If you are new to family photography you may feel confused about the range of packages available all over the internet and why they differ so much.

In this article we’ve broken down what to look for when choosing the right baby or family photography package for you and a ballpark figure for how much a baby photoshoot really costs.

More than ever families are seeing the value of documenting a precious moment or having a professional family portrait created. After all, a great family portrait not only makes everyone look good, but shows personality and can give a sense of ‘togetherness’ and ‘us’.

If you needed another excuse to book a professional photography session, there are also well documented studies on the benefits that family photos have on children when they are growing up.

So, what if you are expecting a newborn soon and want to mark the moment with some beautifully captured photos?

Maybe you have an older tribe and are simply looking to capture a moment in time for your kids or teen or adult family; where do you start to look for the right photographer and how much should you expect to pay, when all is said and done?

The images are important, but experience is everything

First, it must be said that we believe a truly great image has a story and an experience attached to it. After all, some people have stunning, clever photos that they confess were not at all enjoyable to create - (we hear about engagement or wedding shoots like this often!) and although they look good, they often sit in an album or on a USB stick in the drawer.

We go out of our way to ensure our families have a great experience from the booking to delivery, so that they have lots of reasons they love every image that they take home. We admit, not every shoot is always easy as kids have their own plans, but that doesn’t mean it is not enjoyable and rewarding.

Finding the right baby and family photographer

The world of family and baby photography is a tricky place to navigate as there seem to be so many people offering it! The photography industry is a dynamic place but largely unregulated; and whilst that is great for entrepreneurs and startup businesses, it does mean that there are a lot of inexperienced operators who are maybe not being so clear about what they can (or can’t) offer.

We would advise that you first start by finding photographer or company’s work that you really like and then discuss ahead of time what other criteria are important to you.

For some people, convenience is the most important - how close the studio is to their home for example, so they don’t have to travel too far with the new baby; for others it is about a solid reputation and how reliable the photographer is.

Everybody is concerned about cost and how much they are prepared to pay for the right product; it is worth noting though, cheaper doesn’t always mean the best value - you do get what you pay for, as some people have found out to their detriment.

Take the time to read customer reviews and get a sense of how others feel about the service, particularly the after service. You can tell how good a company is by the strength of their return customers.

How much does professional photography cost?

There are heaps of offers available to anyone with a search engine these days and honestly, it can be quite overwhelming trying to work out ahead of time how much you are required to spend.

With offers from photographers ranging from ‘free’ to a full blown $2000 upfront fixed package, it seems that there is no ‘standard’ to compare to. Very often a package will seem to offer one thing, but then have some hidden costs that were not clear at the start.

We feel that there is no problem with offering add-ons or upgrades but setting up customers to think they are getting something when they are not, is not entirely fair.

Realistically, for a professional high quality newborn or baby photoshoot, including a reasonable amount of digital photos or prints, you can expect to pay anywhere starting from $800-$1200 in total. What is included within this range varies between photographers greatly and it should be noted that many families like to invest upwards of $2500 or more.

Our experience

Pricing and packages for Grain & Weave have been created very much with our customers in mind and have been adjusted over the years with hundreds of families’ feedback.

Our entry package starts at only $295 and includes the full award-winning service in your home, from start to finish. Currently we offer 5 digital images included with this package so that, as a minimum, our customers have something to walk away with for a great price.

Everybody loves the experience so much that they usually want to invest more and we invite them to browse all their options in a booklet we give them at the shoot, where they have at least a week to explore their options. Our families are informed and remain in control of their budget, resulting in happier and relaxed clients.

If a family wants to treat themselves to something extra-special to mark the moment, they can get their hands on any of our handmade range of stone prints, timber pieces and museum-grade canvases, all available to be seen as examples at their in-home shoot. They can even recycle the $295 they originally paid toward something they really want and take that amount form the total.

This package is available for every newborn and baby shoot and also as a handmade gift voucher or e-card instant gift.

By offering a complete in-home service and a low-entry fee, we have made high-quality photography accessible to many families.

Summary

Professional photography is not cheap and nor should it be as you are trusting your photographer with your family’s most important moments that can never be bought back for any amount of money. If you do your research and communicate with your photographer what you are looking for, from your experience, you will end up with a great result that you will cherish for decades.

If you would like to talk to us about your newborn, baby or family photography then please contact Adele by email in our office team for a chat.