Being a Newborn photographer is an incredibly rewarding profession. The thing I love most about being a photographer in Berkshire are the people and families I get to work with. But, being a Newborn photographer does require a unique set of skills for me to be successful.
From understanding Newborn safety concerns to mastering editing techniques, here are some of the skills I’ve had to acquire, learn or perfect to become one of Berkshire’s leading Newborn and baby photographer’s.
Newborn Safety
It is vital your Newborn photographer has taken part in safety training and understands the importance of safety! This is one of the biggest parts for me in this profession, which is why my photography purely focuses on just babies and children. Safety includes being able to pose your baby correctly and the understanding of how to handle delicate Newborn’s to ensure their comfort and safety. This comes from working with so many babies over the years, where I get to know each baby individually and understand their body movement to determine which poses to place them into. Even using props requires knowledge and awareness. If you have booked a session in with me, you will notice I am very particular with placing of hands and fingers! This is such an important part too, ensuring baby always has fingers placed correctly around props, and hands placed under their chin, not neck to allow their flow of breathing!
People skills
Working with Newborn’s requires a lot of patience and attention, something every person I meet tells me is the quality I have. Add this to the fact I work closely with new parents who might be feeling fragile or emotional - those hormones run wild in the first week or two! A great Newborn photographer is sensitive to this and is completely led by baby. The first part of my session is getting to know my clients as soon as they arrive to their session. I explain how the session is going to work and talk about what I am doing as we go through the session, to give them extra reassurance. For me, I want my new parents, especially mummy’s, to sit back and enjoy some rest during my sessions, where they do not have to do anything!
Technical Photography Skills
I need to have great technical skills with my camera for sure. But understanding lighting, composition, and exposure are also all vital to be skilled in Newborn portraiture. Photography has always been a passion of mine, something I have studied for many years in different industries and events. I have trained with a professional Newborn Photographer, learning the correct safety, attention and details I need and have continued to perfect these skills with regular training to ensure your baby is in perfectly safe hands.
Editing skills
In addition to taking great photos, a good Newborn photographer should also be skilled in post-processing techniques to enhance and refine the images. This includes the ability to remove temporary blemishes caused by nappies or clothing, correct colors and retouch photos. My images never need much editing. I always work hard to ensure that parents can view their images as RAWS, straight from my memory card after their session. Some parents do wish to do this, then choose their final images for me to retouch/edit. I am skilled using Lightroom and Photoshop for the editing process.
Confidence with Newborn’s
Newborn’s require a special kind of care and attention and a good Newborn photographer should have confidence and experience with Newborn’s. Being able to keep your Newborn comfortable and calm means everybody has a wonderful experience in my studio. This is something that every parent recognises when they visit my studio, which I call my ‘magic touch’. This is the most rewarding part for me, being able to understand babies and how to settle/soothe them. I am always asked “do you get any difficult babies?’” and the answer is no. 99.9% of the time (touch wood) my sessions run smoothly with babies feeling relaxed and comfortable, which is what we need to achieve beautiful portraits.
Creativity and flexibility
This is often the difference between an average Newborn photographer and a great one. Great Newborn photographers should be able to think creatively and come up with unique ideas for each photoshoot. They should also be flexible and able to adjust to changing circumstances during the shoot, such as a fussy baby or changing lighting conditions. Most photographers that offer a Newborn or baby service, also offer many other photography services too that may include; weddings, events, lifestyle etc. I believe that by focusing entirely on just ‘Newborn and Babies’ I am able to fully understand children and share my passion and creativity in achieving wonderful shots. This also comes with having a background of working with children for over 10 years in a Nursery & Pre-School setting.
Professionalism
I take pride in my professionalism. I’m reliable, will always answer your emails and calls as quickly as I can and I will deliver your stunning final portraits in a timely manner. This is definitely not a 9-5 job. I work extremely hard editing until very late to ensure my turn around in receiving your gallery is within 1-2 weeks after your session. Not to mention, hand-washing props, accessories, wraps and backdrops after each use/session which is vital, participating in regular up-to-date training and keeping up with marketing. I have such a passion for my job, it really is the best job in the world!
I love being skilled in all of these different areas. They each play their part in allowing me to create beautiful, high-quality portraits of your Newborn baby. If you’d like to browse my gallery, you can find it here https://www.minimemsphotography.co.uk
Thank you for reading x
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