Newborn photography is now a popular lifestyle choice for many new parents. As the genre has become more popular in the UK in recent years, after first becoming en vogue in America, families throughout the country are now generating an unprecedented demand, which has, in turn, led to an increasing number of photographers offering a newborn photography service. Let me help you with choosing your newborn photographer.
Yet, when it comes to choosing your newborn photographer – someone in whom they are to trust handling and manoeuvring their precious just-born baby – it can undoubtedly prove difficult to decide who to choose. Should they select solely on price? Or are there other factors to consider?
Since there is currently no official qualification that a photographer offering a newborn photography service needs to achieve, unfortunately, the industry is, in effect, unregulated. To put it bluntly, anyone with a camera could potentially claim to be a newborn photography professional, and I can say for certain that there are many very unprofessional, inexperienced people doing just that!
It genuinely frightens me to think of how these so-called ‘professional’ newborn photographers must be posing the newborn babies presented to them. Without any professional training whatsoever, and therefore without having learnt the essential skills of how to safely pose babies, photographers are out there trying out baby poses and positioning these young children in potentially dangerous ways. And all the while, the unwitting parents are none the wiser to the danger that they have put their babies in since they’ve probably never had newborn photos taken before, and they’ve trusted and believed the claims of the ‘professional’ photographer without question. Even looking at a photographers portfolio can be misleading, there are stock images you can buy or unscrupulous photographers will actually just use other photographers photos and pass them off as their own. This very thing has happened to me more than once, sadly there are people out there happy to make a fast buck.
I believe there’s also huge concern about those newborn photographers who are promising a photo session and photos cheap some as low as £20! In my view, such a price can only reflect the fact that the photographer is sub-standard and potentially unsafe posing your baby.
Ideally all newborn photographers would adhere to a professional code of conduct that is designed to safeguard babies and their parents. My hope is that in time, organisations such as the Baby and Newborn Photography Association (BANPAS) will be able to make this a reality.
I’ll undoubtedly blog about this topic again in the future as this subject is one very close to my heart and there is so much more to say. In the mean time I’d love to hear your opinions, and to learn what factors made you choose your newborn photographer, whether you used me or someone else. Please comment and I look forward to reading your responses.
Until next time,
Karen x