“Emily is amazing & captured some beautiful photos of our baby twins which we will treasure for evermore x” Fiona
Firstly, well done for researching newborn photographers! It’s Brilliant that you’ve realised how important it is to capture this precious, fleeting moment of your child-to-be’s life.
I would be absolutely honoured to photograph your new little bundle. I would keep things very simple. I’d come to your home for 1 to 2 hours and all I’d require is a window near to a bed. I don’t bring lots of props (no ‘baby in a bucket’ shots I’m afraid). I primarily photograph baby whilst being held by you or your partner, it’s when they’re at their happiest. I do always try to get some photos of them on their own on the bed but there’s no pressure to have a perfectly sleeping curled up baby shot, as this is often not achievable. I actually looked back at photos of my own children as newborns and, if I’m being honest, the ones of them on their own were my least favourites, whereas the ones where they’re snuggled in my arms or holding their dad’s little finger… they’re the photos that made me FEEL something. It’s the connection between people that stirs the emotions in us and makes us remember those moments in our lives. That’s the amazing power of photography!
You could be blessed with a fabulous little sleeper when you return home from the hospital OR you could experience the most sleep deprived haze of your life! It is for this reason that I don’t put pressure on having to photograph baby at a certain number of days old. We would simply pencil in a date (within the first few weeks after due date) and you can then tell me how you’re feeling at the time. Also do not worry about the state of your house, tidying is not priority when a little being is dependant on you 24/7. This is why I keep things simple, just using your bedroom and only ask that your bedside tables are clear of clutter and ideally you have a simple/neutral duvet cover. The rest of your house can have stuff strewn everywhere, that’s how my house is most of the time and I don’t have the excuse of having a newborn anymore! We might pop into your garden briefly (if you have one) so it’s useful to have a cosy cardie to hand but we won’t be out for long, especially if it’s chilly. If baby is not happy though, sometimes taking them outside can actually calm them. The feeling of cool air on their cheeks is probably quite lovely. Absolutely fine if you need to feed, nappy change etc. There’s no strict time limit, I’m just happy to be there with all of you at this adorable stage in your life.
“Thank you so much for today Emily. It was such a lovely experience & you seemed to have the knack of chilling her out! Take good care & I will be recommending you to friends & family! Xx”
Naomi’s message after her newborn shoot then see below for her reaction after seeing the photos…
“Oh Emily I love them! Thank you soooooo much! I really can’t thank you enough, they are just wonderful! Naomi x”
Pricing
I see newborn photos as such a worthwhile investment rather than an ‘expense’. The photos will only ever increase in worth. However much you hate having your photo taken, you will never regret having memories captured of YOU with your newborn. Your baby will thank you for it when they’re older and when they begin to appreciate the value of recording their life story.
Session fee - £150 week days (excludes school & bank holidays) / £190 weekends
(payable upon booking to secure the date / non-refundable)
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Three weeks after the session you’ll be able to view the photos via an online gallery & choose between the two collections below. My pricing also takes into account all of my additional time spent editing down to my favourites (I take A LOT) & also for my post production time of each & every image so that they look the best they possibly can!
Although I have a basic ‘digital only’ package, I passionately believe that photos in tangible print form are SO much more special & lovely to have. And trust me, if you don’t get them printed now, you never will.
Collection 1 - £290
ALL the best digital photos in high resolution for you to download (somewhere between 50 & 100 images).
Collection 2 - £390
ALL the best digital photos in high resolution for you to download, print, share & enjoy. A USB of all the digital files (something tangible that you won’t forget about in ‘the cloud’). Ten beautiful fine art prints of your choice (9x6” with thin border).
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Please note if an older sibling is involved (the more the merrier!) there’s an additional £40 charge per sibling (more siblings = more photographing = more time working on them at the computer). Travel is 50p/mile from Tunbridge Wells, Kent. For London shoots & locations further than 20 miles of Tunbridge Wells, an extra £40 is charged for my additional travelling time.
Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to check my availability. I’d love to hear from you! x
“Emily Butters was brilliant for our newborn! So so friendly & great with my toddler too” Clare
Further Information
Can I pay less for less photos?
I used to offer slightly cheaper packages for less images but something about this pricing never sat easy with me, I never liked the idea that a family ‘had to choose’ photos… they should have them all! I hated deleting a photo of someone’s precious baby just because they hadn’t purchased it. So I decided on a price that was fair to me, for spending hours at my computer, and to the client for having the knowledge that they had the complete package of every memory captured. Another reason why I came to this decision was when I recently looked through our wedding photos and I couldn’t believe the rushed choice I’d made for our thank you cards! I re-discovered a different photo that I absolutely LOVED & had completely overlooked on first viewing! It just goes to show that we can easily change our mind and re-discover different photos that actually mean so much more to us at a later stage. So I prefer for you to just have every photo, from the start.
Prints… lovely, lovely tangible photos!
I wouldn’t be doing my job as a photographer if I didn’t try to encourage you to get your digital files printed. Life is so busy, if you don’t do it now your photos will stay in ‘the cloud’ or on a hard drive and sadly your children, and almost certainly your grandchildren, will never get round to seeing them. Even if you just order some small prints, at least you can relax knowing that you have created a tangible memory that will actually last and be appreciated by future generations of your family.
I use a professional print lab that produces stunning quality wall products and beautiful Fine Art prints. I choose not to offer 'standard' prints as I saw an example of both standard & Fine Art & my goodness after seeing the stunning quality of Fine Art, you'll never want to order standard, cheaper prints again. Printed on thicker paper, with a thin border, they are honestly worth every penny & have more of a 'pop' rather than dull cheaper prints.
Privacy
The majority of my clients are so thrilled with the photos I’ve taken that they are more than happy with me showing a few on my website/social media and I’m thrilled/honoured that they love them so much.
In my entire career I have only once had a client want to keep their photos completely private so I am writing the following, I assume, to the minority. As a small business I would not be able to make a living/get new clients without being able to show/promote the photos that I capture. I am extremely respectful when sharing any photos of my lovely families. You can be assured that I would never state the names of your baby/children or show any photos that I feel would be sensitive (newborn breast feeding shots for instance). If, however, you do wish for your photos to remain private then I would kindly ask for an additional fee of £200 to make allowance for the above. I hope you understand my reasoning for this.
Gift Vouchers
When you've exhausted all other present options, giving a gift of a photo shoot is something 'different' that would always be appreciated... who wouldn't want a nice photo of themself or their family?
Perhaps you & your family or group of friends could all club together to buy someone an extra special birthday, Christmas, anniversary or new born baby present?
Simply email me some details and I'll pop a gift voucher in the post (printed on quality thick card).
Present... tick!
