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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Rushed photoshoot

75 replies

Jadefeather7 · 19/07/2020 06:22

I had a photoshoot for my newborn and unfortunately it took my baby a long time to fall asleep. As a result our family pics at the end were very rushed and My husband and I got the feeling that the photographer didn’t seem very interested in doing them even though I had mentioned that the family pics were important to us (she did do them but just seemed much more interested in the baby shots). I was feeling quite flustered by the end because she was rushing us/seemed uninterested and I think this was evident. My previous experience for my first child with a different photographer was quite different, it was much more relaxed and there wasn’t any clock watching so I was a bit surprised. I wish I had thought to offer her a bit of extra money to extend the session but it didn’t occur to me at the time. Am I being unreasonable to feel disappointed? Should I give feedback or leave it?

OP posts:

LaLaLandIsNoFun · 19/07/2020 08:43

How long did the shoot last?

yomommasmomma · 19/07/2020 08:46

Why fiddle about with your beautiful newborn baby and stick a leaf on its head, or put it in a basket for a"newborn photoshoot"??? Just take a picture.....

FelicityPike · 19/07/2020 09:00

Why didn’t she do the shoot when the baby was awake? Or is it one of those shoots where baby is posed in baskets and other ridiculously twee poses?

Candyfloss99 · 19/07/2020 09:00

Take the photos yourself. Staged photo shoot photos are so cringeworthy anyway.

gavisconismyfriend · 19/07/2020 09:01

Feeling that the experience wasn’t relaxing and therefore disappointing is reasonable, if that’s how you feel then that’s valid. However, complaining before you’ve seen the photos is unreasonable. If the photos are good that may change your perception of the experience or you may still wish to leave feedback about the experience not being great, but right now you don’t have the whole picture (pardon the pun) so it would be fairer to wait before complaining.

EatsShootsAndRuns · 19/07/2020 09:06

I wouldn't want photos of my baby while asleep. One of my friends has one taken at birth because her baby never woke.

Babies are incredibly portable. If the photographer can't cope with a newborn baby who is awake then it's a pretty shit photographer.

Allnamesaregone · 19/07/2020 09:09

Relax- the pictures may be lovely!

sssigh · 19/07/2020 09:09

What's the world coming to? Go cuddle your tiny baby instead of whinging about some cringey photo shoot.

DorisLessingsCat · 19/07/2020 09:22

It's possible that you were stressed because the baby wasn't cooperating and you were also entertaining your older child, and you're projecting those feelings into the photographer. The product you paid for is the photographs. Wait until they come out before judging.

I had one photo shoot with my 9mo, my sister and her 4yo and newborn. The kids were wildly uncooperative and we all hated the experience. But the photos are beautiful.

LemonTT · 19/07/2020 09:28

@Jadefeather7

She only does one booking per day.

She may have had other life commitments. Picking up a kid from a minder or school, hospital appointment, or hair appointment.

You paid for her time and you got it. If you think she didn’t follow the specification, then you should have said there and then. There were 2 adults. And you have already said she took family shots. I don’t think you have anything to complain about.

Northofsomewhere · 19/07/2020 10:35

I think she "wasn't really interested" in the family pictures because you hadn't booked a family photoshoot, you'd booked a newborn shoot so she wanted to give you want you'd booked before doing a few extra photos. How would you feel if you didn't get many newborn photos but loads of family photos? If you wanted more family photos you should've booked a different package. Her priority was to complete the package you booked, not the free add-ons as it should've been. It's entirely possible that even though she'd agreed to it through email, that circumstances on the day wouldn't allow for the family photos and because you hadn't actually formally included them in the package then she would be under no obligation to complete them.
You're coming across as though you really wanted family photos rather than newborn.

Original poster

Jadefeather7 · 19/07/2020 10:50

I was looking for both (mostly newborn photos but a few family pics). As a previous poster mentioned newborn packages often include pictures with mum and dad. On my Photographer’s fb her newborn albums include many pics like this so I didn’t really consider those pics a free add on. I did ask if she could do a couple of pics of my older child and this could be considered an add on so that’s why I offered to pay extra for the session. I guess I would have appreciated if she had said to me that it wasn’t possible as part of the package. I would have been happy to pay a bit more for some more time

OP posts:

Original poster

Jadefeather7 · 19/07/2020 10:53

Or alternatively listening to the suggestion to do the family pics first rather than spending all that time waiting for the baby to fall asleep!

OP posts:

Branleuse · 19/07/2020 11:36

that sounds stressful. Its supposed to be a nice experience. Hopefully the pics still turn out nice

GrumpyHoonMain · 19/07/2020 11:39

Newborn shoots require a lot of photoshopping. The actual photography doesn’t take as long, especially if the baby has a lot of lanugo / acne etc.

cau00 · 07/09/2020 15:05

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Dizzywizz · 07/09/2020 21:49

Oh I thought we had an update! Do you have one @Jadefeather7?

SleepingStandingUp · 07/09/2020 21:53

So you all sat around for 45 minutes doing nothing but you trying get the baby to sleep then she took 2-3 baby photos and then a double of rushed group shots?

Griselda1 · 07/09/2020 22:15

I think photos taken in a home setting are the way to go .I'm a photographer but try not to do the usual baby curled up sleeping pose at all. Family shots were more important and if she'd listened to you that's what she would have prioritised.

CasperGutman · 07/09/2020 22:22

I don't get this whole sleeping baby thing either, TBH. Nobody would accept a photo of any other family member with their eyes closed, but you spend the best part of an hour waiting to make sure you can't see your baby's? Bit weird....

SleepingStandingUp · 08/09/2020 12:13

@CasperGutman

It's easier to get them into weird positions of they're asleep

MissingCoffeeandWine · 08/09/2020 12:23

Honestly OP I’d be upset/frustrated at that. Your updates make it clear that you had communicated your wishes. You chose the photographer on the basis that they said that was ok for them, and then received a different service on the day. I would feed that back to the photographer.

You may find that the photos themselves are beautiful, but you are ok to explain that you’d asked for something different and are worried that it wasn’t captured.

Sometimes it’s easy to say these things should be discussed in the moment, but when you are trying to be polite, settle a newborn and guess what will happen, it can be easy to get caught up in the day and hope your expectations will be met later.

Gamechange · 08/09/2020 12:59

Is she experienced? It sounds like she could have changed things around to account for baby not being sleepy at the beginning.

Griselda1 · 08/09/2020 13:10

As a photographer myself ,I'd be more than happy to do a second shoot, particularly when it's a baby.Its very hard to get these shoots right although I think in this case she had overly firm ideas on what she wanted rather than listening to the client.

Thisismytimetoshine · 08/09/2020 13:12

Did you really waste 45 minutes of the session waiting for your baby to fall asleep?! Why did they need to be asleep??

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