First off. Let me start by saying this blog post is IN NO WAY shaming families that have a max budget for photos (no matter what that budget is), saying that new photographers are not good enough or anything of the sorts. We all have our budgets, we all have different visions of the images we want in our home and for photographers, we all start somewhere. I respect ALL of these things, I’ve been ALL of those things. Honestly I’m just writing it hoping that even one person will read it and maybe think about things they haven’t before while looking for their photographer.
Next, the reason for my blog title: I see this exact thing posted on facebook multiple times a day. Things like “Why are newborn photographers so crazy expensive???” “I need a newborn photographer that isn’t going to break the bank.” “Can someone please recommend a photographer that doesn’t cost an arm and leg.” We’ve all said it about different things. I’m going to explain a little bit here, leave you with some facts about newborn photographers and hopefully help you find the best photographer for your needs!
I promise I won’t ramble (too much) on why Newborn Photographers are expensive. (The word ‘expensive’ is subjective enough.) And if you’re truly interested in the why, there are a zillion (Yup, a zillion) blog posts on why we charge what we do. Just google it! Long story short- You’re not just paying us to take pretty pictures. We are not pocketing $200, $400, $600 dollars off every shoot. TRUST ME! But, It is how we make a living. Just like you go take care of patients on a burn unit, or teach a class full of 25 first graders, check out families at the grocery store or work for NASA. What ever you do, you do to take care of your family. This is how we support our families (in my case, my 4 children!) {Random fact. over half the photographers I know have 4 children. It’s like the magic number for us or something.} We also pay monthly for editing software, insurance, gear upgrades, props, studio rent, the list is endless. My examples are probably barely touching the expenses every month. If you’re self employed you fully understand what I’m saying here. lol
But the big reason on why we cost an ‘arm and leg’ (in my opinion) is because we have training! Well, we should! We are confident in our skill. We know we are not going to accidentally put your brand new precious baby in a position that might not be the best for his breathing. We know how to watch a baby for cues that she might be uncomfortable. We don’t force babies into poses just because we want that shot. We know how to work with babies that may have broken a collar bone during birth, were breech, or came home on oxygen. We listen to the baby, watch their face, their body language, and their breathing to make sure they are fully ok, comfortable and safe in every single thing we do.
I can’t promise you enough that I’m not ‘tooting my own horn’ here. All I’m asking is that, before you ask for a photographer that is literally going to be responsible for your baby for 4 hours, and that you are putting 100% trust in, PLEASE know your photographer, ask some questions first, look through their portfolio (most are on Facebook or instagram now.) Talk to friends that have used them, and make sure their images are what your looking for 😉 { I personally refer out to other photographers in my area, that I know and trust if a client comes to me asking for a shot with her baby ‘in a princess carriage.’ I do this because this is not that style of photography I offer, and want the client to be 100% happy with the end result. So if we refer you to another photographer, It’s not because we don’t like you, it’s because we want you to like us and to help you meet your vision! 🙂 }
I hope this helps a little bit. There are SO many great photographers in Kansas City. Chances are, you won’t go wrong. A better way to word the question might be “Can anyone recommend a newborn photographer who is under $xxx) and has experience.” This way, you will automatically weed out any comments from photographers in the more expensive range while being specific in what you’re looking for.
Lastly, I’m going to add. IF you have a bad experience with a photographer (or any business) PLEASE do not turn and bash them or complain about them on social media. I think humans in general want to correct a wrong and make people happy, but probably not so much if you put it on the internet 😉
Lots of Love!!
Jessica
