Why is Newborn Photography so expensive?

OK real talk! It’s only normal for any business to hear questions about pricing or why a certain service costs so much. Especially in the current world we live in, where everything is affected by inflation and high cost of living. Photographer are not exempt from this question. As a Newborn & Family Photographer in Bergen County, New Jersey, I do hear this question sometimes too.
Why is Newborn Photography so expensive?

Newborn photography can be quite expensive for several reasons:

1. Specialized Skills and Training: Photographers who specialize in newborn photography typically undergo specific training to safely handle and pose newborns. This training is crucial to ensure the baby’s safety and comfort during the shoot. These trainings are mostly in-person mentorships or workshops which cost huge sums of money because a newcomer is learning from an experienced veteran photographer who has gained knowledge and experience over years and is now sharing this valuable information.
2. Time and Patience: Newborn sessions can be lengthy, often taking several hours to accommodate the baby’s feeding, diaper changes, and nap times. The photographer needs to be patient and flexible to capture the best moments. My home based photography studio in Waldwick on Northern New Jersey, provides a safe and comfortable atmosphere for you to relax and enjoy those few hours.
3. Safety and Comfort: Ensuring the newborn’s safety and comfort is paramount. This requires specialized props, equipment, and sometimes even assistants to help during the session. Specialized newborn photography props can be quite expensive especially if purchased from qualified, trusted vendors who use quality materials and not something from Aliexpress or similar sources. For example, the price range for a Newborn Photography Bed Prop is anywhere between 90-140 USD, whereas knit wraps start at an average of 60-70 USD per knit.
4. Custom Props and Outfits: Many newborn photographers like me, provide a variety of custom props, outfits, and backdrops to create unique and memorable photos. These items can be costly to purchase and maintain. All accessories and props require cleaning and maintenance after each use, and this can affect the quality on the long run. Moreover, all my newborn sessions are customized and personalized to client’s liking. So if a client wants a theme or a color I don’t have, that would be a custom order which I happily accommodate. All of this takes time and planning to make happen.
5. Post-Processing: Newborn photos often require extensive post-processing to achieve a professional look. This can involve retouching skin tones, editing out blemishes, and creating composite images, all of which take significant time and skill. Post-processing AKA editing and retouching takes hours of dedicated work. It is not a one-click fix.
6. Professional Equipment: High-quality cameras, lenses, lighting, and other equipment are essential for capturing the best images. The investment in and maintenance of this equipment contribute to the overall cost. Professional equipment depreciate over time and need to be replaced, and those replacements are not cheap.
7. Experience and Reputation: Experienced photographers who have built a strong reputation may charge higher rates due to their expertise and the demand for their services.
8. Business Costs: Running a photography business includes expenses such as studio rent, insurance, marketing, software purchases or subscriptions, accounting, seo & social media costs, and other overhead costs that are factored into the pricing.  The price tag given to you for a photoshoot is not just “the price of X amount of photos”. It’s all of the above.

Overall, the combination of specialized skills, equipment, time, and the need to ensure the baby’s safety and comfort all contribute to the higher cost of newborn photography. So if you’re looking for a qualified Newborn photographer in Bergen County NJ or surrounding areas, you’ve come to the right place. As an experience baby & family photographer, I will take care of your needs from our initial design consultation all the way to the ordering appointment. I got you!

Let’s connect!

Love,
Seta