Baby Photography, advertising leaflets in street?

[Tobiah]

Hi there... i recenly had the idea of baby photography. Im also trying to get into weddings but thats another matter.

SO i hve done a free sesiion from advertising on a baby forum for parents... It went well, was hard but i think the photos are high quality enough for people to make good money for.. please see them at blog.tobiahtayo.com

So i am thinking to get som leaflets printed and give them to newborns mothers and expecting mothers whilst out and about and shopping etc... in public places...

I was originally going to charge £100 for all images on a cd for 1.5 hours session.

DO you think ill get any ineres if i use some of the images on my blog... (By the way im mobile and travel to the client...)

Thanks, opinions highly appreciated !

[Gary_Evans]

My thoughts for what they are worth ......

Lighting is a bit harsh and in some shots the baby looked uncomfortable.

Many new mums will not have £100 spare as a baby is very costly due to all the bits needed (clothes, nappies, food etc) and they are often no longer on a full income. Added that dedicated baby companies such as Bounty, Emmas Diary and so on will be promoting studios who will supply some photos for free you have to have an exceptional name and product. Research your market properly, most baby stores will have a deal with Pixi-Foto where there is the chance to buy a 12x10 for £4.99, what I am saying is that you need to consider your prices carefully.

People who do shoot babies tend to do it quickly - they get bored, fall asleep, fill their nappy, want feeding etc etc. Shooting babies is nothing like shooting adults at all. I would suggest that you limit the session to 20 minutes shooting max. By cutting the time by 75% will not cut your sales by 75% per session, and you will be able to fit more sessions in.

Next place yourself in the mums shoes - would you be want to be approached by a man you dont know while you are with your child? No matter how innocent you are, you will encounter probles. Get a woman to do it for you.

If any of the women given your leaflets throw them away, you are the one responsible. Somewhere like the Trafford Centre will throw you out if you havent obtained all the neccesary permissions.

I'm not wanting to dismiss your idea, just to warn you that although the baby market is very lucrative, there are a lot of (bigger) companies there ahead of you, and those who do make it work have to put a lot of time and effort in.

[Tobiah]

thanks for the advice. i would do it mainly in places outdoor so being thrown out is not a problem. (giving out leaflets)

So you think 100 is excesive?
20 mins is just not long enough in my opinion. The one i did the other day the baby didnt stop crying for 40 minutes...

Thanks for the cc on my photos. the light might look harsher because of the processing. I will consider that.

How mny photos from a session do you think are needed? thanks


ps im not worried about competing with studios that offer free pic because people know that the cost per print after that is like 40 upwards.. i may even include 5 free prints...

[Gary_Evans]

20 mins is just not long enough in my opinion. The one i did the other day the baby didnt stop crying for 40 minutes...


Did you let the parents dictate the session time?

A baby doesnt need much from the parents with regards to photography - just not be hungry, not tired and have a clean nappy. It also needs to be warm, but that is your department. What is hot to you is comfortable to a baby.

So make the appointment for a time that suits the baby - not the parents.



With regards to your other points:

Is £100 excessive for the initial shoot? imo, yes

How many images from a shoot? I shoot 30-40 and show 25-30. You can confuse a client with too much choice.

People usually dont know what the photographers reprint prices are. They are swayed 100% by the freebie, that is why that sort of promo works so well, and so many pro studios have done them for so long.

[Tobiah]

£100 wasnt for initial shoot - that was the total cost no extras...

Ok so best for me to do this then?

£25 sitting fee and prices like (top of my head) 6x4 £15 7x5 £20 etc... ? (or less? maybe)

a lot of mums i spoke to said they prefer a cd package because it works out cheaper ya see...

I picked session time.. granted they fed her too early but even so i imagine 20 mins is very little time.

Wamrth will be up to them as i will shoot at peoples houses.

So what i have on my blog is about the right number of shots for client to choose from?


Thanks very much for all your help very much appreciated