hiring the perfect newborn photographer – midland texas newborn photographer
So, you’ve found out that you are expecting a bouncing baby boy or girl. Wonderful news! You have my most heartfelt congratulations. Being a parent is an amazing and rewarding journey, but it’s also one that is full of questions and decisions. Relax! You’ll get through it. And I hope that I can help make one decision a little bit easier for you to make. How to hire the right newborn photographer.
No matter your age, young mom or more mature mom, you’ve more than likely been exposed to newborn art. Whether by Anne Geddes, or Baby as Art, or maybe even a friend or family member who has had newborn photos taken. And if you have, you have probably also settled it in your mind that you are booking one of those sessions for your own baby. Congratulations on a great decision! (See, you just started this journey, and you are already making great decisions!)
But how do you know WHO to hire? Let me spell it out for you. I’ll give you the quick and the dirty, so you can find the perfect photographer for YOU!
1. Google is your friend! And so is Facebook. Search area photographers that specialize in newborns. Trust me on this one – Newborn photography is a whole lot more than laying a baby down on a blanket, followed by click – click – click. Newborn posing takes know-how and dedication. It truly is an art. So, look for photographers who feature images with well posed babies. Can you see the baby’s whole face, or is part of the baby’s face smooshed into the blanket? Does the baby look to have been worked with to get him relaxed and soothed into his pose, or does he look awkward or uncomfortable? And finally, you can ask the photographer how she has been educated on safe newborn handling, posing and soothing techniques, and how much experience she has working with newborns. You are planning to entrust your tiny new baby to this person for several hours. Be sure she knows what she is doing!
2. Take a good look through the photographer’s images in their portfolio or on their website. Do you adore their style, or does it not really mesh with your own personal aesthetics? In general, with a photographer who has an ample body of work to show, a potential client can get a really good feel for the style of images and processing they can expect. If you don’t love it, then keep looking. It is not likely to grow on you. I recommend looking for a photographer who displays a style that speaks to your heart. To your soul. These are going to be some of the most important images you will ever have taken. For this reason, I also recommend looking for a photographer who has a classic and clean looking style. Something that is not going to scream DATED to you in 18 or so years, when you display them at his graduation. Something that will always be beautiful and transport you back to that amazing newborn scent, those tiny fingers and toes, his downy-soft hair.
3. Don’t be entirely swayed by price. Now, I realize that cost and budget are going to weigh in on this decision, and that is completely understandable. But what I am recommending is that it be the final consideration, rather than the top priority. You can expect the more experienced and in-demand photographers to have higher pricing than newer photographers. And often, that will mean that you are paying not only for higher grade professional gear and props, but also for workshops, education, and expertise. You are also paying for peace of mind and the assurance that you have hired someone who is going to get the job done, and do so in a way that creates an amazing experience for you as well as beautiful images. I can’t tell you the number of clients who come to me in tears because they hired someone on the basis of cost, and do not have any beautiful images from their session. They end up paying MORE in the end, because they regret their decision and book another session with me. And it breaks my heart every time it happens. So, I highly recommend thinking of your newborn session as an investment for your family for generations to come, because you will truly be able to relive this experience over and over with your children. With their spouses. And with their own children. It’s not unlike purchasing quality furniture that you will be able to pass down to your children and grandchildren. Sometimes it is simply worth paying more.
Do remember that a very experienced newborn photographer will likely be working with a high client volume. Book early to be sure that they can reserve a spot for you in their schedule. Booking before your third trimester is probably good advice.
I truly hope this information helps you book your newborn session. And that years from now, you will have beautiful photos of one of the most amazing times in your life to show for it.
Blessings,
Patricia
moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims or 432.279.0742
I’ll bet you didn’t….. midland maternity and newborn photographer
Come find out why our studio is overrun with the best clients, and experience the reason our calendar fills up so fast. We love working with these tiny little miracles, and it shows. I invite you to make yourself at home, as we photograph your precious little mini. And then come back for a year of amazing milestones!
Newborn sessions should be scheduled prior to the 3rd trimester if at all possible to ensure a spot. Contact me for availability and full product pricing information.
Your best option is email: moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims or call 432.279.0742
sweet little owl – midland newborn photographer
I saw an owl
He sat in a tree
He opened one eye
He winked at me
Contact me today to reserve your newborn session:
moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims
432.279.0742
bitty girl – midland newborn photographer
A little bit of heaven
Drifted down from above -
A handful of happiness,
A heartful of love.
Lots of new little people visiting the studio. And many more scheduled to come. Don’t wait! Book your newborn session today to ensure a spot.
For the fastest response, email: moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims
432.279.0742
happy new year! – midland newborn photographer
A few of my favorite baby Santas from December, and a Rudolph for good measure.
I have the sweetest job in the world!
Blessings,
Patricia
Contact me to book your session:
moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims
432.279.0742
Beautiful mama and baby. Moments like this make me catch my breath. It’s absolute love.
Blessings,
Patricia
smile@patriciawadephotography or (432)279-0742 to book
It’s all about the love
Nothing sweeter than a warm, loving maternity session. *sweet sigh* This is love.
What a beautiful family.
~Patricia
oh, how they grow – midland newborn and family photographer
“Babies are such a nice way to start people.”
-Don Herold
precious little bundle – midland newborn photographer
Because the time when they are brand new is so short. It goes so very quickly. Breathe it in. Savor it.
(432)279-0742 or email – moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims
Blessings,
Patricia
sweet little grins – midland newborn photographer
“Babies smile in their sleep, because they are listening to the whispering of angels.”
-Unknown
A busy month, just in time for Mother’s Day
A whole lot of beautiful families have come through my doors this month, to celebrate Mothers. What a wonderful gift. Celebrating the joy that we have as mothers when we carry our babies inside of us, capturing the love that we share together once our children are here, and watching it come full circle when grandmothers, mothers, and daughters come together. Life is so good.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. This month’s color challenge was pinks and purples. Be sure to stop by the next blog in the circle, Sweet Emotions Photography, and leave some love.
Monthly Blog Challenge – Yellow/Gold – Midland Photographer
Love this beautiful family!
Be sure to check out the next blog in the challenge – Sweet Emotions Photography
Blessings,
~Patricia
peaceful slumber – midland newborn photographer
“A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.” -Victor Hugo
I love flaky newborn skin. Fingers that curl in tight. Sweet little toes.
I love that beautiful babymoon glow that a mother wears when she is holding her days old newborn.
Be blessed today. And everyday.
~Patricia
a mother’s love – midland newborn photographer
What are Raphael’s Madonnas but the shadow of a mother’s love, fixed in permanent outline forever? ~Thomas Wentworth Higginson
sock monkey business – midland newborn photographer
Because really, who wants to do anything on a Monday, especially when you can just monkey around?
Blessings,
Patricia
then and now – midland maternity, birth and newborn photographer
I cannot even describe how much this family has come to mean to me. I’m so amazed and encouraged by their faith, their love, and their family. And I feel so honored to have been selected to photograph their pregnancy, their birth, and their newborn. What an incredible gift! One thing I love about specializing in the maternity, birth and newborn areas of photography is that I feel that I get the blessing of getting to know my clients as friends, maybe even like family. And that is so wonderful!
I also love that maternity photography is a beautiful way to document such an amazing time in your life, and in the lives of your family members. As a maternity photographer, I welcome the opportunity to bring your family together to celebrate the tiny life that God has blessed you all with. This is an important time for siblings, too! And location maternity sessions are a fantastic way to incorporate all of your loved ones in this momentous time, as well as catch some fun family moments.
Maternity photography is so much more than just belly photos. It’s a way to capture the emotion that wraps your pregnancy. It’s natural to want to document this time, and I love being able to do that for you, beautifully. And it provides such a great beginning to images that contain even more emotion and connection.
I think birth is beautiful. A new life entering the world. Opening her eyes for her first glimpse of this new place, often while still partially inside her mother. The mother’s powerful rush of love for her new baby. It’s raw and powerful and beautiful, and the images convey such incredible meaning and honesty. I think it’s incredible that God gives women such an amazing role – that of nurturing a life inside of us. And getting to be there to see and document that life as it emerges and is swiftly embraced is an incomparable gift.
(I love that little squishy face!)
It’s no wonder that by the time we photograph the newborn session, I feel that these people are my family. I’ve seen them laugh together and be tender together. I’ve seen them work together and endure pain together. And I’ve seen the most incredible relief and joy wash across their faces. I’ve seen the immediate and overwhelming love for their child and each other. (Excuse me, I need to grab a tissue.) Life is truly so beautiful.
Please contact me if you are ready to book your maternity and/or newborn session(s), or if you would like more information about birth photography or are ready to retain me for your birth:
(432) 279-0742 or moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims
amazing – midland newborn photographer
This is the reason that I love what I do.
This image – this perfect circle of love and trust, of dad adoring and protecting his family, of mom soaking it all in, of baby perfectly content in all of it – this is why.
It leaves me speechless.
~Patricia
Please contact me if you would like more information, or if you are ready to book your session(s): (432) 279-0742 or moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims
precious – midland newborn photographer
Such a sweetheart! Look at all that hair! And the cutest little grins! The sweetest little mouth and perfect little fingers and toes. I totally have the best job! What a joy to spend my days with brand new babies in my arms and in front of my lens. I still totally get the giggles when I catch a smile on camera. It’s just sweetness!
And speaking of sweetness… this nursery was sweetness to the 3rd power! Mom went ALL OUT! The cutest little ice cream shop theme. Oh my word! Is it wrong to want to invite myself over just to look at that room again? Ha! Mom really spared no time or talent on it, and every detail shows it.
Thank you so much for sharing your baby girl with me for a day. She is utter perfection! What a gift from God.
Blessings,
Patricia
Please contact me if you would like more information, or if you are ready to book your session: (432) 279-0742 or moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims
bundle of boy – midland newborn photographer
Such a little bundle of sweetness this week in the studio, so I had to share. Sheer and utter perfection.
Thanks for making it out to the studio with this handsome little fella! I would love to see you all again in a few months.
Blessings,
Patricia
Please contact me if you would like more information, or if you would like to book a session: (432) 279-0742 or moc.yhpargotohpedawaicirtapnull@elims
great expectations – midland maternity photographer
Sometimes, you just know when the session will be beautiful. From the moment this couple walked into the studio, I knew we would get that real connection between them and their baby. I just knew. I knew their images were going to be beautiful, intentional, and real. It was one of those sessions where every shot just seemed easy, where the lighting was perfect, and the laughter was plentiful. And I don’t know who is more excited that I will get to see them again when their little one arrives, me or them!
Thank you again for the beautiful session. It was a joy to see your love for each other and your baby. And I can’t wait to see you again and meet little baby “C”!
~Blessings,
Patricia
Newborn Sessions and Post Processing – Midland Newborn Photographer
Another big part of newborn photography is processing. I do not know that I have ever released an image Straight Out of Camera (SOOC), but I am going to do so today. I have a certain style for newborn images. It’s a balance of trying to ensure skin tones that are nice and warm, while also retaining any cooler colors in the shot. In the following SOOC image (bottom), you can see that baby is a bit red, which is not at all uncommon during the newborn period. And it can be a bit tricky to remove some of that red and leave a warm, peachy skin tone. While the exposure was pretty much right on, there is a bit of a shadow from his hat that I needed to brighten up a bit. I warmed the white balance a tad, applied a bit of a curve, added a gradient to lift that shadow, adjusted some of the saturation and luminance in the red, orange and yellow channels, then applied a bit of warmth to the baby’s skin at a very low opacity. Then, cloned out that little bit of baby acne on the chin and his worry lines, added a slight vignette and VOILA! Perfection!
Now, why would this be material for a blog post? Because one of the things that is really important to me in processing newborn images is that they look warm and natural, and I also like to combine that with angles and poses that are a little bit unexpected. I think this is a really important part of my own particular style. But I also wanted to show that there is a lot that happens between capturing an image with the camera and uploading it to a gallery that really can make an image even more powerful, intriguing, and captivating. Do I think mom would love that bottom image of her baby, with no processing whatsoever? Absolutely! But do I think the top image takes the photo to another level of art? Without a doubt! Good processing does not exist to cover up or change an image, but rather to accentuate and reveal what is already beautiful about the subject.
Photographer friends – stay tuned. I will be sharing more in-depth tips and techniques as time permits.
How to Choose a Newborn Photographer – Midland Newborn Photographer
You’ve just spent 9 months carrying inside of you the most precious gift you will ever receive. You nurtured this little life. When shopping for an OB, you probably asked around for referrals. Maybe you even researched childbirth techniques and took classes to prepare you for the big day. And now that you’re little one has arrived, you want to document every precious moment. The tiniest and most perfect little details. Now is not the time to get out the yellow pages and your dartboard. Nor is it time to scour Craigslist. You want to be sure that you are choosing a photographer who does more than put a sleeping baby in a bucket, on a dresser, or in a tutu. You need the security of knowing that the photographer you’ve chosen is not only competent with a camera, but more importantly is heavily qualified and knowledgeable in every aspect of working with newborns. But how can you really be sure of all those things, especially in the sleep deprivation and muddied thinking that typically comes with the early days of parenting?
First, look for a body of work that seems to reflect a respect for the newborn itself. An exceptional newborn photographer will not only work to creatively capture newborn images, but will do so in such a way that you can sense how thoroughly he or she respects this little life and the newborn’s own unique personality and temperament. It really is so much more than hats, buckets and bows. And it can’t be added with Photoshop, either.
Second, how many newborns has the photographer photographed? Let me be blunt. Let’s say you found a *name on Craigslist of someone offering free or super-cheap sessions, so you decide to call them and they say, “Well, I’m actually JUST starting with newborns, but I love them so much, and I know I will do a beautiful job and this is my PASSION, and ….and…. and….*”, this is when you RUN! I am not joking. Hang up that phone and delete that number! Listen, everyone wants to photograph newborns. Many of us saw the newborn period become an art form when Anne Geddes arrived on the scene with her amazing work, and too often photographers are overconfident and think, “Meh. No big deal.” Let me say in no uncertain terms that while someone may have a passion for newborn photography, if they do not have in depth know how in handling newborns, if they are not willing to either mentor with someone or attend intensive workshops, then they do not deserve the trust you will place in them when you hand over your precious infant. Plain and simple. *If you are a photographer, and this description applies to you, don’t get mad, get to work! Find out how to be mentored, attend a workshop or 2, and become the best newborn photographer you can possibly be! You can do it! And I am here to answer any questions at all.
Third, ask yourself whether the images you see on their website or in their portfolio convey safety and comfort. A reputable newborn photographer would never put a newborn at risk. Posing newborns not only takes patience, but it also takes knowledge of a newborn’s limitations, and knowledge in how to prevent accidental injury when transitioning a newborn through poses. And when working with props, it takes someone who will take ZERO risks. There is not a shot that is worth even the slightest possibility of newborn injury. Buckets should be weighted, and babies should be “spotted” with a parent or assistant closer than arm’s reach or even have a steadying hand on them to keep them absolutely safe. Remember, NO shot in the world is worth a baby – your baby, any baby – getting hurt.
And lastly, purely from an aesthetic point of view, do the photographer’s newborn images draw you in? Does his or her style seem to mesh with yours? Once you’ve determined that the photographer you are considering has the technical know how to get the job done safely, then you can decide whether his or her style of photography suits you. There are so many styles of photography out there. And so many styles of processing. Be sure that what you see is something that you would want to display on your walls. With photography, what you see is usually what you are going to get.
The newborn period is so amazing! It lasts a mere 4 weeks, and during this time, your baby grows, changes and develops more than he or she ever will again in such a short amount of time. My wish for 2012 is that every parent of a newborn find an experienced and specialized newborn photographer to forever document this time for them. That every baby photographed would be cherished; handled safely and with respect. And that every image would become a lasting memory of such a precious time. I strive to make every session peaceful, calm, and enjoyable. And I work hard to provide images that make your heart swell with joy at this life that you have carried inside of you. And above all, I do this with the highest regard for your newborn’s comfort and safety. I would love for you to call me to schedule your newborn session. (432)279-0742
enjoying the wait {midland maternity photographer}
What a joy to spend an evening with the C Family! I am excitedly awaiting the arrival of their newest little one with them. There is so much love in this family and it shows. Thanks for the fun evening, for sharing your family with me, and most of all, for rising up to be such a witness of God’s love and blessing here in this world. I enjoyed this session so much. See you soon!
the stunning samantha {midland maternity photographer}
Click on the images below to view each gallery image in full size.
This was such a great session! Thanks so much for coming to the studio! I truly enjoyed getting to meet you, and it was a joy to capture these images of you during your pregnancy. I pray all the best for you and your sweet baby.
Blessings,
