Online Newborn Photography Workshops vs In-Person

As “Little Crumpets Photography” offers both “The Online Natural Newborn Photography Workshop” and 1-2-1 in person workshops, it is important to explain the pros and cons of both to see what suits you best for your lifestyle, experience and your learning style.

“The Online Natural Newborn Photography Workshop”

The main benefit of this course is the sheer volume of content and information that is offered that is not possible to offer in person. With 5 hours of video content featuring 4 different newborn sessions in the studio and a client home, a skin editing video, an instructional video that shares everything that “Little Crumpets Photography” has learned over her 12 years of business such as prepping clients for home sessions, safety in newborn photography, soothing newborns, working with awake newborns, her editing workflow, her newborn posing workflow to ensure easier, relaxed sessions for baby with minimal movement, developing connection in your images, consistency in your portfolio and client communication. The huge volume of content offered in this course is a huge benefit to purchasing an online newborn photography workshop.

Newborn baby with spiky blonde hair wrapped up in a newborn photography shoot in a natural way.

Pros of an Online Newborn Photography Workshop:

Lifetime access with an Online Workshop

A huge perk of purchasing an online newborn photography workshop is the ability to access the videos on your own time, for a lifetime. If you have an extremely busy schedule an online workshop is much better suited so you can watch when you want and wherever you want. For example, watching the workshop in the background while you are editing, travelling on the train or waiting for your children on school pickup.

An Abundance of Info

An online newborn photography workshop often contains more information than a 1-2-1 in person newborn photography workshop because it simply isn’t possible to cram 4 models in different locations and provide over 5 hours of informative content crammed into one day in person. An online workshop is able to provide much more information and a broader range of information because it is not restricted to time constraints or relying on the behaviour of sleepy newborn models.

Family of four on their bed in their home, dressed in neutral colours in a newborn photography session.

More cost effective than In-Person Newborn Workshops

Online newborn photography workshops are typically cheaper than 1-2-1 in person newborn photography workshops because they have been created for a wide audience online. 1-2-1 workshops require careful planning, finding and advertising for newborn models and tailoring the information to each attendee personally. This results in a higher cost. The cost of “The Online Natural Newborn Photography Workshop” is £475 compared to a 1-2-1 In-Person Newborn Photography Workshop that costs £850 for the day.

Global access

Have you ever admired the work of a newborn photographer on Instagram and aspired to learn from them? You were so excited when they started to offer In-Person workshops but then realised they lived in an entirely different country! The benefit of an online newborn photography workshop is that you can learn from newborn photographers anywhere in the world and don’t have to travel to them. Technology is pretty amazing!

Mother and father holding their newborn baby in a cream outfit. The image is a close up portrait and the newborn has a tiny smirk.

Cons of an Online Newborn Photography Workshop:

While there are numerous positives to taking an online newborn photography workshop, there are just a few cons when comparing the in-person workshop.

No hands on practice

Watching an online newborn photography course in your own time unfortunately means not getting to practice taking photographs of the newborn models in person and to be instructed by the photographer on lighting and angles of the newborn. However, after carefully watching the instructional videos you can practice on dolls yourself so that you get experience with lighting and the right angles and then move onto model calls.

Newborn wrapped up in the womb-pose on a beanbag of neutral blankets.

Content is less tailored and for a broader audience/ experience

Another aspect of an online newborn photography workshop that might be less appealing to some is that content is less tailored and developed for a more broad audience of newborn photographers with a focus on all levels of experience. An online workshop isn’t tailored to you specifically but does focus on showcasing a wide variety of knowledge of newborn photography.

Newborn baby on neutral blankets asleep while swaddled for a newborn photography session.

1-2-1 In-Person Newborn Photography Workshop Pros and Cons:

Pros of an In-Person Newborn Photography Workshop:

The beauty of a 1-2-1 In-Person Newborn Photography Workshop is the interactive and personalised approach that they encourage in comparison to an online newborn photography workshop.

Tailored to you

An In-Person Newborn Photography workshop can be personally tailored to you. Prior to the workshop you are welcome to share what you are hoping to learn and what you need help with specifically via email so the workshop can be tailored for your needs on the day.

Ask questions

An in-person newborn photography workshop is interactive and you can ask questions throughout as they come to you.

Mother sitting on a sofa in her home while breastfeeding her newborn baby.

Can see everything in real time

One of the benefits of an In-person newborn photography workshop is being able to watch your instructor interact and photograph newborns in real time. This means you can see how your instructor soothes a newborn if they are awake, asleep, fussy or constantly needing feeds. This shows you that newborns are never perfect, even when a newborn photographer has been photographing newborns for years. This is because newborns aren’t dolls and while experience does help with interacting with newborns calmly and safely, there are always little personalities that are more challenging than others. A 1-2-1 newborn photography workshop gives you actual insight into how a newborn session can run.

Can practice with your own camera

One of the best benefits of an In-Person Newborn Photography workshop is that you can bring your camera and photograph each pose. This means that your instructor can help you with the most flattering angles of newborns and help you learn how to use and see natural lighting. By practicing with your instructor by your side you are able to ask any questions that arise and also hands on learning.

Newborn baby swaddled up in a natural womb-like pose on a beanbag with his mother kissing him.

Cons of an In Person Newborn Photography Workshop:

Like anything, there are always negatives specific to each individual so you must take the workshop that is right for you.

More expensive

In-person newborn photography workshops are more expensive because they are usually 1-2-1 and require a full day set aside for the instructor photographer. It involves advertising for newborn models and preparation each time to tailor the workshop to each individual.

Location based- may have to travel

A negative aspect of in-person newborn photography workshops is that you may have to travel far for the type of workshop you would like. Each photographer has a unique style of photography and also teaching methods so you must find the one right for you, even if this requires travelling far.

Newborn baby with wide eyes resting on his mother's shoulder in the burping position.

Might not remember all the info

In-person newborn workshops can seem quite overwhelming and are quite full days, this can result in you not remembering every detail. Unfortunately you can’t rewatch them over and over like an online course. Taking notes is recommended but can be hard when you are watching the instructor pose the newborns.

Can seem overwhelming for beginners and you might not get as much out of it

An in-person newborn photography workshop can seem overwhelming to beginners because everything is so new and with an online workshop you can pause and go at your own pace. Again, videos can be rewatched over and over so you learn everything thoroughly.

Unpredictable

Newborns aren’t always perfect and this can interfere with the quality of an in person newborn photography workshop. While every instructor does their best, even with years of experience, a newborn has their own little personality and may cry or cluster feed on the day which can make it difficult to teach all the poses necessary in the workshop. An online newborn workshop edits this to give the best of every session.

Newborn with dark hair swaddled up with his feet out for a newborn photography session.

Choosing what type of newborn photography workshop can feel like a daunting task but after careful consideration of what you would like to learn, how you would like to learn, costs and travel, you will soon find the right method of learning newborn photography for you!