New parents quickly realize their desire for quality photographs as lasting reminders of the special early moments with your new child. One possibility is to hire a professional photographer who is skilled in capturing the special fleeting moments. Professional photographers are able to create unique poses and capture candid family moments. They also have the resources that allow them to edit and improve raw photographs. But for many young families, money is tight when there are practical and immediate needs like formula, high chairs, clothing and toys. These purchases, on top of the cost of childbirth itself, can make it difficult for an average family to afford the extra cost of professional photography. New parents are faced with a tough decision: whether they should spend the extra money for high quality photographs of their baby or babies, or use that money for other purchases and choose a different route for obtaining photographs of their child. There are benefits and drawbacks to each option.
There are several reasons it might be preferable to hire a professional photographer. If you hire a professional, you are able to be a part of the photo shoot yourself, meaning you will be included in some (or all) of the pictures of your baby. For many families, this is a strong preference. They want to capture shared moments such as reading a book to their newborn, a kiss on the forehead, or a family hug. According to Lane Proffitt Photography, “Another reason to hire a professional is the sheer number of resources they have access to that can set their work at a higher quality level than others. Professional photographers are often trained in editing or retouching with programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Picasa.”
Photoshop has become a household name, and is even described on Wikipedia as “the de facto industry standard” as far as graphics editing is concerned. Hiring a professional photographer to take your baby’s pictures could therefore be the difference between an average untouched phone picture and a picture that has been professionally retouched, cropped and edited by someone with advanced photo-editing skills.
One major consideration in deciding whether or not to hire a professional photographer is cost. According to a NY Times article, the average cost of childbirth in the United States can reach over $9,000 for a conventional delivery and over $15,000 for a caesarean section. When faced with such costs for childbirth itself, followed by the inevitable needs of a young baby such as food, clothing, toys, daycare and medical bills, families may not be able to also afford a photographer. The alternatives include taking pictures yourself or having a friend or family member do it for free (or for a small donation). One benefit of taking baby pictures yourself is that it can provide a very honest, day to day look at life with your new baby. It is possible that only those who are with your baby day after day are able to get such an unedited look at the raw moments of life with a newborn. There are also a lot of ideas floating around on the internet for poses or staging for your photos. Pinterest is one good website that comes to mind for this purpose. If you have a nice camera, you can set it up on a tripod and stage your photos just like you would with a professional. An additional benefit of doing baby photography yourself is that even amateur photographers today have access to editing software or photo programs that can help create the perfect picture of your baby.
In conclusion, there are several options these days for attaining quality photographs of your baby. Ultimately, life with your baby is something no one else can put a price on. Those sweet early moments with your child will forever be printed in your memory, regardless of the type of photography you choose.
