Newborn Photoshoot: Freelance vs. Studio Photographer

When we adopted our oldest daughter (now 2), we had her newborn photoshoot done at a studio with a highly rated photographer when she was 9 days old. The experience was great and we had a lot of fabulous shots to choose from!

We were planning on going back to her for our youngest daughters‘ newborn pictures as well. However, COVID concerns with a newborn caused us to reanalyze.

We ended up making the decision to use a freelance photographer that is also a friend of mine! She had taken pictures for us before and she is a very talented photographer. She did an amazing job and the experience was fantastic!

Both studio and freelance photography are great options for a newborn shoot. However, there are some slight differences in the experience. It honestly just depends on your needs/wants as a client as to which direction you decide to go in. But I hope that by sharing my experience with each option, it will help you to decide.

The main differences I found in freelance vs. studio photographer are:

1. Time and Money:

Studio:

• Negatives: Higher cost and shorter amount of time. (Also, check to see if there are any necessary print purchases with your package. It is more affordable to get the digital copies of the pictures and then print them yourself.)
• Positives: Cost includes studio space, more equipment, and props/backdrops. If you are on a schedule, you will know exactly when you will start and finish.

Freelance:

• Negatives: May take a little longer than in the studio due to finding the best setting/lighting.
• Positives: Saving money is always a plus. Also, no time limit allows for time to feed/sooth the baby if needed to get the best shots. Although, sometimes I think it’s appropriate for the baby to be upset in some photos, like this one:

2. Number of Outfits:

Studio:

• Most studios have a limit on the number of outfit changes allowed. For our studio shoot it was three. This is due to the session time limit.

Freelance:

• No cap on the amount of outfit changes that you can have. For our session we did seven.

3. Setting Options:

Studio:

• Positive: Lots of props/backdrops/lighting options.
• Negative: No outdoor opportunities. (This may not be true for all studio photographers.)

Freelance:

• Positive: Can be in your home/neighborhood so you don’t have to go anywhere. Can also do a mixture of outdoor and indoor.
• Negative: Must provide any props. (This may not be true for all freelancers.) There aren’t studio backdrops so parts of your location will be in the shot.

4. Ad-ins:

Studio:

• If you are thinking about having more pictures done throughout their first year, studio photographers usually have a discounted price for future sessions, so you can ask about that!
• Option to purchase prints, framed pictures, or albums.

Freelance:

• Can usually work in extra pictures (i.e. sibling/family shots) during your session without added cost. We added a few family and sibling pictures to our newborn shoot:

• Also, sometimes freelancers like to capture moments that aren’t posed as well!

In the end it is really up to you as to which type of photographer you choose for your newborn photoshoot. Both are really great options for different reasons. You just need to find what works best for your family. I hope that my experience helps to make your decision a little bit easier!