Through the years of growing my portrait studio, I have been lucky enough to meet and make friends with other portrait photographers like myself from all over the country. In our discussions on Facebook and forums, we began to realize that no matter where you live, some questions from clients and other photographers are always the same. So I have teamed up with this very talented group to bring readers valuable information on all aspects of working with a custom photographer. Here's how the carnival works...read my article on “Why your baby/child’s age is important for the session you are scheduling.” Then when you are done, you will see the name and studio of the next photographer and the topic of her article, with a link to her blog. At the end of her article will be another link to another photographer with even more helpful information, and on and on it goes. We all hope you find this information useful and it gives you some insight into all that's involved with custom photography. If you get lost along the way, you can see all the included articles on my page Photography Blog Carnival , accessable through the link above.
Why your baby/child’s age is important for the session you are scheduling
One of the first questions I ask during a phone consultation for prices and information is "Who is the session for?", because while the price remains the same, the information about what a session entails can vary tremendously. This is because, when it comes to a custom portrait session, different ages have very different requirements to making the sitting a success. I also like to hear what the end goal is for the parent, because many times, having your child be just at the right age is critical to meeting that vision. It might seem suprising that I might suggest for a client to wait six months or more before they come in. As a parent myself, who also desires that perfect portrait of my children when they face the camera, I would hate to foster unrealistic expectations and face the possibility that what the parent really wants is unattainable at a particuliar age.
Newborn photography is a perfect example. It is so critical for the client to come in with their new baby at just that perfect, small window of time, even the rescheduling of a few days can make a tremendous difference. The most successful sessions happen when the baby is between a week and two weeks old. This is because you just can't fight mother nature. You can't expect an 8 or 9 week old baby, out of the womb for such a long period of time, to curl up like a sleeping newborn. At that point, we'd be lucky just to get them to sleep at all! Brand new babies are so sleepy, sometimes it's even hard to wake them to finish a feeding, and that's what we want to get those cute, cozy poses in baskets or on a small, little bench. And "why is it important for newborns to be sleeping?" I'm often asked. Because very new babies cannot make eye contact, or look in a certain direction (visually track) like what's required for an older child. Also, they do not have control of their limbs, so actual posing become impossible as legs kick out or arms flail about. The other variable is that older babies become more aware of their surroundings about three weeks of age, so even when they seem to be sleeping soundly, the simple act of putting on a hat can wake them in hysterics.
So if you miss the first two weeks, should you then wait and bring your new baby after they pass the cranky stage, say about three months? Well.......a baby at that age faces new obstacles to overcome during a sitting. While they may be more responsive when you hold them at arms lenght and talk to them, on a photography set that doesn't help much. They still can't see from a distance, so just having Mom or Dad step behind the lights is too far away to interact with their baby and try to get them to smile. Also, they don't sit up yet, or push themselves up while on their belly, so most of the poses will have to be from the same prone position. Knowing this, it then might not be the right time for the client to make that investment in custom photography .....
This is not to say that it can't be done at all. Any child at any age can be photographed with some time and patience, and with a photographer who is very experienced. I've worked with tons of 18 month olds and created some very adorable portraits, but not without chasing them around the studio and major bribery to get it done. But if a client informs me that they want a very classical portrait of their toddler, done in the traditional style with eleborate props, very posed and serene, I will probably persuade that client to wait until their child is older. A sitting like that hinges on the child's ability to follow directions. Only the parent knows the tempermant of their child. A very active toddler that doesn't sit down at home will probably not come into the studio and sit on set.
So it's important to understand your clients expectations, and be extremely honest about whether it's realistic or not. We have an excellent track record for satisfying clients, but that's because we take the time to listen to them, and also explain what will be required of their child to meet that end. Asking plenty of questions and getting to know their child or children right from the beginning, before they might even book their session, is an important first step.
Be sure to heal over to the blog of Je Neuhaus, for her article Why it is important for parents and the photographer to be relaxed during the session at www.rosestonestudios.com/blog. See you next month!!
