4 Things to Look For When Choosing a Photographer | Maternity Photographer in Wimbledon
How many photographers’ websites have you clicked through this week?
If your answer is “too many to count,” you’re in the right place.
Picking a studio Maternity Photographer in Wimbledon is strangely hard. Everybody’s work looks good on a phone screen. Prices vary so much, and you have to trust someone you have never met to capture a very special moment in your life! That’s a lot of pressure for a random night of scrolling!
So let me make it easier. Here are the four things that actually matter! | Studio Maternity Photographer in Wimbledon
1. Look at her work, and look at a LOT of it.
Think about picking a place to eat. A steakhouse and a Chinese restaurant can both be excellent. But if you’re craving steak, the best Chinese in town is still the wrong dinner. You’re not hunting for the best photographer. You’re hunting for the one whose style matches the pictures already in your head.
Here’s the part most people skip. Don’t decide from three squares on Instagram. Ask to see one full gallery, start to finish. Anyone can post five great frames. You want to know what all forty look like.
My work is warm and true to colour. Skin looks like skin, and your kid’s red hair stays its colour. If your family are coming along to the shoot, I also send out style guides to help to coordinate outfits!
2. Find out if she’s actually free when you need her.
This one sounds boring. It also trips people up the most.
Good photographers book out, sometimes months out. And the dates everyone wants are the dates everyone wants.
So before you fall in love with someone’s work, reach out to see if she is free.
Real talk. By the time you feel ready to book, the good weekends are usually gone. Reaching out early costs you nothing.
I usually book at least 1-2 months in advance so booking in maternity shoots (usually at 26-32 weeks) and newborn shoots (2 weeks after your due date) should be done from around 4-6 months. It’s better to book in and move the date than miss the window of opportunity.
3. Pay attention to how she makes you feel before you ever book.
Read her emails. I’m serious.
Does she sound like a person or a form letter? Does she answer the thing you actually asked?
Because here’s the truth nobody puts on a pricing page. You are going to stand in front of this woman and be looked at. If you feel stiff typing an email to her, you’re going to feel stiff in front of her camera.
Half of this job is making you comfortable enough to forget the camera is there. That does not happen with someone you don’t click with.
So trust the little feeling you get from the first message. You’ll thank me later.
“Had the best experience of a baby photoshoot with Shal; she was able to keep the baby calm throughout the experience and was well equipped with baby outfits and props, as well as keeping the parents hydrated! We have got a big range of baby and family pics to choose from. Highly recommend!”
4. Ask how much help you get before the session even starts.
Okay, let’s talk about the part people don’t think to ask about.
Some photographers hand you a date and a location pin and that’s it. Others walk you through the whole thing.
So ask her straight out. Do you give outfit guidance? Are you going to tell me what to do with my hands? Will you tell me what I need to bring?
Because “just be natural” is the least helpful instruction ever invented.
This is the difference between buying a bag of flour and buying a boxed cake mix. Both end in cake. But one assumes you already know what you’re doing, and the other hands you the steps. If this is your first session in years, you want the steps.
When you book with me, you are fully supported from start to finish – before you even arrive, I send out lots of information in a guide on what to expect and possible outfit choices, which makes the whole process much easier for the families that visit.
Conclusion
You’re looking for the right one for you! The style you love, the date you need, the person you feel easy around, and enough hand-holding that you’re not guessing.
