HOW TO START A NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS

Starting a newborn photography business is such an exciting venture and can change your life forever. It can lead to spending more time at home with your children, pursuing your passion and having a better work-life balance if done right. Unfortunately, it isn’t just about taking pretty photographs, and that is such a small fraction of the work that goes into running a photography business.

When starting a newborn photography business, the most exciting parts are learning to take beautiful photographs, creating a unique logo that reflects your business and starting an Instagram account. However, did you know these are such a tiny aspect of running a photography business? Many photographers think that once they start an Instagram account, they are “official” and people will just automatically find them and their work. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy, and a lot of work goes behind starting up a newborn photography business and marketing your small business.

I’m going to dive into everything you need to do to start your newborn photography business and get it off the ground. Learning everything there is to know about newborn photography and creating a strong, consistent portfolio is so important before you start charging clients and begin running your business professionally. 

How does one learn about newborn photography?

Photographing newborns can be incredibly hard work; it is time-consuming, requires great patience and requires empathy when working with brand new parents who are going through the highs and lows of life postpartum. I believe it is so important to learn how to photograph newborns from other experienced professionals so you can work safely, efficiently, and once you do that, you can put your own flair and style on your work. Let’s start your photography business!

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Anyone looking to start up a photography business, such as beginners looking for a step-by-step guide on how to start their newborn photography business. Starting a new business can be overwhelming, and it is easy to miss important aspects, so this post is here to help!

ABOUT KIRSTIN

Before we delve into starting your photography business, lets’ talk about my experience. 

I’ve been a newborn photographer for 12 years, and I wish I had all the resources that exist today, from online courses, YouTube videos and Instagram; there is so much help on offer. I started as a headshot photographer for actors (my claim to fame is that I photographed Damson Idris and his first headshots), but it started to get a bit routine.

I came across some of the earlier studio newborn photographers on Facebook and was inspired by their work. I knew I wanted to become a newborn photographer and become as successful as these newborn photographers, but how? 

How do you start up a newborn photography business?

The bright colours, posed images and cutesy props that were popular at the time were right up my alley, and I thought it had to be easy enough. 

So I arranged some model calls, bought props and quickly realised that posing and soothing newborns was a whole different ballgame from portraits of adults who listened to what I told them to do.

There weren’t many UK photographers teaching newborn photography at the time, so I became primarily self-taught, and it took me years to perfect my posing and style. I realised that started a newborn photography business was hard work.

As more educators appeared, I took in-person newborn photography workshops from some of the original great studio newborn photographers like Kelly Brown, Jade Gal and Dewdrops Photography.

Taking these at the beginning of my newborn photography career would have helped me progress much quicker.

For years, I kept to my bright, posed studio style with cutesy props, and then I had my first daughter.

Motherhood made me realise that I wouldn’t be hanging bright, colourful images of a baby in a bucket on my walls and wanted something with emotion, connection and something that wouldn’t go out of style as she got older.

That’s when I knew I had to change my style, and I created my own blend of naturally posed newborn photography paired with a gentle lifestyle approach in homes and my home studio. 

I’ve never looked back because creating emotion and connection in my sessions never gets old.

It has been a long journey of constant learning, and I wish I’d had guidance in the early days of my small business so that I could have progressed faster and found myself much sooner, but you only learn this in retrospect.

WHY I CHOSE TO FOCUS ON NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY

BECOME AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD

When starting your newborn photography business it can be helpful to choose a focus. After discovering how much I loved newborn photography, I decided to niche down solely to newborn photography (and what comes with it naturally, like maternity and family photography). I wanted to focus on developing my craft and becoming an expert in my field rather than spread myself thin with weddings and headshot photography as well.

Focusing on newborn photography has helped me become a newborn photography expert and eventually an educator, as for over a decade, I have lived and breathed newborn photography. Focusing on one genre of photography positions me as an expert in the field. In turn, this helps me quickly gain trust with new parents who want the safest and best option for their newborn.

MARKETING

Niching down helps me target my SEO more effectively and narrow down my advertising. This, in turn, costs me less because I’m not advertising for different areas of photography and am just trying to reach one type of client rather than reach various types of clients at different stages in their lives.

Focusing on newborn photography (and this works for maternity photography as well) has helped my bookings continue at a steady rate over the years because while photography is a luxury product and not an essential item, the newborn stage is seen as a very important window of time that new parents know they won’t get back.

This results in urgency for parents to book a newborn session because they know it goes so quickly, and there is a small window during which newborns can be photographed.

This type of urgency doesn’t exist for general family photography, so it can be harder to market.

SAFETY

Parents also understand that safety is important with newborn photography so having a professional take the photos is seen as important at this stage. New parents realise that it wouldn’t be safe to take the images themselves and that it is better to hire an experienced professional. New parents are more likely to purchase newborn photography because of the fleeting concept of time and because they can’t do it themselves on their phone, which is why I have focused on this niche.

SCHEDULING

I love newborn photography for its ability to give me the schedule and lifestyle that suits me as a mother to 3 children. I can schedule days off for school events ahead of time, be there for school drop off and pick up and have my evenings and weekends free.

This kind of scheduling is harder to achieve with weddings, family sessions, and even maternity sessions, as parents of newborns are on maternity leave and also paternity leave for the first two weeks after the baby’s arrival, so they are free to do weekdays during the day.

With outdoor family or maternity sessions that require golden hour lighting, it can be a lot of evenings and also weekends when families have older children in school or parents work during the week. Now that my eldest daughter is in school, it is very important to me that I have weekends off to spend with her.

Due to the marketing angle of booking ahead of time because of urgency (clients don’t want to miss out on booking a session and miss capturing their newborn in the first few weeks of their life), I am able to know how many bookings I have months in advance and plan accordingly. While last-minute bookings do come in, I am able to take on extra if I have the space.

KIT CHECKLIST

When starting your photography business you may feel overwhelmed by what you need to buy and worried about how expensive it could be. But it is possible to keep it to the minimum!

-full frame or mirrorless camera

-backup camera

-24-70 lens (ideally a backup as well)

-Spare batteries

-Numerous memory cards

-Lighting- are you going to use natural light (in which case you might need sheer curtains to diffuse light) or softbox, flash, or continuous lighting?

-Studio or Client Homes?

-Beanbag (not required for family-focused lifestyle newborn photographers, but can be helpful)

-Wraps

-Blankets

-Posing aids like posing beans or facecloths

-Baby Outfits (if you choose to have a Client Wardrobe)

-Dresses for Maternity & Mothers (again, if you choose to have a Client Wardrobe)

-Hand Sanitiser

-White noise

-Portable Heater

FINDING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE

As you begin your journey into newborn and family photography and start your photography business, you will start to explore different styles. Look on instagram for work you admire and which styles you are drawn to such as the clean, minimal, all-white look, a natural lifestyle approach in client homes, more posed images with colourful props in a studio or a documentary style. There are so many styles to explore. 

WHAT ARE YOU DRAWN TO?

 Gather examples of images you are drawn to. What kind of photography creates excitement within you? 

MODEL CALLS

Photograph 10-15 model calls- you may find that the more sessions you do, the clearer your style will become, you will discover what you’re passionate about. Look back at all the sessions you’ve shot and pick 10 images that make you feel proud. 

Study what they have in common, such as lighting, colour, composition, or emotion. That’s your style taking shape and will take time, the more you photograph, the clearer your vision will become. 

EXPERIMENT WITH LIGHTING

Experiment with different types of lighting- this will help you find your style (do you prefer dark/moody vibes, bright and airy?)

EMOTION

Reflect on your emotional intent and what emotion you want to evoke through your work. How will you create emotion? Through home sessions? Through posing? Through lighting? 

REFLECT ON YOUR WHY

Reflect on why you want to become a newborn to family photographer- this may become the foundation of your style. 

EDITING

Practice editing your model call sessions- style comes through practice and repetition. Experiment with different presets until you find what works. Then try to use that consistently. 

REFLECT ON WHAT YOU DON’T LIKE

It’s equally helpful to identify what styles, tones, or props don’t resonate with you. Time: Remember style evolves with practice and time!

LEGAL & BUSINESS SET UP (For the UK)

When starting a photography business, the most overwhelming part for me was the legal aspect. I just didn’t know what I needed to do and ensure everything was done properly. But it isn’t that tricky once you do your research! Then once you do the hard part, the fun creative stuff is all that is left!

Register Your Company (Companies Made Simple)

Registering your company with Companies Made Simple helps sort everything you need by acting as a company formation agent and making everything incredibly simple and quick. They sort out forming your company with HMRC and also send reminders when accounts, confirmation statements and tax filings are due! 

Should I Be A Sole Trader or a Limited Company?

Choosing whether you want to register your business as a sole trader or limited company is another huge decision you must make when starting your newborn photography business. 

Sole Trader

This is a great option if you are still a hobbyist or in the early stages of your business. It requires minimal paperwork and is less involved. However, the business is tied to you as a person, for example, you have unlimited liability. If something were to go wrong, you as an individual are responsible legally and financially. Personal assets are at risk if you do incur debt. 

Limited Company

If you make over £30,000 a year, a limited company is the way to go as it is a more tax-efficient way to run your company. Having a limited company means your company is responsible for liability, rather than you as an individual. It is also seen as more professional and better in the long run to be a professional company. 

Accountant

While you can do your taxes yourself (especially if you are just doing self-assessments for a sole trader) it can be very helpful to hire an accountant to file your taxes correctly. Accountants know all the rules for HMRC, can save you money, and sometimes it is worth hiring an expert. As a small business owner, we do not need to wear all the hats. Hiring a professional can save you time and money. 

Get Business Insurance Before Taking Clients

Business insurance is an incredibly important purchase for your business, and before you even start doing model calls, I recommend having it so that you and your business are safe if anything happens. 

Having Public liability insurance is incredibly important for home or client location shoots in case a client sues your business for injury or negligence. Public liability helps cover legal costs. 

Having yourself covered by insurance helps keep your business protected and gives you peace of mind. 

Keep Your Business Protected With Contracts

Why do you need a contract with clients for your photography business? 

A contract protects you from all possible events, it helps to define how you run your business, what is included in your service, how long it will take to have images delivered, includes a model release, and your payment terms (when everything will be paid and how much). It also helps to clearly explain what happens if anything goes wrong such as illness, delays or unforeseen events. This way there is no miscommunication and everything is understood and agreed to by your client.

Model Releases are incredibly important, as even though we have taken the photographs, we still need permission to use someone’s image online. We must never post an image of an individual without their consent.

Comply With Data Protection & GDPR

This is pretty simple: have a privacy policy on your website, stating how you use and store photos. Register with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a Data Controller and make sure your online galleries and client emails are secure.

PRICING AND PACKAGES

A common question when new photographers start is, “What do I charge?” This is a huge decision when starting your photography business and can feel quite overwhelming. 

The only way to figure this out is by figuring out how much you need to make for each session to make a living and pay for all costs of doing business. You can use a CODB calculator to help you.

First, write down all of your fixed business costs and your variable business costs.

Fixed Business Costs

-website costs (domain and website hosting)

-photography software (ie, Lightroom, Photoshop and your gallery provider like Pic-time)

-business insurance

-studio costs

-marketing and advertising costs

-accountant

-education, such as workshops or memberships

Variable Business Costs

-travel costs (getting to and from sessions, such as petrol, car maintenance, petrol, train fares, parking fares)

-props, wraps and outfits for newborns and mothers (Client Closet)

-prints, albums, USB, packaging

-taxes (set aside 20-30% of each session to save for taxes such as income tax, national insurance and VAT)

Decide How Much You Want To Earn

Decide on your yearly salary and divide that into a monthly earning. Then figure out how many sessions per month this will require.

Figuring It Out

Annual Business Expenses + Desired Salary + Taxes = Total Annual CODB

Total Annual CODB ÷ number of sessions you would like = minimum price required per session

WHY I HAVE THREE PACKAGES VS. ONE ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE

When I first started my newborn photography business, I was an all-inclusive photographer but soon realised that editing every single image in detail of 100’s of images would lead to burnout. Prospective clients also would say, “I don’t want all the photos, I just want a couple,” in hopes of getting a cheaper price. 

Having various packages allows me to start at a lower price range (I still charge the minimum amount I require to survive as a business) and then hopefully upsell my top package to clients. The reason I have had 3 packages for many years is due to saving time, allowing clients to choose their images, and having the option to upsell to clients rather than include all images in one package has been greatly beneficial for my business.

I have 3 packages for my clients: 5 images, 15 images and 40 images. Clients are able to choose their package once they have seen their soft-proofed gallery based on how many images they like.

TIME

I soft-proof my galleries, which means I only edit the tones/exposure/colours in my galleries. Basically, I edit enough so my clients will understand the overall look of the image, and I inform clients in their gallery email that once they make their final choices, I will then edit skin, stray hairs, or take items out of their final choices.

This saves me a huge amount of time; rather than editing the skin or details of 100 images that won’t get chosen, I am only editing 5-40 images in great detail. Once clients have chosen their final images and package, I then go back and edit the skin, stray hairs and final details to perfect the images before they are delivered.

CLIENT CHOICE

A huge reason for providing clients with a soft-proofed gallery and allowing them to choose their package is that they then feel like they have had a choice. Over the years, I have learned that the images I love aren’t always the images that clients love, and it is better for them to choose their favourites.

UPSELLING

Upselling can seem scary, but I promise, doing it this way is exciting! I don’t require clients to choose their package until they have seen their gallery, so I find that by working towards selling my top package, I remain driven, hard-working and excited for every gallery that I send out. 

With my base package, I am able to draw in clients with a set budget or set amount of images they want, but hopefully, once they see a gallery with lots of variety and beautiful images, they will then choose to upgrade to my middle or top packages. I also have an add-on where if they have purchased my top package, they can then purchase the entire soft-edited gallery, which usually has 100-150 images in it.

SAFETY IN NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY

When starting your newborn photography business, the number 1 priority is the safety of the sweet newborns you are photographing. Do not just wing it, taking workshops and getting training from experienced newborn photographers should be your number one priority. 

Online Newborn Photography Workshops

I highly recommend taking an online newborn photography course by a newborn photographer you admire before you start your newborn photography business. 

Choose one based on their experience, and if you feel you are inspired by their photography style. The benefits of an online newborn workshop are numerous. 

With an online workshop, we are not limited to one geographic area; we can watch the online course over and over, watch it in our own time, and they are usually more cost-effective. 

In-Person 1-2-1 Workshops

In-person 1-2-1 Newborn Photography workshops are beneficial if a newborn photographer that you love is within travelling distance to you, or you can travel far to them. 

They are great if you feel you would benefit from being able to ask questions, take your own images of the newborn models or learn better in person. 1-2-1 newborn photography workshops can be more expensive. 

Starting your photography business may seem overwhelming at the start and you may question your ability to do it. But step by step you can put every piece of the puzzle together and you will find the journey of starting your newborn photography business is actually quite fun!