The Fun and Creativity of Newborn Photography

Like I said in my interview yesterday, newborn photography is not my sole source of income, but it is probably the most lucrative portion of my business and by far the most fun and rewarding.
I’ll admit I wasn’t always a baby whisperer.  Ten years ago, the thought of photographing a newborn would have made me run the other way.  The thing I didn’t know is that photography calms me and I think newborns sense that.  They are very intuitive even in their first days of life.  Also, having my own children now gives me much more insight in how to photograph them.
To me, everything about photography is about conveying an emotion, telling a story or just something wacky that creates a feeling.  Here are just a few of my favorite images and the thought process behind them.
This shot probably illustrates my sense of humor.  It wasn’t a planned shot.  But that is another aspect I love about the creative part of photography.  You might go to a house or a location and something just catches your eye; it then becomes, “How do I make this work?”

In this photo, I wanted to capture the sweetness of the little girl.  Her mom designs costumes and is a performer. She made these little butterfly wings to match a costume of her own. We love using props.

This pose is one of the more advanced poses.  I always have an assistant or sometimes even a mom or dad help me.  Parents often enjoy being in the “production” of the photo shoot.

Incorporating a sibling is not always the easiest.  I’m not beneath bribes and will often hide one of the older siblings “special treats” around the baby. In this picture, we were trying to get him to kiss the baby’s head.

Lastly, I love themes as well as props.  Anything I see that will fit a baby, I buy it!

Being a newborn photographer is not really a job for me. I can’t think of a better way to spend each and every day doing something that I would probably do for free (shhh! Don’t tell my clients that!).
I made six figures in my first year of photography.  But what is the most important aspect of this business is that it works no matter what stage of life I am in.  I just recently had a new baby.  Unfortunately I was really sick at the beginning and had to take off almost 10 weeks.  Then, after I had him, I took off another 10 weeks.  My clients all knew and understood. And, for those who didn’t have a “timely” shoot, they all waited for me.
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