Learning All about Me and my Business

Tell us more about yourself. How did you get into this business?

Photography has always been a love of mine.  I have always been the one everyone calls to make sure I’m bringing my camera to any family function.  I always wanted to capture every moment of life when my kids were little.  So when my youngest started school I really started getting serious about it.  And then really by accident I got into photographing newborns and children.  It’s a perfect fit for me because I love children. I want to keep every baby that comes through my door.  I have met some of the most wonderful families thru this business.   It’s such a rewarding feeling to give parents adorable images that they will cherish for years to come.  I love being a part of each of those important moments.  I’ve been photographing babies and families since 2009 and I truly love what I do.

We’ve heard you have an insane amount of props and accessories parents can borrow. Is that true?

I have a problem with props.  I have way too many.  I’ve been collecting them for so long now that I’ve really have just about everything.  I love adding in that special little item for my sessions.  But I also like to keep things simple when I’m photographing newborns and children.  I want parents to be able to look at their images in 10 years and see what their child looked like…not see a silly hat.  The focus should always be on that cute babe.  

How old should a baby be for a newborn photography shoot?

I always get the best images right around the 7-10 day old mark.  Older than 14 days they don’t sleep as well and it’s still very doable but it becomes more challenging.  I have photographed babies as old as 25 days old and still love the results.  Many Mom’s are so overwhelmed after the birth of a baby, pictures just aren’t something they think about until later.  So I tend have a few Mom’s contacting me around the 4-6 week mark.  Babies of that age are photographed a bit differently and I always love what we get from sessions like that.  My favorite thing is to see my newborns back at the 6-12 month age.  They smile, they laugh or sometimes they just stare at me with big eyes like “who is this crazy lady singing at me Mom?”  I love that I get to see how they’ve grown and changed from the newborn stage.

Are all those cute poses we see safe for the baby? 

The safety of my newborn clients is absolutely No. 1 priority for me.  I never will put a baby into something unsafe.  The poses you see on my website are always done with a hand on baby at all times.  I always have parents helping spot baby with all my prop shots.  I take hands out of images on a daily basis when I’m editing images.  I’m a photoshop magician. 

Our family photographer we love doesn’t have experience with newborns specifically. Does that matter?

Yes it absolutely matters.  Photographing newborns isn’t just about laying a baby on a blanket and taking a picture.  It’s such a specialized area of photography.  I have put a lot of hours into training, with posing newborns and with children.  Always ask to see a photographers portfolio.  You can tell just by looking at their recent work on a website the level of training and experience they have in photographing newborns and children. 

What if my baby doesn’t cooperate?

Not all babies do.  I can usually tell pretty early in my newborns sessions how a baby will be.  And I go with it.  Some of my favorite images have been with babies that were wide awake and let me wrap them and capture those precious features a bit differently.  It’s so rare that a baby won’t let me get anything at all. 

I found pictures on Pinterest that I would love to replicate. Can you do that?

I get asked this so much!  I want your session to be with what YOU want.  I ask to see the images ahead of time so I can plan exactly what is needed for any particular pose etc.  I always tell clients to be realistic.   I’ve had clients ask for babies to be stuffed into all sorts of things for pictures.  If there is a safe way to do it, I’ll absolutely try for them. 

Where can we learn more about your services?

Go to my website jenniferbphotography.com and fill out a contact form.