I’ve been a newborn photographer since 1999, teaching other photographers since 2014, and this is what I know for sure: newborn photography is not for the faint of heart.
Working with newborns requires a tremendous amount of patience, understanding, and confidence, and it’s not a job for just anyone!
What is newborn photography?
Newborn photography is a specialized genre of photography that focuses on capturing the first days and weeks of a baby’s life. Newborn photographers work in studio, as well as in client homes.
These early moments are so precious and fleeting. As a newborn photographer, you have the incredible opportunity to freeze time for the people you serve, creating beautiful images that families will look back on for years to come.
What skills do I need to be a newborn photographer?
Most photographers (myself included) are self taught. Most photographers (again, myself included) go into newborn photography with little to no training. And there are pros and cons to that!
Someone who didn’t have the time, money, or ability to receive a traditional education in photography can still pursue a career they were meant to have, with just a camera in their hand.
But on the flip side? This can be a stressful experience for clients – you want to trust your brand new baby with the best, and there isn’t currently a measure for qualification in the industry.
So how do you train to become a newborn photographer? Invest in education, and learn the skills needed to become a technically sound (and safe!) newborn photographer.
Lighting
Understanding lighting, natural AND artificial, is crucial. Light is the foundation of everything we do as photographers, so being able to work with it, and create it with a strobe or flash when necessary will greatly improve the quality of your images and reduce your stress.
Newborn photo sessions can take place either in a studio or in a client’s home. The Sandra Coan Certification program will give you the lighting skills to use artificial and natural light in either situation.
Editing
Post-processing is an important part of building a strong portfolio. Familiarize yourself with editing software like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and looking into the power of AI to help with consistency. I personally use Imagen AI for my editing! (Follow this link to get 1500 free edits with Imagen. And if you love my style, follow this link to access my Imagen Profile)
Working with parents and babies
Working with newborns requires a tremendous amount of patience, understanding, and confidence. The ability to work with clients and put them at ease, is often overlooked as an important skill for a photographer to have, and nowhere is it more important than newborn photography.
Babies have their own schedules and moods, and as a photographer, you need to be flexible and calm, allowing the session to flow at the baby’s pace.
New parents often come to their session with high expectations, anxiety, and a lot of emotions. It’s part of your job to soothe and relax them by providing a safe, comfortable environment, and sometimes, just an empathetic ear.
The road to parenthood is not a straight path for many of my clients, and I find that I spend a lot of time at my sessions listening to people’s stories. Remember, when you are working with a newborn, you are working with someone’s entire world! Being sensitive to that is important.
How do newborn photographers pose babies?
Learning the art of posing and directing is an incredibly important skill to have as a newborn photographer. You want to bring out the best in the people you are working with, regardless of their age. Knowing how to pose them in a flattering way will help you build a strong portfolio and solid brand.
In the Sandra Coan Certification program, I teach baby led posing. Baby led posing allows the newborn to relax into positions that are safe, natural, and unique to them.
For more information on why I don’t pose newborns, click here.
Safely posing newborns
DO NOT attempt poses like “taco pose” or “froggie pose” without detailed in-person training. These poses can be extremely unsafe and should not be attempted without proper instruction. Honestly, you do not need to do them to run a successful newborn photography business, so why risk it?
I’ve been a newborn photographer since 1999 and have built a thriving career by specializing in a more natural baby-led approach. My clients love the safely of my approach, and I can sleep at night knowing I’m not putting babies in harm’s way!
What qualifications do I need to be a newborn photographer?
The question of what qualifies someone to be a newborn photographer is something that comes up a lot in both photography circles and among parents. There are no official qualifications needed to be a newborn photographer. Anyone with a camera can call themselves a professional photographer and start charging for their services.
While it’s fantastic that photography as a career is so accessible, going into something so delicate as newborn photography without any training can be stressful, both for photographers and clients. They are tiny humans after all. Making sure you are prepared to provide beautiful images in the safest way possible is a must! And that is one of the main reasons why I created my Certification program – to train newborn photographers in lighting and posing, as well as in business, branding and marketing.
Where to start with newborn photography?
Invest in Education
If you’re new to photography, I highly recommend investing in your education from the get-go! This is every bit as important as investing in a good camera.
Look for education that is specifically tailored to training you to be a newborn photographer. This will teach you the unique skills needed to work with newborns.
Certification Matters
While not mandatory, certification programs like Sandra Coan Certification can add credibility to your services and are a way to build confidence with your clients. A new parent is much more likely to feel confident entrusting their newborn with someone who has been trained and tested!
My program focuses on naturally inspired lighting and posing techniques and is one of the only certification programs currently on the market that was made specifically for maternity, newborn and family photographers.
Marketing and Branding
It’s no secret that newborn photography is a competitive industry. Effective marketing and branding are crucial, and a strong portfolio is your best marketing tool. Sharing consistent work with a clear style is the best way to attract new clients to your business.
If you would like to learn more about the client-centered marketing approach I teach in the Sandra Coan Certification program, follow this link to watch my FREE training, How to Book More Photography Clients WITHOUT Spending all of Your Time Marketing!
