cmb
Sapphire
Posts: 4,604 Likes: 9,807
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Post by cmb on Jun 20, 2019 15:45:39 GMT -6
Also, baby is breech already. I know it's not a big deal yet but with my history, she's not likely to go head down without some help and coaxing so for the next 14 weeks, it's chiropractors and spinning babies. Yaaaay. I wish I could find a provider that would deliver breech again because I remember it being a lot of work getting #3 head down! I had to do the ice pack trick with DS2- he refused to flip, so I placed one ice pack on the top of my stomach and used a second on his head as he turned to force him down (my MW taught me how to recognize his head) Maybe it’ll help?
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Post by stayingblonde on Jun 20, 2019 16:00:00 GMT -6
I just spent a few hours browsing around for newborn photographers...WOOF. These are so expensive. We had such lovely pictures done with our little man, and our photogapher was great and pretty reasonably priced, but she doesn't have a photography business anymore. I took to google and almost choked looking at these prices in the $1k+ range. And that is most of them! I found a few for much cheaper, but the photos on their website are bad, so at that point I'd rather just hand a friend my camera and have them take pics.
Anyway, I finally found one with reasonable (RELATIVELY...my gosh, still $$) prices, good photos, and good reviews. Let's keep our fingers crossed that she hasn't been abducted by aliens or quadrupled her prices or whatever.
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Post by roseinbloom on Jun 20, 2019 17:18:57 GMT -6
$1000. Yikes. Fingers crossed for ya.
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Post by stayingblonde on Jun 20, 2019 20:07:09 GMT -6
$1000. Yikes. Fingers crossed for ya. I definitely believe in paying people what they are worth, but...uh, I can't afford this. And there are so few reasonable options that aren't bad! I wish I could convince our former photog to come out of retirement. Her photos were so good, and she gave us all the digital files!
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Post by randomosity on Jun 21, 2019 7:08:50 GMT -6
Also, baby is breech already. I know it's not a big deal yet but with my history, she's not likely to go head down without some help and coaxing so for the next 14 weeks, it's chiropractors and spinning babies. Yaaaay. I wish I could find a provider that would deliver breech again because I remember it being a lot of work getting #3 head down! I had to do the ice pack trick with DS2- he refused to flip, so I placed one ice pack on the top of my stomach and used a second on his head as he turned to force him down (my MW taught me how to recognize his head) Maybe it’ll help? I will have to try that. I remember using a flashlight and music last time but whatever will help!
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Post by randomosity on Jun 21, 2019 7:20:29 GMT -6
$1000. Yikes. Fingers crossed for ya. I definitely believe in paying people what they are worth, but...uh, I can't afford this. And there are so few reasonable options that aren't bad! I wish I could convince our former photog to come out of retirement. Her photos were so good, and she gave us all the digital files! Woooow. I mean, I know that photographers are artists and deserve lots of money for what they do but not everyone can afford $1k+ for newborn pictures! I hope you find someone who will do an awesome job and who is a bit more budget-friendly!
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Post by peggyhill on Jun 21, 2019 8:03:16 GMT -6
$1000. Yikes. Fingers crossed for ya. I definitely believe in paying people what they are worth, but...uh, I can't afford this. And there are so few reasonable options that aren't bad! I wish I could convince our former photog to come out of retirement. Her photos were so good, and she gave us all the digital files! 1000$ for newborn pics is a little outrageous. For wedding photos in which you have someone following you for 8 hours and there is travel involved and all that I can see it, but you don’t go anywhere for newborn photos! You just wrap them in little things and take pics of them while they sleep 😳 I don’t think I’d spend more than 250$ on newborn pics, but I guess I’m cheap 🤷🏼♀️
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Post by aeroplaneoverthesea on Jun 21, 2019 8:27:11 GMT -6
Newborn photos were never a priority for us, just because I’m cheap af, we have nice cameras, and daycare $$ is always on my mind. However with DD they had a service at the hospital where they took beautiful photos before we left. They were like $150, and I was in my hormones, so we purchased. I’ll probably do the same this time.
I hope you’re able to find someone for less than 1k!
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Post by goldenlove on Jun 21, 2019 8:51:04 GMT -6
Omg to those prices for newborn photography. I've been looking around and we have quite the range in this area. I think the ones I narrowed down to are around $200. I found a lot more "amateur" photographers by searching on FB. The ones that actually show up on Google or advertised tend to be the more pricy ones. At least that's what I found. The thing that drives me crazy about FB pages though is that they don't always have their location listed.
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cmb
Sapphire
Posts: 4,604 Likes: 9,807
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Post by cmb on Jun 21, 2019 12:36:04 GMT -6
Newborn photos were never a priority for us, just because I’m cheap af, we have nice cameras, and daycare $$ is always on my mind. However with DD they had a service at the hospital where they took beautiful photos before we left. They were like $150, and I was in my hormones, so we purchased. I’ll probably do the same this time. I hope you’re able to find someone for less than 1k! My center does this as well. It’s what we’ll do this time, too. They automatically send the photographer to your room, so in my hormones, I totally ordered them for DS2. I was elsewhere for DS1 and didn’t have this there
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Post by stayingblonde on Jun 21, 2019 13:24:03 GMT -6
I definitely believe in paying people what they are worth, but...uh, I can't afford this. And there are so few reasonable options that aren't bad! I wish I could convince our former photog to come out of retirement. Her photos were so good, and she gave us all the digital files! 1000$ for newborn pics is a little outrageous. For wedding photos in which you have someone following you for 8 hours and there is travel involved and all that I can see it, but you don’t go anywhere for newborn photos! You just wrap them in little things and take pics of them while they sleep 😳 I don’t think I’d spend more than 250$ on newborn pics, but I guess I’m cheap 🤷🏼♀️ Oh, the packages are about $250ish...until you find out that includes none of the actual photos. That's just for the photographer to take the photos. If you actually want the photos it's like $700 for the digital images.
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Post by peggyhill on Jun 21, 2019 20:55:26 GMT -6
1000$ for newborn pics is a little outrageous. For wedding photos in which you have someone following you for 8 hours and there is travel involved and all that I can see it, but you don’t go anywhere for newborn photos! You just wrap them in little things and take pics of them while they sleep 😳 I don’t think I’d spend more than 250$ on newborn pics, but I guess I’m cheap 🤷🏼♀️ Oh, the packages are about $250ish...until you find out that includes none of the actual photos. That's just for the photographer to take the photos. If you actually want the photos it's like $700 for the digital images. That is so shitty. My wedding photographer charged 100$ additional after the photos for a flash drive with all photos on it and the rights to print whatever you wanted.
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Post by marshian on Jun 21, 2019 23:07:16 GMT -6
I definitely believe in paying people what they are worth, but...uh, I can't afford this. And there are so few reasonable options that aren't bad! I wish I could convince our former photog to come out of retirement. Her photos were so good, and she gave us all the digital files! 1000$ for newborn pics is a little outrageous. For wedding photos in which you have someone following you for 8 hours and there is travel involved and all that I can see it, but you don’t go anywhere for newborn photos! You just wrap them in little things and take pics of them while they sleep 😳 I don’t think I’d spend more than 250$ on newborn pics, but I guess I’m cheap 🤷🏼♀️ I know everyone is just venting/complaining about pricing, but since I am a photographer and I do newborn photos, I have to chime in. This is really not a fair description of a newborn photo session. Most photographers bring all their equipment with them (which can be substantial). They spend hours at your home working to get baby sleepy and calm and in position. Allowing time for feedings, diapers, etc. Not all babies want to sleep through it so then it's more work. And then there's hours and hours of editing afterwards because almost every newborn photographer will smooth out newborn skin, remove blemishes and redness, etc.
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Post by marshian on Jun 21, 2019 23:15:10 GMT -6
I understand the venting, but in the hopes of some explanation around newborn photography: I am a photographer. I do newborn sessions. A ton of work goes into them. There's prep before the session, working with the client on their wishes, prepping them with how it will go, planning setups, etc. Most will spend hours at the session. If it's in your home, we're bringing an entire setup and our props plus camera equipment plus usually a space heater and sound machine. All props have to be washed between sessions (many things like wraps by hand). The session is a ton of work to keep a newborn warm, calm, content, and hopefully (but not always) asleep. Multiple feeding sessions, soothing sessions, diaper changes or cleanups from accidents. There is hours of work editing newborn photos as we smooth out skin, reduce redness, remove blemishes, smooth backgrounds where the original wasn't perfect in camera, etc. Plus don't forget the education and experience which came before your session. Pricing reflects all of the hours and takes into account how many sessions the photographer can/wants to work in a year in order to make a living. Equipment maintenance and upgrades to stay at the top of our game. Professionals pay taxes. Insurance. All of that good stuff is also included in the price. You will find a HUGE variety of prices for many reasons. Those who are super cheap are typically just starting out or building their portfolio and are either not making ends meet or have another job (like I did) or source of income. Though some are doing fine at that price point, just taking a ton of clients. The more expensive ones tend to only do photography and might take fewer sessions in order to dedicate more time and energy to each one. Or to have some breathing room. That said, the price doesn't always reflect the quality. Look at their websites but also ask to see an entire set of delivered photos from a recent session. If you like them and the price works for you, go for it! The good thing is there are tons of photographers out there at all levels.
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Post by roseinbloom on Jun 22, 2019 4:00:59 GMT -6
I don’t doubt it, marshian. I’m one of the cheap ones who doesn’t spend money on newborn photography. Or has ever done any family portraits professionally, with the exception of wedding. It has nothing to do with a photographer’s skill (for me), it’s just a few hundred dollars (and apparently much more plus) which I don’t want to choose to spend that way.
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Post by stayingblonde on Jun 22, 2019 23:37:16 GMT -6
marshian Oh, I completely understand and 100% think photographers should be paid what they're worth and should be paid for their talent and experience. I just can't afford most of the people around here. 😭😭
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Post by doodlemommy on Jun 23, 2019 6:57:21 GMT -6
My house is officially sold! Inspection on the new house today and if all goes well we can hopefully get that all signed off tomorrow and we would move end of July! So overwhelming but yay! Lots of time to get organized and settled before Dd starts kindergarten, I go back to work (off summers as I work a school system schedule), and baby comes!
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Post by marshian on Jun 23, 2019 8:21:42 GMT -6
marshian Oh, I completely understand and 100% think photographers should be paid what they're worth and should be paid for their talent and experience. I just can't afford most of the people around here. 😭😭 It's definitely a luxury I wish everyone could afford. I'm a huge proponent of having family photos (and displaying them). Sucks when it'd cost prohibitive.
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Post by peggyhill on Jun 23, 2019 13:29:54 GMT -6
marshian , Thank you for the clarification, hope the venting didn’t come off as too aggressive! Independent artists definitely deserve to be paid their worth, and I’m sure you work hard for every client and charge appropriately. It’s hard as a consumer to wade through the world of google and yelp to find those who are offering that time and a worthwhile product vs those who want to make a quick chunk of money because they have a better-than-average camera (at least that was my experience trying to find an affordable wedding photographer). But that can be said in any profession, and I have to fight similar assumptions about veterinary care daily because of misunderstandings about what quality of care is vs what is a band aid fix from a shoddy, lazy vet. What are some tips you have for finding a good newborn photographer based on your own experience? Are there certain things that are the gold standard for the cost that you feel should be offered, or is it different for each photographer and you kind of just have to find one that works best for you?
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Post by marshian on Jun 24, 2019 8:37:40 GMT -6
marshian , Thank you for the clarification, hope the venting didn’t come off as too aggressive! Independent artists definitely deserve to be paid their worth, and I’m sure you work hard for every client and charge appropriately. It’s hard as a consumer to wade through the world of google and yelp to find those who are offering that time and a worthwhile product vs those who want to make a quick chunk of money because they have a better-than-average camera (at least that was my experience trying to find an affordable wedding photographer). But that can be said in any profession, and I have to fight similar assumptions about veterinary care daily because of misunderstandings about what quality of care is vs what is a band aid fix from a shoddy, lazy vet. What are some tips you have for finding a good newborn photographer based on your own experience? Are there certain things that are the gold standard for the cost that you feel should be offered, or is it different for each photographer and you kind of just have to find one that works best for you? No worries! I was just hoping to give some clarification around how the sessions go and what goes into them. A good photographer does tend to make them look easy! I hear you on trying to find quality vs the "mom with a good camera". And I hear you about vet care. Similarly, we're paying $$$ for a boarding facility with great reviews for our dog yet many of the employees are super incompetent and I'm trying to just not get anxious about it. What's offered is going to vary by photographer, their clientele, and the area. Some pricing models will be a session fee separate from everything else (digital files, physical prints, albums). In that case the session fee should be relatively low. Others will include digital files. Others will include digital files and "print credit" which encourages you to spend more money to buy prints. Personally when I look for a photographer for my own family, I want digital files included in the fee. And for a newborn session it should be at least 30 guaranteed which usually ends up around 50-100 delivered, IME. The price for prints is always inflated (as it should be so they can make a profit) and I don't buy through the photographer. I love MPix, who uses Miller Labs, a professional printer, for their prints. I recommend them to everyone. I have done albums through the photographer because ours offered print credit and it came out to similar to what I would pay on my own and with a newborn I just didn't want to take on a project. To choose a photographer, look at their website or Facebook/Instagram posts to see their style. Read reviews. Ask on your local mom FB groups for recs. When you narrow it down, ask for an entire session's delivered photos. What's on their website and FB are going to be their "best" and/or "favorite" images. Make sure the quality for all the photos is the same. Personally for newborn photos, I also ensure they understand safe posing. The "froggy" pose where baby is balancing their chin on their folded arms is not safe unless it's done as a composite. A parent or assistant will hold the baby's head in place for two photos (once on each side) and the photographer edits them together. I personally just avoid that pose, but if you like it, I would ask how they accomplish it. That will also tell you they've done some training or at least have good experience with newborns.
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Post by marshian on Jun 24, 2019 8:38:18 GMT -6
We leave for our Australia vacation this Saturday. At this point, my main concern is finding restrooms every hour.
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Post by stayingblonde on Jun 24, 2019 11:20:33 GMT -6
marshian Those are excellent tips! Thank you! I also prefer the cost of the digital files included in the fee, but it seems most of the photographers around here don't do their packages that way. I also live in a very HCOL area, and it looks like I got priced out of the market since I had my last kid. BUT these pics are important to me, and it looks like I found someone I can afford who also does great work and has great reviews, so I'm happy.
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Post by doodlemommy on Jun 25, 2019 6:14:54 GMT -6
My house is officially sold and we have officially closed the deal on our new house! We move in a month, eek!
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Post by babystandish on Jun 26, 2019 5:00:41 GMT -6
I feel like I'm so scatter brained lately. LIke I want to relax on a beach for a week alone just to try to get my thoughts in order. But that won't happen so boo.
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Post by stayingblonde on Jun 28, 2019 11:34:37 GMT -6
I have a stack of gold rings on my right ring finger - right now it's a twisted band, a small heart w/ my son's first initial, and an open diamond band that frames the heart. The plan has always been to get another of the initial hearts for kid #2 and top it off with another twisted band (these are all SUPER thin)...so I went to the jewler website last night and they stopped making the heart initial ring. I AM SO SAD. I can find some knockoffs on Etsy, but they aren't real gold, and the real gold ones I've found that are similar are the wrong size for the stack.
I think what is mixed up in all my feelings about this ring (which shouldn't be a huge deal, really) is that I'm upset that it took us/me so long to get pregnant with #2. Like, if I would have been pregnant 2 years ago like I wanted to be, I would have still been able to get the ring. Super ridiculous, but...these feelings usually are.
Obviously, things worked out and I'm super happy, but...I want a ring for this kid, too!
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