Lessons
Day 1
1Introduction
20:16 2Why Bellies & Babies?
25:22 3The Baby Plan: Newborn to 1-Year
35:19 4Baby Plan Overhaul
28:52 5Creating a Marketing Calendar
18:33 6Social Media
26:50 7Facebook Campaign
06:26Community Displays
33:26 9Customer Loyalty
29:11 10The Moments We Capture
10:55 11Lighting Setup
22:12 12Live Shoot: The 5 Poses
27:06 13Recap: The 5 Poses
25:49Day 2
14Today's Goals
08:03 15Audience Q&A
05:43 16Newborn Boy with Mom (Brady)
29:49 179-month-old Girl with Backdrop (Navia)
15:02 18Newborn Boy w Wicker Basket (Brady)
07:54 19Newborn Girl w Bowl (Eliana)
18:05 20Maternity Session
21:38 214-month-old girl w Blanket (Fiona)
16:59 223-month-old Boy w Blanket (Nolan)
14:55 23Newborn Girl w Hammock (Eliana)
14:33 24Cooper
37:09 25Questions
04:31 26Creating an Efficient Studio
40:31 27Maternity Sessions
10:49 28Working with a Pregnant Body
23:30 29Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
29:22Day 3
309 month old
20:51 31Audience Q&A
17:58 32Becoming a Baby Expert
12:31 33Shy 1 Year Old
25:57 341 Year Old Girl
23:14 35The Miracle Shots
12:49 36Older Ages
21:46 37Consultations
15:16 38Pricing
54:48 39Sales
32:49 40Framing
08:21 41Workflow
15:28 42Closing the Sale
20:24 43Charitable Marketing
13:43 44Family Is...
06:49Lesson Info
Audience Q&A
Now I think we can take questions all right? Cool as we move around. Yeah, we can if that's ok, we're going to start moving things that's awesome let's do it. So question for you is do you allow parents to bring in their own props for the session? Or do you only use your own problem? They're absolutely welcome to bring anything they like. However, we have such a huge selection as you can see that most of the time they come in unless it's a personal item something that they want and I'm gonna get mike team in here. Let's, go ahead and get set up for the baby's here. Um, it's something personal that they're interested in having say something from grandma absolutely will always included, but most often it's they just bring stuff that they picked up a toys r us because they think they need it. And when we show them what we have, they usually say, don't touch mine so that's usually how that goes for your newborn sessions uh, do you ask that the baby's fed before great a russian with a newbo...
rn session we actually have the parents come about fifteen to twenty minutes early and we have a private room where they can actually nurse the baby it is always better to feed them right before the session doesn't always happen that way and sometimes it doesn't work but usually especially with the little ones assume as they eat is the very best time a question from digital purposes are there any tips for male photographers in this type of photography confidence trust on beyonce do's and thank you from the netherlands oh well, thank you very much you know it's interesting is, um the world that I entered originally was all male photographers for the most but there were so few female photographers and to this day I wonder I get the question all the time from men saying, can I do this? Is it possible? Can I photograph a baby? Can I work with children and truly back then? The majority of the photographers there a few out there that this is not a play too, but the majority of photographers didn't even work with babies or children other than a family portrait where they were like propped up on a stick kind of thing. So it's a matter of confidence absolutely men can do this there's no, there is absolutely no difference. A lot of it has to do how much you believe in yourself if you feel awkward about it, the client's going to see right through it and they're definitely going to feel awkward about it, so as faras tips and tricks it's really confidence is believing in yourself and it's asking a lot of questions and listening carefully, people tell you maurin mannerisms than they do in actual words, nobody is going to come and tell you I don't like my double chin, but they'll make motions and they'll say things are, you know, with with, uh, women photographers, they're not get our women clients, they're not. If you're a male photographer, they're not necessarily going to say I'm uncomfortable with that, but their body movements and the way they hold themselves, so really it has a lot to do with just becoming very aware of the environment. I watched people's actions much, much more than I want. I certainly listen to them, but I get more out of what they do then what they say because people won't always tell you how they really feel so that's it's confidence any others I'm gonna turn around yeah, let us know when you're ready, okay, I think I mean, we're gonna go pretty quick are goal right now is we're going to start with we did that serious yesterday of the mom and baby with the doll and thank you for that was a beautiful baby way have a really baby today now couple things we need to get heaters in here first, so that's really important to think they've got them going, um but they're not working yet so we need to and we need them hot sandy that does relate to a question from bellagio wondering what temperature do you keep the studio for a naked babies trillion degrees we are literally soaking the truth is the hotter that you could get the better going to be so we literally put it up to ninety eight degrees just for that time we tell moms and dads you're going to sweat we're going to sweat it has to be one for the baby if the entire room is super hot the baby absolutely does not care that they're undressed and that's what people don't realize is babies it's not that they certainly don't know that they're naked nor do they care if they're warm there's no problem they will do anything you want if they're cold they're super uncomfortable so really and truly as hot as you can get it we are in a very large room and it is I wouldn't say it's cold but it's chilly there's a chill to it we do have heaters and we're going to try to keep this area warm but it's very possible that this baby is just not gonna like it and obviously in our studio if if I had a situation like this when we travel on tour were in rooms like this we just bring in a lot of heaters and it usually works just fine so we'll see how it goes, but he is very, very important with newborn babies. So do you. What do you recommend if somebody is traveling to somebody's home to do this as faras, he will dedicate our with I mean, honestly, when you're going into somebody's home at the dynamics changed a little bit. Most parents have a nice warm home with a baby if you walk it in their home is cool the baby's been in a cool environment in their life anyway, so it's not like you have to say, ok, crank up the heat to ninety nine if it's a cool environment the baby's there, but when you're undressing them, that changes the temperature of the baby. So explain to the parents that heat is better warm it up a ce faras working on location I think some of the most beautiful sessions in the world are actually out on location because the idea is that every session is unique and different and it's personal and we make period barn on the highest sales averages we have our when we go to people's homes period. However, because of my schedule because I booked so far on it advance, I can't always go to somebody's home. A lot of photographers have that luxury is you're designing your business. You can kind of decide how big do you want to make it? Is it something that you want to just do a session here and there at somebody's home, or you want to do them back to back every hour, like we're about to go, and you have to kind of decide so home sessions, I think they're fantastic. I would do more if I had more time, and I don't, but we'll see.
Class Materials
bonus material with purchase
Ratings and Reviews
a Creativelive Student
I know so many families with new babies at church and have wanted to invite them to let me create studio portraits, both for practice and for profit. You've given me so many wonderful tips and ideas for posing, shooting and marketing. I've already begun collecting appropriate props. I believe in me, but know that selling will be the hardest thing for me. Sandy makes everything look so easy! I related to her emotionalism--I'm the same way. Today at church, a visitor shared about an expectant mother in Ohio who was diagnosed with Stage 3 brain cancer. Thanks to Sandy's pregnancy portraits and the story about the beginning of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, I emphasized to the visitor the huge importance of that family (already with 4 children) to have a family pregnancy portrait taken. It will mean so much to everyone, but especially the unborn child, who may not ever know its mother. I am also interested in exploring the Now I... training program, if our local hospital needs a special photographer. Thank you for the fantastic seminar I could attend in the comfort of my own home. Cha Ching!
Daniela Moroni
This is my first Creative Live course and I'm very happy with it. I don't have a studio but it was very helpful to understand how to begin a career as a baby photographer. I like the way Sandy explains what she does. You see that she loves her job. I'm glad to have known about Now I Lay me Down To Sleep project. I'm not an english speaker so I'd like there were english subtitles 'cause when she speaks very quickly I miss a lot of words... Thanks Creative Live team!
a Creativelive Student
Sandy is truly an inspiration! Her fantastic photography definitely urges us on to greater things, but I am most impressed by the way she connects with people. Her clients are not just $$ to her, and her job is not simply a way to make money - she feels things greatly, and it shows. This webinar causes me to not only better myself as a photographer/business owner, it inspires me to become a better person.
Student Work
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