I want to share my tips in finding that perfect newborn photographer. You will treasure these photos for years to come, so it pays to invest time and energy in finding the right photographer.
All photos of Maxi and Mia have been captured by Andrea Dedik Photography.
PLAN ahead
If you want those sleepy baby photos, you need to take photos of your baby before he is 10 days old. Ideally between 7-10 days old. This is when they are at their sleepiest and easiest to move around, which means:
a) you have to book the photographer in early and
b) you need to do your research before baby arrives.
I started researching photographers when I was 5 months pregnant and had booked in Andrea Dedik Photography when I was close to 7 months pregnant.
DECIDE what kind of photos you want
There is two newborn photography styles, natural or pose (which is the photos of Maxi). I knew I wanted posed photos. Natural photos I can get my husband to capture – which he did when Maxi was first born. I wanted a photographer to create those “Ahhhh” and “Awww” moments when they capture photos of our newborn. Once you have decided what type of photos you want, then you can target the right photographer.
WHAT is your budget
Newborn photographers can charge anywhere between $150-$1000’s of dollars. I have found that on the cheaper end you will come across photographers usually doing natural style photography. If you look at the posed styled photographers, they are usually charging $350+. This completely makes sense because posed styled photography is much harder work as I have witnessed myself first hand when Maxi had his photos taken. Andrea Dedik Photography not only had a ton of props and accessories that she supplies as part of the photo shoot, but she also spends a lot of time setting up the poses and settling the baby (Maxi was super unsettled that day!) so they definitely work to get that perfect shot. Setting your budget will also help you in shortlisting the right photographer.
WHERE to start looking
You can use Google, Instagram and Pinterest to look for a newborn photographer. Also if you have friends that can make recommendations, that’s always a good start. Head to their website and check out their gallery of newborn babies and start shortlisting the photos you love and want recreated for your own baby. I found that Andrea Dedik Photography’s gallery had a great range of different newborn photos using a variety of props, accessories and plenty of set ups for both boys and girls. This gives me a really good idea of the type of photos I would like and also know that Andrea has a variety of options and it’s not just the same kind of photos.
MAKE sure they are vaccinated
Yes! Make sure your photographer is vaccinated to be able to handle your newborn baby. Photographers usually state this on their website, but if they don’t, make sure you ask them before you proceed.
CONTACT them
Email or call them but by all means, get in contact with your photographer once you have shortlisted a couple to get a feel for them. It’s also good at this point to see if you can read any reviews that might be on Google, their Facebook page or in the comment section of their Instagram/Pinterest pages. I made contact with Andrea Dedik Photography by email and found her to be very responsive, courteous, forthcoming with information, professional and just a pleasure to deal with. This made my decision to go ahead with her that much easier.
PHOTO shoot day
The day of your photo shoot should be an exciting one for all. It was not only our chance to get photos of our baby, but we also want photos of Mia with her baby brother and then a couple of photos of us a new family of 4. The photo shoot usually takes anywhere between 3 – 4 hours. Be prepared for anything and everything at the photo shoot (like an unsettled baby or the baby peeing on the props!) BUT the best thing was that Andrea assured me that these things happen when working with babies and that I didn’t have to stress about it and that she would get some great photos regardless (which she certainly did!)
BE prepared to fall in love
With your photos! If you have gone through the above process and had a great experience during the photo shoot, then when you receive your photos you should have that heart melting moment when you see the photos of you gorgeous little bundle for you to keep forever. My heart melting moment was when Andrea Dedik Photography captured that beautiful moment between 2 siblings especially of Mia kissing Maxi. I couldn’t be happier with my photos and the wonderful experience I had with Andrea Dedik Photography. If you’re based in Sydney, I wouldn’t hesitate in a heartbeat in booking her in for your newborn photoshoot.
Photos were taken in collaboration with Andrea Dedik Photography.