BR: Hiring a photog, advice please

MrsIH · March 2010

Hey ladies,

I have found a newborn photographer I really like. Actually, I was given her name from a co-worker, she's his daughters friend and has photographed his grand kids (amazing photos). Anyway, I love her work and emailed an inquiry. Pricing is as follows; she offers a maternity, newborn and 6 month session for $350.00 total (regular sessions are $225 each). As mentioned here before, prints are not cheap, $45 for a 5x7 and she gives you 15% off because you purchased the package she offers. Digital collections start at $875.00 So... my question is this, how many prints did you purchase? Does that sound like a good deal to you? I just wanted to get some feedback if possible and see if that sounds about right, we are in savings mode right now yet I really want to capture those milestones with our LO.

mrspresley · March 2010

i'll send you a separate email... but we haven't purchased a lot of prints yet. for us the 5x7 prints are $20 and 8x10 are $30 and that is the discounted price for getting the "belly to bebe" package that we got

b/c our pkg includes other things like a 10x20 storyboard, a flush mount album, etc. i don't think we will get as many prints. what prints we do choose to get will be for framing and putting up on the wall so we'll probably wait until the end of the year to decide how many to get.

MrsIH · March 2010

Thanks Jaime

Wow, $20 seems so much more reasonable than $45... the package sounds like a good price to me but the prints are what make me think yikes!

SimpsonOhana07 · March 2010

Hey T

If you are looking for alternate quote, one of my clients is an Event and Portrait photographer in Vancouver. I can send you the contact info you would like?

jaymers99 · March 2010

$45 for one 5x7?? That sounds steep. Personally, I am all about getting the digital negatives so I can make my own prints. Does the $875 digital package include the photo sessions as well? If so, that doesn't sound so bad. I paid about $450 for my e-pics with digital negatives.

MrsIH · March 2010

Yes, $45 is HUGE. Jaime and I were saying that with wedding photos you usually get that CD with all of the images. With the newborn photographers they most likely do not allow you to have full rights or even partial rights without paying a really hefty amount. From what I've seen it isn't quite the same.

jaymers99 · March 2010

MrsIH:
Yes, $45 is HUGE. Jaime and I were saying that with wedding photos you usually get that CD with all of the images. With the newborn photographers they most likely do not allow you to have full rights or even partial rights without paying a really hefty amount. From what I've seen it isn't quite the same.

boo! i wonder why that is...maybe it'll take some time for digital rights to catch on in the baby photography world. my co-worker was telling about how when she got married a few years ago, the photographer didn't even want to give them proofs -- they videotaped the photos and let you view that to see what you wanted to buy prints of...so things can change. i know it doesn't help you now, but i hope it changes soon!

Married2MrWright · March 2010

We've not purchased any prints since she offers CDs w/rights...$190 for 10 and $275 for 40 (include digital processing).

I think we've gotten the deal of the century...$100 for a Baby Bundle of portraits 3-6-9-12...for $100 more the newborn photoshoot (which we also got a $150 credit for because we were her first baby of the New Year). The maternity shoot was free because she wanted to expand her portfolio of bump pics and we got a "models discount" on the CD of 10 shots for $170.

I upload the shots to Shutterfly and order prints that way...WAY cheaper than the prices she offers (although I am sure the quality is probably better).

If finding a photog my primary concern was price but I also wanted a more modern approach (away from the traditional baby portraits we're used to seeing from back in the day).

MauiWedding08 · March 2010

MrsIH:
With the newborn photographers they most likely do not allow you to have full rights or even partial rights without paying a really hefty amount. From what I've seen it isn't quite the same.

I found the same thing, even in my "small-ish" town. The prices were outrageous compared to the wedding photogs (which seemed pricey at the time... but we got all the touched up photos on CD with rights).

Does the photog you contacted offer mini digital packages like Lori's? That might be the way to go because it would really be important to me to have the digital images so I could make birth announcements and print photos for family.

MrsIH · March 2010

Married2MrWright:
We've not purchased any prints since she offers CDs w/rights...$190 for 10 and $275 for 40 (include digital processing).
I think we've gotten the deal of the century...$100 for a Baby Bundle of portraits 3-6-9-12...for $100 more the newborn photoshoot (which we also got a $150 credit for because we were her first baby of the New Year). The maternity shoot was free because she wanted to expand her portfolio of bump pics and we got a "models discount" on the CD of 10 shots for $170.
I upload the shots to Shutterfly and order prints that way...WAY cheaper than the prices she offers (although I am sure the quality is probably better).
If finding a photog my primary concern was price but I also wanted a more modern approach (away from the traditional baby portraits we're used to seeing from back in the day).

Lori, that is the deal of the century! Your photos are amazing, so glad you found a photographer that was up and coming and with such talent as well.

mrs.winter · March 2010

Personally I would purchase the CD but I think it would depend on how many prints you actually like and how many pictures were taken,

My example...I paid like $250 sitting fee plus $900 for full rights CD. If was thinking clearer during the photo presentation, I would have noticed that she only took like 50 pictures and I don't love but maybe 10 of them. I could have saved some $$ by just buying her expensive prints. I still have not printed any of those photos to have framed. Bad mama, huh?!?

My maternity photographer on the old hand took about 300 photos and I loved about 100 of those...and I only paid $150 sitting fee for 5 people and $295 for the CD of photos.

rwright5 · March 2010

I was about to make a post about this myself. The photographer I like offers the following: The collection begins with our ?Madonna? session (newborn, 0-3 months) and includes sessions at 4-7 months (?Beginning Life? session), 8-10 months (?Giggles & Grins? session) and twelve months (?Moving Moments? session) of age. At the end of each session, you will be given one 5x7 portrait from that session. At the end of the Baby Steps Collection, you will be given a special portrait with FOUR of your favorite images (4x6) from each stage in the collection. The portrait will be 10x20, matted and framed. This is a $495.00 value! The Baby Steps Collection is available for only $350.00 In addition, all other portrait sizes and standard packages from any of the four sessions will be available to you, your family and friends at a 10% discount off regular pricing. Finally, if you sign up for the Baby Steps Collection series while you are pregnant, you will receive a $50.00 voucher towards Maternity portraits! And the prints are not as high as your Tara she offers 5x7's for 18. But the CD rights are 100 for 1 image, 300 for 10 images, and 600 for full session.

MrsIH · March 2010

Wow, this is all so interesting, seeing the different prices.

The one I mentioned above charges $275 for 1 IMAGE on a CD... I nearly died when I read that in her email... I thought it was $275.00 for ALL of them, how naive am I? Stick out tongue Having said that, I don't think I will book with her, the price is just too high for prints. A co-worker of mine is an up and coming photog and I think I'll go with her instead. Her session fee is similar but her prints are WAY less... and perhaps she'll give me a bit of a deal? Wink

BR: Hiring a photog, advice please

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