As a new parent, you want to capture all the precious moments of your beautiful baby’s life. While you can certainly take some great shots with your phone, there’s nothing quite like having a professional session done by the very best newborn photographer in Paris (or another city) to immortalize those early weeks and months.
But with all the different types of newborn photography out there, how do you choose the right one for you and your family?
It is normal if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed when it comes to choosing the best newborn photographer for your family. That’s why I wrote this blog post. To help you choose the best newborn photographer in Paris for you.
What if you’re searching for a maternity or family photographer? This blog post will also give you plenty of insight into how to choose your photographer.
The best newborn photographer: it is all about the work YOU love
Your preferred style is something personal, with no right or wrong option. It is really all about what you love. And when I mean style, I’m thinking about two things: aesthetic (the look) and the feel of the images.
The look: What are the tones you love the most?
Here are the most common options among newborn photographers. Which one do you prefer:
- Soft, neutral, and muted tones for that timeless aesthetic with natural-looking skin tones?
- Desaturated colors and overly warm (orange) skin tones?
- Vibrant colors like bright yellow and red?
- Dark and mysterious filled with shadows and contrast?
For example, you can see my work here as an example of work that is timeless, with colors and light that is soft.
The feel: When looking back at your newborn photos, what do you want to feel?
It is important to decide what approach to newborn photography you’re looking for in your images.
There are two main types of newborn photography: traditional and lifestyle. Traditional newborn photography is often done in a studio with props and those overly posed shots. This is the most common option for a newborn photographer you’ll find.
Lifestyle newborn photography is more casual and natural and often takes place in your home. This style is all about capturing candid images of connection and love.
When deciding between these two styles, ask yourself what you want to see when looking back at your newborn photos:
- Your family’s love story? Your newborn’s unique personality? How did you feel when holding your baby? The joy and love surrounding you and your family? (Lifestyle)
- All you want is to look magazine-cover pretty? Do you want to have everyone looking nicely into the camera and smiling for almost all of your images? (Traditional)
The experience: what does it make you feel most comfortable?
Also, I highly recommend that you choose a session experience (=posing) that will make you feel comfortable. What approach during your session will make you most comfortable?
- Do you want to enjoy most of the time of your newborn session with your family in a way that feels natural, playful, and authentic? Do you want to even forget that you’re in a photoshoot? (Lifestyle)
- Are you OK with having an entire photo session of formal portraits: being posed and told what to do, where to stand, etc? (Traditional)
As a mom with two little kids, I personally prefer the lifestyle approach as a parent and a photographer. I love lifestyle newborn photography because it is more laid-back and relaxed, working really well for families who already have young children. Toddlers, in particular, often don’t “cooperate” during a photoshoot. For this reason, a child-led approach during the session works really well as it puts no pressure on your eldest child to behave in a certain way.
Plus, I want families to feel the real emotion of the early days with their newborn baby, and the lifestyle approach allows me to capture those candid moments and deliver an image collection filled with love and connection.
In this blog post, I share why I don’t pose newborn babies.
The photographer’s work
Look at the overall portfolio with a critical eye
The portfolio will be your best guide to finding the best newborn photographer for you. The question you need to ask yourself when looking at a photographer’s portfolio is: are the images consistent?
I highly recommend that you check every photographer’s portfolio with these questions in mind:
- Does the photographer specialize in newborns, maternity, and families? Or, are they photographing multiple genres (weddings, pets, boudoir, brands, etc)? A photographer that specializes in one genre is likely to deliver stronger images versus someone photographing multiple genres. While photography skills, like light and composition, are transferable across different types of photography, that is not necessarily true when it comes to knowing how to “pose” and work with babies and young children. So, opt for photographers that work exclusively with babies and children whenever possible.
- Are the lines in images (horizon line, doors, bed frames, etc) straight? Crooked lines are a strong sign the work isn’t of the highest quality. And this is an issue that is very common, even among photographers ranked 1 in Google searches (more on this below).
- Do skin tones look natural and true to life? Or, are they overly warm or blue?
- Are the images consistent in terms of tones, light, and editing? Or, does it look like the images were photographed by different people?
Look at an example gallery
The goal is to find out if the photographer can produce more than just 1-3 beautiful images during a session – the images shown in the portfolio. Or, if newborn photographer can actually deliver a strong complete gallery from beginning to end to give you enough images to choose from (25+ images).
I don’t believe that a high number of images in a gallery is really needed. Quality should trump quantity!
But the best newborn photographer will deliver a gallery with a wide variety of moments, poses, and compositions that will flow well together. Therefore, taking a look at a gallery can help you decide.
Whereas I don’t show a full gallery of previous clients for privacy, I love showing curated galleries that give families a glimpse of what to expect from the various moments they will have during their session. You can see some of my curated galleries here. And you can ask for more when you inquire with me here.
The practical details
Choose a newborn photographer who offers the location you want
What is the location you would like your newborn session to be: studio, outdoor, or in your home?
There are pros and cons to every option. A studio offers a more controlled environment, which can be great if you want a plain, minimalist setup. An outdoor session includes nature and other natural elements, but it is only possible during the warm months. And an in-home session might be more relaxed, but you might be concerned about tidying up or how much light your home has.
If you’re considering an in-home newborn session, this blog post shares its benefits.
Once you decide which location you’d like, then search for a newborn photographer who offers that option. Or, if you are unsure what location you’d like, search for a newborn photographer who feels comfortable photographing in different locations. This will give you the flexibility to change locations if you decide to do so during the planning stage of your newborn session.
Check the kind of guidance the newborn photographer will offer
Some photographers offer very little support during the planning stages of your newborn session as well as after your images are ready. This is simply because they photograph a very high number of sessions each month.
I highly encourage hiring a photographer who will guide you through the whole experience from beginning to the end. Check what steps they will offer you as part of the experience. For example, I offer:
- A questionnaire to gather the information that will help us tailor the experience to your own unique family’s routine and personality
- An exclusive welcome guide with detailed information on how to get ready for your session
- A pre-session video call to walk you through all the details and revisit the information from the welcome guide
- The option to borrow a dress for mom from the studio wardrobe
- Your choice of viewing your images in a private gallery or during a video call
- All collections include print products and complimentary album and wall art design to help you save time and have your images displayed around their home
Choose a newborn photographer who offers both printed and digital products
I know the current trend is to want digital images only. But what happens when you only buy a digital collection is that your images will likely be hidden away on your computer.
So, I highly recommend that you choose a newborn photographer that incorporates prints as a natural part of their process. In this case, your decision will no longer be: should I get print products in addition to digitals? How much will that additional purchase cost me?
Instead, you’ll be focused on: what products will help me to enjoy my images the most in my everyday life? An album, matted prints, wall art, loose prints, gifts to grandparents?
Finding the best newborn photographer
Search for a photographer ahead of time
It is a common practice to leave the search for a newborn photographer until after when the baby is born.
However, if you wait too long to search and reserve your date, you will have fewer options available than if you book while you’re still pregnant. The best newborn photographer in your city is often already booked far in advance.
If you want to read more about when to book your newborn session, this blog post is for you.
Don’t limit your search to Google’s page 1 when searching for the best newborn photographer
I advise against going with the very first photographer you find online without doing a proper search first.
We often give a lot of “authority” to Google whenever we are searching for a service. That is, we tend to lean more towards those businesses that make page 1 for the keyword we use in our search, such as “the best newborn photographer”.
But ranking on page 1 involves a lot of technical skills and time. It is not uncommon to find photographers who are not the best newborn photographer to rank first. That might happen simply because these photographers paid a technical expert to rank their website faster, or have been in business in that particular city for a few extra years.
I highly recommend that you search for photographers on pages 1-3. Keep in mind that sometimes there are amazing photographers not in the first position simply because they moved cities and haven’t made it to the top ranking yet.
Ask for recommendations
Ask friends, family, or other parents who have recently had a baby for recommendations. They will be able to give you first-hand experience of the photographer’s work and experience. However, it is important to keep in mind your own aesthetic taste and preference between traditional and lifestyle images when reviewing the recommendations they are share with you.
Search for # on Instagram
Common hashtags that photographers use so you can find the best newborn photographer in your city are: #newbornphotographycity, #newbornphotographercity, #newbornsessioncity, #maternityphotographercity #lifestylenewborncity #studionewborncity.
Conclusion
I know that choosing the best newborn photographer for your family can seem like a daunting task. But with a little research and planning, you’re sure to find the perfect fit to create those stunning and memorable newborn images that you dream of!
If you’re searching for a newborn photographer to create images with soft tones and light, I invite you to look through my work here or send me a message on the contact page. I am based in Toulouse but I photograph in many of the major European cities, such as Paris, Munich, London, Zurich, and Basel. I can’t wait to hear from you!