How Much Does Newborn Photography Cost?
The most common question that I am asked first, by any client who is enquiring about newborn photography is “how much does it cost?”
This is totally understandable – you want to understand exactly what you will get for your investment. None of us want to book a photo shoot only to be hit with an unexpectedly large payment, or to feel short changed at the end.
So, how much does newborn photography cost? Well the short answer is that it depends. There is not a simple answer to this question as each newborn photographer offers something different, and at a different price point. In this guide we will cover:
- The different levels of service you can expect to find from newborn photographers
- The range of prices you can expect to see
- The things that cause this variation in price between different photographers
What kind of service does a newborn photographer provide?
Before we can really compare newborn photographers on price, we need to understand what each of them is offering. Every photographer or photography company will provide a different level of service, and as you investigate further you’ll no doubt find that this results in a slightly different offering from each.
Here are some of the different ways that photographers’ service will differ:
- Whether they have a studio or come to your home
- Their style of photography – do they shoot posed newborn photography or lifestyle newborn photography
- Their skill level, knowledge and experience
- Whether they will spend time getting to know you and what you are hoping for from the photographs
- How they will help you to prepare for the session
- The level of service you can expect during the session
- How long you need to wait to see your photographs after the session
- Whether you have the option to choose which photographs you purchase
- Whether the photographer will help you to choose the best way to display your photographs
- The quality of the products they have available for you to purchase
As you can see there is no easy answer to how much newborn photography costs, as you will receive something different from every photographer, and this will be reflected in their price.
Whilst I understand that price is important – it’s also important to consider the level of service you would like to receive. Let’s dive deeper into some of the more important considerations.
Related Article: Why Is Newborn Photography So Expensive?
Does the photographer have a studio, or will they come to your home?
There is probably no other time in life when this consideration is as important, as when you have just had a baby. Would you prefer that you don’t have to travel, and can have the photographer come to your home to do the shoot? Or, is it more appealing to you to go to a studio to have the shoot done there?
The answer will be very personal to you. Some families prefer not to have to leave the house and travel to the session. Others don’t want the worry of having to tidy up, make space, and have the clutter of daily life around them whilst they have a shoot.
So how does this affect the price? Well, depending on the size and location of their studio, a photographer with a studio may have higher running costs than someone who travels to you. However, if their studio is in their home, or isn’t substantial in size their costs may be lower.
Equally, if a photographer travels long distances to reach their client’s home their costs may be no lower than a photographer with a studio.
Do you want To Hire A Newborn Photographer But Don’t Know Where To Start?
Download the FREE Newborn Photography Buyer’s Guide and learn how to choose the best photographer for your family.
Is The Photographer a specialist or a generalist photographer?
As you start to research newborn photographers you’ll probably find some photographers who offer just newborn and baby photography, and some who offer newborn and baby photography as well as weddings, headshots, interiors, or other genres of photography. In other words, specialists and generalists.
What you’ll also probably find is that specialist photographers charge more than generalist photographers. Quite often, you’ll find that specialists have been in the industry longer, and since they only photograph one thing, they have more experience of doing it. Hence the higher prices.
Related Article: Posed vs Lifestyle Newborn Photography. What’s The Difference?
What level of skill and expertise does the photographer have?
As in every industry, every photographer will have different levels of skill and expertise. Developing that skill and expertise takes time and costs money, and so it’s likely that a photographer’s ability will be reflected in the price too.
To create beautiful newborn photographs, a photographer will need to be skilled in the following areas:
- Helping clients to prepare for their shoot
- Knowing how to soothe babies, and keep them settled through the session
- Understanding light, and where to position babies for the best lighting
- How to pose newborn babies safely
- How to use their camera to expose photos correctly
- Composition
- Helping parents to feel relaxed in front of the camera
- Getting the best out of baby’s older siblings on the day
- Editing and retouching
Photographers also need to stay up to date – photography trends and techniques are always evolving, and so photographers need to invest in continuous learning too.
What kind of service would you like to have?
In every industry you’ll find professionals providing different levels of service – take restaurants for example. At one end of the scale you have fast food chains – for fairly low prices you queue for your food, clear your own table, and have very little personalisation of service. Contrast that with a restaurant where lunch would cost you hundreds of pounds, and you’d expect highly personalised service, knowledgeable staff who can make suggestions or advise you on the best choices, and who anticipate your needs.
Photography is no different – at the lower end of the scale you can work with a photographer who will meet you for the shoot, take the photographs, do minimal post processing and provide you with a set of digital images. At the other end of the scale you can work with photographers who will get to know each of their clients, find out what it is that each client is hoping for from the session, offer a great session experience, meet you in person to show you the photographs, help you choose and design the best ways to display or enjoy your photographs, create albums, prints or wall displays for you, and deliver your new photographs to your door. As with all of the other considerations here, the kind of service you would prefer to have will be a very personal choice, but will have an impact on price.
The cost of newborn photography
So now that we know the factors that will influence how much newborn photography costs, how much should you expect to pay?
I’ve spent some time looking at newborn photography prices in my local area. At one end of the scale you can have a newborn photo shoot with 10 digital images for £199. At the other end, the entry-level package with other photographers starts at £1000.
Most of my clients invest between £500 and £1,400 in newborn photography including session fees. You can find my prices for newborn photography here
Over To You
I hope that this guide has helped to explain why the prices for newborn photography vary so much, and what might cause one photographer to charge more than another. If you have any other questions about the costs of newborn photography let me know in the comments below, or send me a message here.
Related links
You may also find these articles helpful:
Why is newborn photography so expensive?
How to find the funds for a newborn photo shoot
Posed vs lifestyle newborn photography: what’s the difference?
Do you want To Hire A Newborn Photographer But Don’t Know Where To Start?
Download the FREE Newborn Photography Buyer’s Guide and learn how to choose the best photographer for your family.
