Choosing the best place for your photo session can be tough

That is definitely on the list of benefits for hiring you, as a professional photographer. As a professional, you will get to know who your client is and what message they want their photos to convey to their family and future self/selves. After all, photos are done to show the future who you are right now, be it the future you, the kids all grown up, grandkids or for generations down the line. For example, are they a person who likes uproarious laughter or are they more serious? Do they love the mountains or prefer just hanging out in their own yard? Is the family super affectionate with lots of PDA or more reserved and private. Do they have horses and land or are they more of a city dweller? What about their home? Is the decor earthy and woody, boho or more minimalist and industrial? All of these things (and many, many more) will play an important role in deciding where a client session will take place.

Indoor or outdoor

This is super important and probably the first question that needs to be answered when you are thinking about the photos. Will you want an outdoor look for or something more traditional in a studio setting? Each has it’s own set of challenges and rewards. Working outside, the photos will be affected by weather. If there is any wind at all, hair will be blown out of place and long hair can become unruly, blowing into the air or, worse, into the faces of all beloved family members with long hair.

There is also the option of composite portraits. That is where you take the actual photo of your subject(s) and put them into a completely different set. This can be done to just utilize a different background, replace a background and floor, create a completely different scene or put together several elements into one. Literally, the sky is the limit when using digital backdrops, especially with the improvements made in AI, recently.  Check out the example with the little boy and the giraffe, which was actually taken using a ball in the boy’s hands.

Photos done in the studio have their perks and benefits, too, though. It doesn’t matter what the weather or temperature is doing outside. These photos usually look more elegant and have more an air of luxury than their outdoor counterparts. It’s easier for you to play around with lighting styles indoors than out. In a relatively short amount of time, you can use the studio for low key, dark and moody portraits or high key, light and airy images, backlit silhouettes and all points in between. It’s also easier to keep kiddos in the same spot for longer periods of time, inside a studio setting. You and your client will figure out this part, together, as well as planning what, if any, props you will want to use. They may be the sort of person who loves a minimalistic approach or may prefer portraits that are filled with all sorts of things that they love (I knew of one client who literally brought a cargo trailer, as well as the truck bed, filled with things from home, every single year, that they wanted used in their family sessions, no lie).

The personality factor

You might be wondering what I meant, earlier, about the personality factor. Why would that matter? Well, there is actually a lot of psychology involved in creating the perfect portrait session. In general, certain personality types are typically drawn to certain styles. Someone who is more reserved and quiet will likely prefer a simple background, maybe with just one color, over a busy background filled with lots of props. Conversely, someone with a gregarious, talkative personality and who loves to laugh will likely be more drawn to lots of bright colors and many props. Could you picture Robert De Niro, Matthew McConaughey or Clint Eastwood or John Wayne (God rest him) posing for a photo in front of yellow shelves bursting with funny, brightly colored clockwork toys and rubber ducks? I bet it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to see Robin Williams (God rest him, too), Jim Carrey, Melissa McCarthy or Will Ferrell there, though. As a professional photographer, you will help navigate the perfect look, poses and styling for your client’s personality and family dynamic. For practice in honing this skill, take a quick moment with each person you see, in any environment, and visualize how you would photograph them, based only on their observed behaviors and attire. Good luck!

Written by: Katherine Katsenis

To me, newborn photography is a genre that either leaps out at you, or it doesn’t. I suppose this is true for any kind of photography, but I contend that newborn photography tugs at some of our heart strings a lot more than others.

To get going in newborn photography takes practice, and to practice, you need live models. Stand In Babies (SIBS) can only go so far. In this blog, I want to share with you the kind of model calls I used at various points in my 9 year career so far. My hope is this will give any newborn photographer some things to think about no matter how accomplished (or not) you are.

The Ethics of Newborn Model Calls

From the start, I always felt guilty asking to borrow a baby from new parents. Often, they have no idea what is involved in newborn photography; no idea that there is a short window for most popular poses. So, when I was super inexperienced, and was unskilled in how to pose, I felt that they were giving up a chance to get better photos by being my model.

You may be thinking, but some photos are better than none; that they likely had not planned on newborn photos anyway. I hope that was the case for those first 20 sessions I did as a total beginner.

My point is to be very upfront about your skill level. Let parents know that modeling for a beginning photographer can have its risks in terms of quality of imagery.

The Paid Model Call

While unpopular, this was the main kind of model call I used 9 years ago when I  literally had a Canon Rebel T3 and a continuous light from Amazon. I paid my parents for their time. In Los Angeles, where I am based, I offered $75 an hour plus all edited images I created from the session. The advantage of this is that the parents are working for you and you are paying them. This takes pressure off having to try and do certain poses, or use props the parent wants.

The disadvantage is the cost. As a beginner, my sessions took F O R E V E R…up to 5 hours. So that cost me about $375 per session to practice. Another disadvantage is that this person you are paying will probably not be a contender to be a future paying client. I am not sure why, but in all my years never did a model ever hire me. So, it could be that you are not building a network or client base if you pay your models. This may not seem like a big deal, but down the line, it makes a huge difference if you slowly build up your marketing  base. Having a starting list when you finally launch can help. By list, I mean emails, but also social media followers who will support you through comments and shares.

The Completely Free Model Call

This is what many people think of when they see the phrase “model call”.  The photographer does 90% of the work and the model gets EVERYTHING (all images)  for free.

The obvious advantage is that there is no out of pocket cost to you. However, these are some of the pitfalls I experienced with the F (free) word model call!

1. A general lack of respect. Perhaps it was because I was a total beginner, my personality, or how I interacted with models, but I  noticed that many of them  did not respect my time, effort etc. Of course, I had some models who were just so grateful and courteous. Overall, I had more ghosted emails, more cancellations, and more no shows than any other type of model call. Again, I worked in Los Angeles, a large urban area with a lot of diversity in mores, languages, culture and so on. Communication can be difficult.
2. HIgher Expectations: Free model call participants were more likely to ask for particular poses, props, colors or show me images on Pinterest that they wanted. Even though my contract explained this was a model call, that I had certain plans etc. This may not be a problem for you. In my case, I always had a certain plan  for each baby based on age and I found being assertive difficult.
3. No  Financial Future: Models who got everything for free from you once, are highly unlikely to become a paying client. They will probably be happy to model for you again as their baby ages, so you can work on  your sitter and cake smash skills. Having images of the same baby newborn to the first b day is good to have for your portfolio. Let go of these models ever paying you. Instead, use them to your advantage to build your portfolio

The Hybrid Model Call

As your skills improve, you will start to be on the hook for monthly bills (web site, CRM software, Bookkeeping, mentoring, education, dues and subscriptions,). You need money. The hybrid model call is for intermediate or advanced newborn photographers. Offer the session and X number of complimentary images. If they want to purchase more, they are X amount each.

You may be thinking, why would I need to do a model call if I am intermediate or advanced? Because trends, props, and gear changes. Sometimes, you need to stop and practice with that new lens, see if you like using a dog bed as a posing table,  check out that new strobe etc. It is not a good idea to use these things for the first time at a paid session.

Using the hybrid model call, you can either bring your model back for an IPS session, or have them purchase additional images through your online gallery. This gives you a chance to practice your sales skills and client interactions. You can also start to get an idea about what kinds of products you may want to sell.

Gabby Chung has taken this model to  it’s ultimate with her $1000 Model Call

I made $1000 a few times doing this. But overall, my sales numbers were a lot lower. Probably because my model was not my “ideal client” and my sales skills are wobbly. But for the right person, this model call type can work wonders on your bank account.

Final Thoughts On Newborn Model Calls

Model calls are a great way to practice, for sure. BUt if I were to offer any advice, I would say that you should have a mentor first BEFORE you start model calls. Why? So that you can make adjustments early. In my first year as a newborn photographer, I  did 30  model calls in a summer. Sometimes 3 or 4 in a week. I barely had time to recuperate from one, and another came. Doing this caused some poor habits that were difficult to break.

I highly recommend debriefing  after each session with your mentor. Craft a plan of the elements you want to work on for each session and stick to it. You will improve faster, and not have to do so many model calls like I did.

Have a written agreement in place with each model. For me, models had to sign a model release, that was part of the deal. I outlined exactly how many images, in what formats (low res, high res)  they would get. This will save you when the model comes at you with, “But I thought we got ALL THE  UNEDITED IMAGES TOO”. And believe me, they will ask you for them.

Now go forth and collect your models. Have a plan. Stick to it. Practice and keep going. Some calls will be easy, some harder. Keep going. Cry and bask in Imposter Syndrome, but keep going. Keep going. Then one day, you will wake up and realize, “Hey, I made it. I’m an accomplished newborn photographer!”

Meet the APNPI Judges!

Our next round of Accreditation is quickly approaching and we’d like to introduce you to our APNPI Judges! Judges have completed the APNPI Judges Training and are respected members of the industry spanning various styles and genres of maternity, newborn and baby photography.

Applications are now open for our QNP Certified members to apply for accreditation in one of our 10 categories. Want some support and feedback on which images would be good to submit? Consider participating in our Feedback Friday sessions where our judges critique image submissions from within our membership community group on Facebook. This is a great way to make sure your submission is ready and a wonderful way to experience image critiques before our accreditation deadline dates. Pay attention in the FB group for more information.

We look forward to reviewing your submissions with our amazing judging panel!

Submission Deadline: Jul 16th, 2024

*Are you an accredited member of APNPI and interested in our judge training program? Email us at admin@apnpi.com

Bianca Hubble is a professional photographer. She has been shooting professionally since June of 2005 and specializing in newborn and maternity photography since June of 2011. Bianca has a B.S. degree in Youth Ministry from Toccoa Falls College. She often jokes that she is just working with the really really young “youth”. Bianca’s work has been recognized in Sew Trendy Accessories’ “Best of ….” Her work has been published in International Journal of Child Birth and Points North Magazine. She has spoken in newborn conferences, was an instructor with Online Newborn and Maternity Retreat hosted by the Milky Way for the past 4 years, and she is an international Mentor for Newborn photographers. Bianca has trained over 120 newborn photographers in person individually or in very small groups in just over a year’s time and has trained several thousand through online e-workshops. She is also the inventor of the Newborn Cloud posing system for newborn photographers sold world wide. Bianca lives in Toccoa, Georgia.

Bianca Hubble Photography

Hey there, incredible souls! Irene here, juggling the roles of momma, wife, and a nurse by trade. I am the powerhouse behind the enchantment at Vine and Branch Studios by night. And let me tell you, I’m on cloud nine that you’re diving into this adventure with us! Imagine this: We’re right in the heart of Prospect, Louisville, Kentucky, soaking in the unbeatable vibes of the East End. What fuels our passion? EVERYTHING! We’re diving into family, infant, motherhood, maternity, and brand photography—it’s the whole shebang of spectacular moments! Our mission? To create jaw-dropping, elegant, and intimate magazine-style fine-art portraits that’ll leave you utterly speechless.

Vine and Branch Studio

Marcela Limon is a Maternity and Newborn photographer servicing the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s QNP Certified and Accredited Maternity and Newborn photographer through APNPI and a Certified Professional Photographer, Master Photographer and Photographic Craftsman through PPA. She’s been specializing in motherhood images since 2015 and has won prestigious awards at international print competitions, including APNPI, WPPI and PPA. She’s committed to newborn safety and that’s why she is Infant CPR trained. She’s always looking for education opportunities to make the industry better for both her colleagues and her clients.

Lemonshoots

I have been specializing in newborn photography for the past 13 years, and teaching newborn photography for the past 4 years to students around the world. My approach to newborn photography is a classic look with a rustic vibe. I love creamy skin tones and I’m a bit of a perfectionist with my work. I love helping others grow in their passion for posing and developing a sustainable business that can support their family and give them freedom to do what they love most. I’m a mother of 4 girls and have 3 fur babies. I’m a world traveler and always on the search for our next destination as a family, since spending time with them and experiencing new things is my ultimate goal in life. I’m lucky to call my passion work, but I’m even luckier that it’s given me the ultimate ability to do what I love most, and thats spend time with my kids and be there for them.

Rayne Drop Photography

APNPI Competition 3rd Place Winner – Child Category | “Little But Fierce” by Marggie Duncan