Motherhood & Maternity Photographic Services - Questions To Ask

Journey to Motherhood: Maternity Photo Shoot

Maternity photos haven’t always been popular. infact it’s a new genre starting back in the late 80’s of people with wealth and celebrity status wanting to celebrate their love for the other and their new union of family. Its now today, in 2020, a modern way to celebrate this special and exciting time in our lives. We also take photos during times of loss, as well. Which we don’t talk about as much, but is equally as important. This is something I have helped many family’s with over the years.

Choosing your Maternity photographer to capture your journey, questions you need to ask:

Starting this process early is important so you can have lots of time to compare and research your future photographer properly. It gives you time to ask important questions and address any concerns you may have.

1) How long have they been in business? Are they a wedding photographer or are they a baby photographer, and are they insured?

Many wedding photographers photograph babies in their down time to pay the bills, which is fine but they usually dont have the investment of props, studio space, actual time handling and working with babies or a passion for seeing the babies as art, like a specialized photographer would. These two types of photography have very differing skill sets and gear requirements.

2) Do they photograph a style you love?

Many photographers have a few styles they prefer to shoot in. The best way to compare them is through their imagery on the website & social media. Many times we can do special requests but overall you should love the natural style of whom you’re booking with.

3) Think of the future. These images will be heirloom captures of these first moments as a family. They will be shown at future weddings, graduations and brought out again when your child has a baby of their own. What do you want to capture for them for their future use?

Traditional mixed with some modern trendy images are always a good mix.

4) Referrals & Ratings

Did you get referred by someone? Or do their online Google reviews match what you see on their social media? Social media like Facebook is often inflated with family and friends recommending them. Google is very picky about what gets accepted as a review and business owners cant remove or block these people.

• A company can delete their Google business page so if they have had bad reviews it will no longer show up during a google search. Be wary of businesses without a Google Business page as having one helps them rank higher and increase visibility. So if its missing, they may be new or hiding something. Some businesses will have multiple pages when they change website addresses, if they want to ditch previous reviews. Otherwise you can update and get re-verified by google. Takes a week and google sends a pin. Easy peasy.

5) Insurance, I mentioned it above but its very important and I want to stress it again.

Confirm they are insured and licensed in the city they operate out of.

In Saskatoon we are given a Business Licence that has to be hung on the wall or visible to all clients.

6) Education Memberships & Awards

What type of Photographic training do they have? What type of child handling and child psychology training do they have? Do they have any Photographic memberships? Do they possess any awards in these fields?

I took photography & Art as electives all the way through school, high school Graphic Arts programs and University and spent some time studying from Gail Adams when she was still running Gail Adams School of Art. I did study child development while studying psychology @ the U of S, which later changed to studying Nutrition in my 3rd year.

I choose to be a PPA Member: Professional Photographers of America

The world's largest nonprofit photography association organized for professional photographers, by professional photographers, and in more than 50+ countries!

Awards: My awards I’m most proud of happened almost 10 years ago. I beat out thousands of people all over North America so I feel quite lucky to place where I did.

2011 - 2nd place in the Shannon Tweeds Team Gear Designer Contest
2011 - Won taking 1st in Brett Wilson’s Santa Baby Designer Contest

7) Personality

You will spend a lot of time with your photographer over the months so you need to like them.

I like to offer complimentary consultations so my future clients have a chance to tour the studio, view the maternity dress collection, peep the newborn props and really make sure our studio is the right fit for them and I can meet all of their expectations. We have so many maternity dresses and gowns, I have them try some on just to be sure they fit well before they book with our studio.

On average, from the maternity session to the end of the newborn session at the reveal, we will have spent 8 hours together planning, shooting and in person photo reveals, so it’s important that we work well together.

8) Budget & Pricing

This is a tough one for most people to swallow when they look at the prices photographers have.

The truth is Photographers are the lowest paid career in the world. Here’s why… dont believe me, google it yourself.

Here’s an example, the Canadian average is $500 a package. 3-4 hours of time with print products included. Family photos and multiple prop shots if not also beanbag poses.

On average I use 3 props in all newborn packages. These are photographed on 3 different back drops which have a back wall and a floor. 1 set of these cost me $500. That’s right, a mat wall and a mat floor that’s 5x7 costs me $500 from Intuition Backdrops by Becky Gregory. Thats on sale without brokerage. In 3 sets like that we’re at $1500 in backdrops for just the newborn only sets without any props or parent sized drops being included. So even if you were to DIY your own photos to get the same look you’d have spent more than you will pay me already. If you’ve been in my prop room before you know that the backdrops aren’t the expensive part of the sets. The matching props we place on those sets are. Then there is camera equipment, studio strobes, computers, special monitors, graphic tablets and software, insurance and licenses to name a few more expenses.

That’s just one of 20+ examples I can think of. Unlike your stroller, crib, change table, highchairs, swings or car seats, your investment to your photographer for your photos, albums, slideshows and video, will be what you keep forever and will be well worth the investment if you choose a specialized professional to take these images.

9) Location, do you want to shoot indoors or outdoors?

Make sure your photographer offers in studio or on location sessions before booking. This can vary from photographer to photographer.

Not everyone has a studio location or is available onsite.

10) Maternity Dress & Props

Does the Photographer you’re considering have Maternity Dresses you’d love to wear?

Do they have Newborn Baby props that you’d like to see your little one in?

Do they offer the Posing Options you’d like for your little one?

Once you have made a final decision on a photographer, its best to book your maternity session inbetween your 30th to 36th week of pregnancy.

The reason for this is getting the photos done before a hormone rush happens and things like abdominal aches, additional edema, heartburn, backache, lack of sleep, clumsiness due to hormones, bladder control and fatigue become even more prevalent. These really become prominant around the 36th week of pregnancy as the baby is turning, unless your baby remains breach.