Becoming a newborn photographer

[sarah13xx]

I’m a Primary Teacher although I’m currently off on maternity leave. I’ve known for the last few years that I haven’t wanted to be a teacher forever. I love the kids but hate the job and it’s an impossible task to teach among major behaviour issues with no support as well as unnecessary paperwork and absolutely no resources whatsoever. Meanwhile there is an expectation that your classroom will be all singing all dancing when the school haven’t provided so much as a single pencil towards it. Anyway…

Since being off on mat leave I have realised I don’t miss it, not one bit! I took my baby to a newborn photographer for a photo shoot and since then I’ve been looking into being a photographer. The girl had a qualification from college but I have done a bit of research and it seems some photographers aren’t actually qualified as such. I was thinking of completing a 10 week course online at the open university while on mat leave to build up a portfolio and eventually achieve The Royal Photographic Society Licentiate Distinction (LRPS) in still photography. There’s a further online course you can do after that one as well as various in-person courses from a variety of places claiming to be able to teach you to become a newborn photographer. I’m thinking I could get a dslr camera for Christmas.

Any photographers out there know if this is doable? Would two online courses then some specific short courses to become a newborn photographer be enough? Obviously over time I would build it up but I would need to be able to make an income alongside it. I would go back to my work part-time after maternity leave then I could resign if it took off. Any advice please? ☺️

I'd say diversify a bit. Just doing newborns seems a little niche. Maybe a family photographer?

Yes that is a bit niche.
If you do newborn photography, you want that family to come back for 1st birthday, Christmas, etc etc

Honestly it's embarrassing that anyone with even an entry level DSLR thinks of themselves as a photographer these days

You at least need a natural "eye" for photography - plonking a baby in a basket of fruit and heavily editing the result isn't enough

Newborn photo shoots can be really cringe - you'd be better off doing family shoots on location but again you can spot the crap photographers a mile off where the subject are all just lined up in a pose in front of a white back drop. The "real"
Photographers are the ones that can capture that natural special moment

Have a look through your own photo albums at the photos you take - are any even worthy of putting on display on a wall? Would you launder them?? If not then I'd say you aren't a natural photographer and a couple of online courses isn't going to be enough sorry

*pay for them

I know someone who is a newborn photographer. She has no qualifications whatsoever in photography but I would say she has an eye for how things look and has a gorgeous home and is always personally well styled. She also has a very, very expensive camera which her high earning DH bought for her. I don't know if she actually earns a living from it.

I think her photos are gorgeous - similar to the Anne Geddes baby ones - so not very original and would probably be scoffed at by professionals - but people love them nonetheless.

I would assume that the key to this sort of thing is building up an online presence and putting yourself out there on social media. Also having lots of Facebook and Instagram friends who will share your page and gush about you.

I would imagine it's quite hard to make a living out of photography now as it's so easy for people to take decent quality photos on their own phones at zero cost.

To be fair to OP @tiggerwhocamefortea, most parents of newborns won't have an eye for photography either, and will be happy as long as it has their baby in it, so she could still make a go of it, regardless of whether OP has an 'eye' for it.

To be fair to OP @tiggerwhocamefortea, most parents of newborns won't have an eye for photography either, and will be happy as long as it has their baby in it, so she could still make a go of it, regardless of whether OP has an 'eye' for it

It would be harder to build up a following on SM though if your photos are very average. A DF's DD has set up as a newborn photographer since having her DD, no previous experience and the photos definitely reflect this.

Obviously the parents adore seeing their new LO but I know she's struggling to make it work.

A friend of our who is a Professional Photographer does newborns abs it's a tiny part of her her income, she does maybe one or two a month abs she has a massive SM following.

I would imagine it's quite hard to make a living out of photography now as it's so easy for people to take decent quality photos on their own phones at zero cost.

My friend's dd has always wanted to be a photographer and as always had a natural eye for capturing the right shot. She's done reasonably well and has a steady trickle of business (not just newborn though, cake smash, Christmas card shoots, family portraits etc) but has a full time job alongside it because it only pays pocket money, not a steady income.
If you're hoping to replace a teacher's salary you might struggle. Could you start by dropping a day a week and see how that goes?

If you're intending to do it for a living then no. Hobby, yes but it's more than just getting a camera and taking a few pictures, even if you've got a very good natural eye
you need a decent computer to run Photoshop or similar with a ton of hard drive space. You need props and backdrops. Business cards and stationary, and a website, and social media channels. You'll be self employed so you'll have all that to deal with too. it's going to take you years to build up your portfolio enough and gather enough actual customers and potential customers to keep the work coming. I know quite a lot of photographers and very few of them make enough to live on. they can't just do one thing they have to diversify. For example one near me does baby, family, pet, business, wedding, product photography both in her studio and out around various locations that she's gotten to know are reliable locations for eg family shoots over the years. She's the only one i know who actually does it full time and not as a side hustle. She's been going in this area 20 years. She's at every wedding fair in the local area so that's a big chunk of weekends gone. Don't expect that you will set up a Facebook page and people will fall over themselves to use you. They won't. They will be going with the person who did their friends photos so you've got an uphill battle to compete with everyone else. Plus everyone's got a smartphone these days. They can take reasonably good photos themselves so fewer people want to pay for photography.

Nobody goes into photography expecting to make a living. Wedding photographers make some money but you've got all day on your feet at a wedding then hours and hours of editing work. Profits are slim.

I often see school photographer jobs advertised. Ok it's seasonal but it's photography and seems to be ok pay.

Go for it if you want, but only if you really really love taking and editing photos for the fun of it and don't really care if you make money.

I've worked in the industry for 25 years. With the onset of digital cameras, everyone and their uncle have become photographers. Saw a marked decline in quality when the switch to digital came about.
Yes, you could do a course, but technical knowledge doesn't mean anything if you don't have "the eye".
Also, there's less money in photography now than there was twenty years ago. For example then I could charge £25 an hour for re-touching a photo. Now it's minimum wage.

I have to be honest and say I find newborn photos shoots a bit

Seeing babies that are days old being changed into uncomfortable outfits and awkwardly posed before a flashbulb goes off in their face seems a bit mean to me.

It’s a great idea in theory but I’m not sure it would work sorry. I have several friends that are freelance photographers. None of them have the qualifications you mention - they all spent several years doing it as a hobby to develop their skill, getting jobs here and there alongside their full time jobs before building enough of a portfolio/network/online presence to do it as their sole source of income. All would say it’s pretty hard to make an income out of it. Depending on where you live it’s often a saturated market so you have to market yourself HARD. You’d probably be limiting yourself if you just did newborns so look to do families as well. You also spend most of your time trying to get work, justifying your prices to people, looking for inspiration, arranging the shoots, editing, then (and this is a major part) chasing people to pay on time if you don’t take payment up front. Money wise, you’ll also need to consider getting a decent computer for processing the images, website hosting, paid-for advertising on social media or leaflets etc, lights, reflectors, different lenses, props, backdrops, a tripod, and a DBS check.

All that being said, my friends absolutely adore their careers and get a real sense of satisfaction!

*I have to be honest and say I find newborn photos shoots a bit sad

Seeing babies that are days old being changed into uncomfortable outfits and awkwardly posed before a flashbulb goes off in their face seems a bit mean to me.*

So don't have one then?

@Glitterybug to be fair I was born in the early 90s, I don’t think they were really around then.

For your own children.

By the way most photographers wouldn't use a "flashbulb" on a newborn and even if they did, they are completely harmless.

@Glitterybug

For your own children.

By the way most photographers wouldn't use a "flashbulb" on a newborn and even if they did, they are completely harmless.

I know I was joking 😉

I know they’re not harmful, it just seems a bit mean on a tiny newborn who should be cosy & comfy at home.

Have you enough funds to buy a professional kit? You’re looking at £1.5 to £3k for camera body, around £1.5k for lenses at least (second hand), good quality studio lights, £1k - £2k, flash sync equipment, stands, backdrops, props, misc equipment around £500, an on camera flash £250. You’ll need public liability insurance around £25 a month and equipment insurance £25 a month. You need a car to carry this in. An iMac or equivalent, an editing suite on it such as photoshop £10 a month. You need a website, hosted monthly £10 a month and a domain name £25 yearly. I don’t want to put you off but you’ll need to diversify hugely to make any money. I’ve found there’s not a great deal of money in family portraits since iPhone cameras are so good these days. I suffer greatly in income because I can’t afford a studio and people usually want to go to one - you’ll need to be adept at using your mobile studio in other peoples homes.
Daylight is ok for working but you can’t rely on it and will need studio equipment.

I think I’m going to give it a go! Worst comes to worst I’ve lost £200 on an open uni course and got a good camera and some new skills out of it that I can use to take pictures of my little boy as he grows up 🤷🏼‍♀️
I can do it alongside my part time teaching job initially and see if it takes off. Where I stay there are only two newborn photographers to choose from. One is literally a million pounds (and very good) but I decided not to use her due to cost. The other has only just qualified and has taken way longer than she said to turnaround images because she’s so busy. I don’t think she’s necessarily even that good but every one of my friends who have had a baby this year have used her because there’s no other choice in that price range.

I would obviously do cake smash’s for first birthdays, family shoots etc too but it would be newborn I’d do the specialist courses in to get started.

A newborn baby doesn't have any concept of where they are and what they're doing other than if theyre awake or asleep. And mostly the photos are taken when they're asleep, especially the posed ones.

I mean i don't particularly like them either but a) it's not what the op was asking and b) i can't feel too sorry for a much loved baby where the worst thing that happens to them is that they're put in some clothes, put down on a soft blanket/basket/some other comfortable prop and a photo taken of them. It's really not the ordeal you think it is.

I could also go on the supply bank if I was to quit my job eventually so that I had the stability of being offered work everyday if I needed it

Also I did think the thing of ‘that’s a shame for my baby’ prior to going for the photoshoot with him but when we actually got there she was very gentle with him and he wasn’t forced into any positions. We didn’t get the ones where they’re leaning on their hands or anything like that though.

What is your creative prowess so far, do you draw, do you understand colour, lighting, shadow, composition, have you been to art school?

Photography is an art form, a 10 week online course won't turn you into a photographer.

@pinkyredrose I haven’t been to art school no but I am a teacher who delivers art lessons to children

Photographer here, I know lots of newborn photographers and none rate this kind of course. If you check out some of the photographer fb groups you can get more targeted advice but in the mean time check out Togs in business , that is a brilliant subscription site for learning the business side.
The lady that runs it also has a private Facebook group where you can ask questions etc. It would be worth paying the one month just to see what you think.
Good luck

haven’t been to art school no but I am a teacher who delivers art lessons to children

teaching 'art' to kids is not remotely the same.