Before I get into all my reasons why you should hire an experienced Northern Virginia newborn photographer, let me just say this right here. No type of newborn photography is better than another, it really comes down to the matter of personal preference. Photography is a type of art, and we express it differently in our own unique ways. Some prefer studio newborn as others like the look of lifestyle, again it all comes down to what you like and how you envision your little one to be captured.  I do, however strongly encourage you to hire a professional photographer to capture your little one, so you don’t regret not doing it later. 

For my first son, Michael, I chose to take my own photos of him. Although it sparked my interest in newborn photography, I wish I had gotten someone with experience to capture him and my family. I have no newborn photos of me in them, and very few of the ones I took I like. When you hire a newborn photographer whose work you love, you will never regret that decision! Now here are some things to consider when thinking about hiring an experienced newborn photographer for your new baby.

1.Safety 

As a parent myself, I know the importance of wanting to keep your little one safe.  When hiring a photographer, this should be your first priority to making sure that the photographer you hired knows what they’re doing. What kind of safety training have they received? Trained newborn photographers are highly skilled when it comes to working with babies. You may have seen all the cute swaddled newborn poses, or babies sleeping in a prop. While these are all adorable, they can be potentially dangerous if you don’t know how to pose or swaddle newborns properly. Also a lot of newborn photographers do composites, which means they combine two images to make one. So newborn poses you think they can do well like the “froggy pose” is a composite. This specific pose should not be done with the newborn holding their own head, they are too fragile for that on their own and its dangerous if done that way.

Some reasons as to why it's important.

1. Newborns can’t regulate their body temperature on their own yet, so posing a naked baby in a cold environment, is not going to work.
2. Infants are at a higher risk for SIDS, suffocation, or injury if not wrapped or handled properly, aka the froggy pose.
3. They can’t hold their heads up on their own, and a baby’s skull still has soft spots aka fontanels. Posing and touching without proper support can injure your little one.
4. Their immune system is not developed yet. Proper washing of your hands and hand sanitizer should be readily available at all times.
5. Professional newborn photographers are also usually very patient when it comes to infants. If you have a fussy baby, your newborn photographer will use their experience to work through a variety of poses, and still be able to capture some beautiful shots for you to treasure for years to come.

2. Time

Upon your baby’s arrival, I bet you will have your hands full! Life will be filled with diaper changes, feedings, and sleep. You will most likely be too busy to be snapping away with your camera. Again, of course we have the trusty old Iphone, but they will not be the quality you’d receive when hiring a professional. Maybe you won’t miss what you didn’t have, but I have met far too many people who do.  Hiring a professional takes planning, so please don’t wait to do so after you’ve already given birth, or are almost due. The time to start looking is usually during your second trimester, before your little one arrives, trust me you won’t have the time to do research on an experienced newborn photographer!

3. Quality

This day and age we all have a phone that can create pretty decent images. Using the “portrait” mode, it can mimic a DSLR camera. But if your wanting to print these images, or have those baby acne removed from the image, then hiring a newborn photographer who can provide flawless images, is a must in my books. Newborn photographers, know which angles are going to work best, how the light should be positioned, how to properly pose your baby, and which equipment works best capturing those tiny little details. Your iPhone will not be able to capture those tiny details like eye lashes, or sweet baby feet. 

When looking at your local newborn photographer’s work, you want to make sure their style speaks to you. It doesn’t matter how many Pinterest boards you have saved, if you try to make your photographer recreate something that is not in their aesthetic, you may not be happy with the end result. So speaking with your newborn photographer before the session is highly encouraged so you both are on the same page.

4. Memories

I’ve mentioned many times to my clients how fast the newborn stage goes. Babies change so quickly, and are best photographed during the first 5-14 days of life. So if remembering tiny little fingers and toes is important to you, then be sure to book your session in advance. When we talk about remembering, I think we often forget about what our baby will want to remember. I can tell you one thing for sure. He/She will WANT to remember you!

As moms, you're probably always the one that’s behind the shutter snapping the photo, and you're never actually in the image. Or maybe we just hate to be in photographs because we feel fat, or our hair doesn’t look great that day. When you have a professional capture these images for you, you will be much happier with the result. 

You may also not remember what they looked like. We all know what happens as time goes on and our memories start to get fuzzy and fade away. You will have these images when the time comes, and you want to reflect on the time passed. When you have professional images, most of the time, we are more likely to print them. Printing is the only way to ensure our images don’t get lost. How beautiful to be able to sit and flip through an heirloom album with your child one day. Or have them displayed up on a wall. Having the convenience of photographer to create a heirloom album for you, takes the stress away, and allows you to focus on your little one.