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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to ask for my newborn shoot to be edited?

90 replies

Kmoggy · 17/09/2016 14:39

I had a newborn shoot done the other day, images are great and I love them all apart from the full length naked pic I want to use my little one has brown scab and placenta clip still on. My partner wants to use this image to blow up into large framed pic but also hates the cord. My photographer says he won't remove it with photoshop as it symbolises how small my baby is but it's horrible and ruins the photo.

The shoot wasn't exactly cheap and cost £250 so Aibu to go back and ask again??

OP posts:
Arborea · 17/09/2016 18:15

What is a reasonable price for a newborn photo shoot and prints? I'm curious as due imminently, and didn't do it with DC1.

Original poster
Kmoggy · 17/09/2016 18:17

Row rites- Haha I wish!! Yeah think your right and accept they won't do it... I'm not arguing or angry about it as I said in my original post I love all the pics. I just assumed something like this would be edited out as I've never seen it before in her other work or other photographers newborn pics!

OP posts:
Original poster
Kmoggy · 17/09/2016 18:20

Aborea- about £150/250 depending on photographer. Well all the ones I looked at anyway. Most photographers vary in what you get for that Ie a number of images on disk or actual prints/ framed etc! Most photographers have prices online to choose from. I suppose it's what your after! I have 15 images on disk and 4 prints 10x8 for that

OP posts:
ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 17/09/2016 18:22

Kmoggy I'll let you off for being a bit touchy Smile. You've just had a baby. I'm sure he's beautiful with or without his cord.

AIBU is notoriously for it's harsh comments and tongue in cheek piss taking. I usually wimp out and post my threads in chat Grin.

TheAntiBoop · 17/09/2016 18:25

Could they change the colour of the clip so it blends in a bit more and maybe just reduce the size of it a little.

I do think it would be a bit odd to airbrush it out completely and the clip must give a sense of scale as how tiny your baby is!!

Arborea · 17/09/2016 18:25

Thanks KMoggy, hope you can get it resolved!

Original poster
Kmoggy · 17/09/2016 18:30

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties- 🤗 Yeah might do that in future!
He is totally beautiful even with his cord, it's just it's the first thing your eyes are drawn to in such a gorgeous shot. Dark brown on peachy skin and a massive plastic clip about the size of his foot 😂😂

OP posts:
MuddlingMackem · 17/09/2016 18:34

Kmoggy Sat 17-Sep-16 16:58:31

Actually all professional pics are edited using photoshop so no not weird! It's not like I'm asking for his face to be changed!

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 17/09/2016 18:44

When my son saw his new brother's cord, he did ask why he had a poo coming out of his tummy button? Grin

AuntMabel · 17/09/2016 19:05

I am a photographer too, of course it's possible to photoshop the image. A scab is a blemish I would remove personally, but the only option with the cord stump would be to replace it with another baby's belly button. I recall this very subject on a photo forum once, the photographer who had been asked found the request a bit weird. Personally, if it's what the client wants..meh.

Can you ask what the editing fee would be, or if he refuses can you ask if you can send it to a retouching service? With the latter you need to check contract T&C and seek permission because most photographers won't allow their copyrighted images to be edited at all.

AuntMabel · 17/09/2016 19:09

I edit all my photos, because I shoot RAW Wink Charge extra for crusty bogey removal mind. Such are the pleasures of working with children.

perrita · 17/09/2016 19:23

The thing is, the umbilical cord and clip isn't an imperfection that you can easily edit out, the photographer would have to edit in a fake new belly button for your baby! The picture you would be looking at would just be weird, and the photographer might not have that level of skill with photoshop.

Dexterjamesmummy · 17/09/2016 19:32

Does baby now have a picture perfect belly button? Could you ask for a pic of his own to be used on the original image? It would be a bit strange using a random baby belly button x

MGFM · 17/09/2016 19:52

We have just done a newborn shoot today. Baby 9 days old. Luckily the clip and cord had already fallen off but she did ask if we wanted to belly button photoshopped. I said yes. It has a horribly scab thing on it at the moment.

We paid £75 for the shoot and then will likely spend around £200 on photos but the woman I went to (and same one we used last time) only does it in her spare time at the moment so I think that is why she is cheaper but she is amazing and her photos are beautiful. We will also be putting some up on the wall. Not sure which ones we will pick but the naked ones are very tasteful and you can't see private bits.

I love newborn phot shoots. So cute!

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 17/09/2016 20:00

Kmoggy - why not ask him to take a picture of your baby once his cord stump has dropped off, and use that image to photo shop his own belly button onto the picture - then it will be a newborn shot (my other suggestion was a whole new shot to enlarge, but that wouldn't be so newborn), but wouldn't have someone else's belly button edited in. It will all still be him, if you see what I mean.

I hope that makes sense.

Northernlurker · 17/09/2016 20:04

I think it's a ridiculous amount of money to spend and the results are a bit naff. Good for your photographer for keeping it vaguely grounded in reality.

Cherryskypie · 17/09/2016 20:11

That's really unkind. It's not something I've done but if you want to spend your money on photos of your newborn why the hell not?

The idea of taking a picture of your baby's belly button once the cord stump and clip are gone and using that to photoshop is genius.

hardtopinpoint · 17/09/2016 20:13

Are these the shoots where the baby is dressed up like a big joke and put in bad poses?

Agree with NL. Utterly tacky and grim

Weneverworked · 17/09/2016 20:19

Too late now, but a corner of a blanket or something could have been draped a bit to cover it ?

Madeyemoodysmum · 17/09/2016 21:13

I'm a professional photographer and could prob do this work with the JPEG Have loads of belly buttons to choose from Grin
Feel free to message me

Danglyweed · 17/09/2016 21:29

Im a bit on the fence with this one, i can see why you want the perfect pic but also that the scabby cords part of dc. Will you get pics on cd? Farm out to madeye to photoshop.

When our friends ds was born, a friend bought them a shoot(the dad a fireman, they all seem to get the proper baby in helmet shots) in a city an hour away. Cost them 1600 for the prints, some present!

user1474133568 · 17/09/2016 21:37

My sons do a bit of modelling/acting, so quite frequently have photoshoots. I cannot imagine any of their photographers removing bits of them! I appreciate it's not exactly him, but it's the fact that not all photographers can just remove bits from images. It may sound simple, but you can't just cut out something, something has to replace it.

twitchypalm · 17/09/2016 22:37

I'm a proffesionial photographer who doesn't use photoshop. I have worked hard to be happy that the pictures I take I'm happy for the client to have.

I think yabvu in the fact you had a very good price of £250 for a newborn photoshoot and now you want the photographer to edit out the baby clip and cord. That you new were still attached when you took the baby for the photo. Do you know how many hours work that would take for the photographer and yet you still expect them to do it for free.

It really winds me up how everyone thinks they are a photographer and photoshop solves everything.

Banananananana · 18/09/2016 10:12

What twitchy said.

You got a good deal and you're now asking for more time and effort from the photographer. YABU.

I understand you're in a postnatal haze (been there) so totally get your sensitivity, but for a thread about a newborn photo shoot in AIBU, I think you've gotten away very lightly. No one has been an arsehole.

Thingiebob · 18/09/2016 23:34

I retouch photos. I think the photographer has decided this is above and beyond the service they originally offered. It could well be a few hours work to get it looking perfect. Work they are not prepared to do. Do you have digital images? Perhaps a friend with photoshop skills could do it for you? You would need to provide a belly button pic to put in place of missing clip and scan.