In most cases, when it comes to baby photography, Toronto parents can hardly contain their excitement while anticipating how fun it will be to watch their beautiful baby posed in sweet little outfits during their photography sessions. Perhaps even more so, parents are always excited to see the images that their photographers take.
But what many first-time parents don’t realize is what needs to be available or involved to ensure it’s a good experience, overall, or just how much time it takes to actually complete a session for baby photography. Toronto photographers like myself, who specialize in newborn photography, will often schedule at least five hours to take photos of a baby that’s only days old. After the fact, parents who rushed to choose a photographer or studio for their baby photography in Toronto sometimes wish that they had taken more time to decide, because they’ve spent several hours with a photographer or in a studio where they were not entirely comfortable.
Your Toronto baby photography experience should be positive and memorable, not a test of how long you can endure a crying baby in an awkward or uncomfortable environment. Of course, there will be some amount of crying in any session with a newborn, but it’s your photographer’s job to keep baby’s tears to a minimum and to ensure that you and your little one are comfortable and relaxed, from start to finish.
When they visit my studio for baby photography, Toronto parents can expect to feel at ease and their babies’ needs met quickly. During my career as a baby photographer, I’ve learned what’s required of me and my studio to keep my clients and little subjects content, so that everyone is happy and the session runs as smoothly as it possibly can.
The following are some of the things parents interested in baby photography in Toronto should consider or look for, both in a photographer and the studio in which the session will take place:
A Content Newborn Ensures a Positive Toronto Baby Photography Experience
It’s amazing how quickly a crying and upset baby can put all the adults in the room on edge. When they’re trying to choose a studio for their child’s baby photography, Toronto parents should look for one that offers some, if not all, of the following. In my experience, these are must-haves for keeping babies happy throughout their photo sessions:
A Warm Studio: Ever been to a hot yoga class? It goes without saying that keeping babies warm and sleepy is the best way to pose them and take photos with as little fussing as possible. Also, I always keep my studio nice and toasty so that babies aren’t bothered by their lack of clothing when I take photos that capture the lovely little rolls of fat down their backs.
Breaks for Feeding and Changing: And lots of them! While taking several breaks to feed and change baby are what makes a Toronto baby photography session so long, they are absolutely necessary. When you try to take photos of a baby that’s hungry, you’re not only setting yourself up for a challenge and portraits that are less-than-desirable, but it’s also the best way to guarantee that baby will be unhappy.
Baby-Related Essentials: When you choose a studio for baby photography in Toronto, look for one that provides a variety of baby-related essentials, so that in the likely event that you forget wipes or diapers, or you would be more comfortable feeding your baby with the help of a nursing pillow, or changing diapers at an actual changing station, the photographer’s studio is fully-equipped and you have less to worry about. Choosing a studio that gives you access to a fridge for storing breast milk or formula is more than helpful, as well.
A Photographer Who has Perfected the Art of Soothing a Baby: You may think that a photographer whose specialty is photographing babies and children would be a natural when it comes to comforting and soothing, but this isn’t always the case. Throughout my career, I’ve used every baby soothing trick in the book, and become quite proficient at knowing just the right way to calm a baby and soothe them back to sleep.
When it Comes to Baby Photography, Toronto Parents’ Comfort Counts, too
If you’ve had to endure a situation where your environment or the person or people you were with made you uncomfortable, you can only imagine what it would be like if you were to add a newborn to the equation. When you take your newborn for baby photography in Toronto, you want it to be in a studio where you feel comfortable spending several hours and to feel confident that the person who is posing your baby and taking their pictures knows what they’re doing.
This being the case, I would recommend choosing a photographer who is willing to meet with you, in person, before your session. Get a feel for the photographer and the space in which they take portraits. Do you feel relaxed in their presence or in their workspace? Can you imagine yourself spending several hours there and with them, without glancing at your watch every five minutes? With baby photography, Toronto parents often focus on finding the photographer whose portfolio they like the best, and this is important, but if baby doesn’t feel comfortable and they pick up on the fact that you’re uncomfortable, that happy little equilibrium that’s needed for a successful newborn session can be thrown off kilter.
At my studio, I aim to keep parents as relaxed as possible too, and I find that the following can be quite effective in doing just that:
Client bathroom
A microwave for warming lunch
A cozy lounge area where mom can take a nap
Access to Wi-Fi and a fax machine allows parents who need it to get work done
There may not be a fail-safe formula for successfully completing a smooth, cry-free baby portraits session, but a photographer and studio that’s willing and capable of going the extra mile in terms of keeping parents and babies happy and content, is one worth looking into.
For more information on Toronto baby photography at my studio, or to book your session, please call 905.449.2200.
