Some helpful tips when searching for a newborn photography educator!
1) take some time to really look deeply at a variety of newborn photos that speak strongly to you. Maybe save them or pin them on Pinterest. Shoot for a solid 30 or 50 shots. Now step back and take a look at what these images have in common…
First off the lighting…are they moody? airy? bright? dramatic? Is the posing natural, super-posey, relaxed, or a mix? Whose images are they, did a name pop up more than once or twice? If so, who are they and who taught them?
First off the lighting…are they moody? airy? bright? dramatic? Is the posing natural, super-posey, relaxed, or a mix? Whose images are they, did a name pop up more than once or twice? If so, who are they and who taught them?
I’ve been teaching long enough now that there are many newborn mentors who I’ve taught in the past, but remember that fantastic work doesn’t always make a fantastic teacher (though I’m sure some are!). But the most important thing is that you aren’t choosing a workshop because of the price, the location of the photographer, or JUST the fact that you’re seeing advertisements for them. The single most important thing is do the photographer’s images speak to you? Meaning, would you be thrilled to be producing their work? While it’s fine to have many mentors and take a little something from everyone, for many of us, taking multiple workshops a year isn’t financially feasible, which means you need to be sure you can really make the most out of your experience.
2) what is your preferred learning style? If you know that you do really well just quietly observing a professional at work, your options are pretty unlimited. I offer an online “Birdseye class” for just this type of learning. You can ask questions in real-time while watching two full newborn sessions on different days, and re-watch the material as long as you like. If you know that you need to be in a physical space to learn best, ask about coming for a private or small group session, or if you have your own studio I can usually travel to you. Sometimes hosting a workshop in your space is ideal for both of us, just shoot my assistant, Mel, an email and we can work it out.
3) don’t wait too long! While props and baby goodies are fun (and fun to buy)… $400-$1000 of props and bonnets aren’t going to elevate your game, bring in high end clients, or solve your problems.
Hope to (maybe?) hear from you!