics, that's a great idea!

I am not going to put too much stress on myself, considering it's Christmas season with extended family in town, and I'm pretty sure the first few weeks are going to be a blur as I figure out how to survive, so I may actually give my mom or sister some money and just have them take care of the announcements so I don't have to think about it.

Kacie209 · August 2016

@Amecsey That's a great idea to have announcements sent by someone other than you, with everything else going on at that time.

I always do Christmas photo cards, and am thinking of sending those out at the start of December (already getting ideas of what to do so they're easier to order), hoping baby waits until closer to his due date. That way they're sent out, and include some of the maternity pics we've done on them. Then can wait until after the New Year to send out the birth announcement - which I also started looking at already on various websites.

swhiddon33 · September 2016

Old thread revival time!

Our photos are on 10/8 at 5pm outside in what I FREAKING HOPE will be more Fall-like weather finally.

My GF is a LulaRoe lady and sent me three dresses to try. I can't decide which one, if any, is my choice. Would love your opinions.

sammyl1221 · September 2016

I like the first two! The second one is def more fall-ish.

squiddy224 · September 2016

@swhiddon33, that's the date we're doing ours too! I'm REALLY hoping the weather is going to cooperate because we have them planned for outside (at an orchard - our photographer's idea, which I loved!) and don't really have a contingency plan. I was hoping we would have some nice fall colors, but with the summer being so hot and dry, the leaves around here (central Pennsylvania) haven't been changing much - or they're going straight to brown.

I like all three of those dresses (and your bump looks so cute!) Maybe figure out which one will work best with your setting for the pictures? I'm doing two outfits, a long maxi dress and a sweater and jeans. DH asked if he needed to change clothes too, so I'm guessing he'll do something simple (like a polo shirt and khakis or jeans) that will look good with both of my outfits.

swhiddon33 · September 2016

@sammyl1221 thank you! That's what I thought too!

@squiddy224 gah. If even PA isn't Falling it up, no way GA will be. Rawr. I didn't think about whether we have an outfit change or not. I may also consider something else hmmmm. Thanks! Here's hoping our weather cooperates.

penelope4612 · September 2016

@swhiddon33 - I would ask your photographer. Sometimes they say plainer clothes photograph better than patterned ones.

ErikandAfton · September 2016

@swhiddon33
I love the first one, but the second is more fallish.

Our picutres ares scheduled for the last weekend in October. I'm doing a dress similar to that but it's an olive green with a light black striping through out. I think Dh is wearing khakis and a burgundy polo.

dmontgo · September 2016

@swhiddon33 I think the second one is more "Fall" and the pattern isn't as loud as the first one. My photographer said if one of us wears a pattern, the other should wear solid colors; otherwise it looks a bit jumbled. But definitely ask her just in case--I'm sure it will be fine though.

Kacie209 · September 2016

We had our second pics done this past weekend. I was worried as some trees have turned and others are still super green and I REALLY wanted Fall colors. But, the spot the photographer picked had a good amount of both so I think we're OK. However, it was windy... and humid. Holy humid. I woke up around 8 (pics were at 10:30) and it was already 65 outside. I was thinking it would be a little cooler, but nope.

I still wore a purple shirt, mustard cardigan, black leggings and boots. DH had a s/s navy shirt on... great fall colors! I ran errands later that day and felt overly dressed compared to what others were wearing, but didn't feel like changing clothes.

We almost did them October 8, as well, but have something going on that day already so this last weekend was her only other opening in town. Now I wait to see how they turned out, being almost 29 weeks at the time and my bump being there but not really there.

temmetime · September 2016

I have a decent camera and am going to have my sister snap a few for us on a nice fall evening during the golden hour. I don't think I'll want a lot of maternity pictures because, like others have mentioned, I'll want to decorate more with pictures with our kids in them. I've been researching a good amount on how to get some flattering shots. 1 or 2 is all we really want for documentation purposes.. I hope we can get those few because I'm not feeling exactly... sexy.

As far as newborn goes, I'm kind of looking forward to exploring my camera some more and will *try* to take my own. Family members always want me to take pics for them but my newborn experience is literally zilch and I just don't absolutely LOVE taking pics of people. I have a feeling that I'll go nuts with my own child A small part of me just hopes that the in laws don't take this as "oh, temmetime would just LOVE to take free pictures for us all the time!" as they have sort of done in the past.

brittnic86 · September 2016

I don't know. I can't decide. Seeing as this will likely be my only pregnancy, part of me feels like I should. But then it's just something else to spend money on...to have to try to get DH to not go to work so he can be there. I do have a very nice camera, tripod, and a wireless shutter release...I could do them myself...

Kacie209 · September 2016

@brittnic86 That's why I am doing them... as I don't know if this will be our only child, or if we'll try for another. Plus, I like memories like this whereas DH could care less (take a pic inside your head instead... he always says). I paid for both sessions we did, and for the upcoming newborn pics that was a package with our most recent ones. I also didn't spend as much as we could have, s I justify it that way.

penelope4612 · September 2016

@brittnic86 - look around, a lot of photographers around here are offering fall mini sessions for discounted rates (they are like 15 mins, you get about 10 photos). I figure I really don't need 100 photos of me pregnant (especially for tons of $$), but I'd like to have a few nice photos of me to remember this time by, so we're doing a mini session. Also, although it's obviously nice to have some photos of you and DH, I wouldn't think it would be that weird if you just went by yourself if he couldn't make it. Maternity photos are all about mom and her belly IMO.

Kacie209 · September 2016

Also @brittnic86, along the lines of what @penelope4612 said... our session on Saturday was 20 minutes and was considered a mini session. It was quick! She said we'd still get 30-40 pics, which I think is plenty. And this time, it was only us... no props. The one we did before that was 45 minutes or so, and we got about 60ish pics. In that one, I had a onesie that said "Baby M coming December 2016", some little boy shoes, and a sign that said "It's a Boy" since that shoot was for publicly announcing what we're having.

A part of me thinks I should have used the props again, but wanted more of just us since I knew it was shorter.

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