The High Costs of Newborn Photos and Birth Videos

MONEY WELL SPENT

 

I guess you could say I’m a pretty frugal person most of the time. I don’t like to spend money on new cars, expensive meals out, or lifestyle inflation.

But, when it comes to spending money on experiences, making memories, or my boy-girl twins (the beans) I’m willing to make bigger investments here and there.

To me, making memories with my family and taking care of the beans are the most important things in my life. This is how I choose to spend my money – not on “stuff” but on memories.

With that said, when I got pregnant last year, I knew that I wanted the full experience of newborn photos and possibly even a birth video. I also knew that these things would not come cheap at all.

In fact, paying for professional photography and videography is often one of the largest and most under-budgeted expenses for life events, like weddings and births.

 

Newborn Photos and Video Costs

 

When I began looking for a newborn photographer, it was very tempting for me to try to be frugal about it. I wanted to get photos taken, but I didn’t want to spend the entire baby fund my hubs and I had saved up on photos.

However, the more I looked at the differences between the “cheap” photographers and the top-dollar ones, I could see why some people chose to pay for the more expensive photographers.

The photos were great quality and the kids didn’t look upset or stressed. I had a good friend of mine take beautiful lifestyle photos when the babies were born, and she gave that to us as a gift.

I’m so grateful to her for that; however, I still wanted studio styled photos as well especially once the beans started to look more like nice, healthy plump babies. Because they were 5 weeks premature, it took them a while to get meat on their bones!

So, I have some beautiful pictures of the early days, and then I also paid for a studio photographer to come to my house when my twins were two months old, and I’m so happy with who I chose. The total price worked out to about $600 and although it was expensive, it was worth every penny.

Being a new mom is hard enough, and having twins right before having to move across the country for my hubs to continue medical school made it all the more stressful.

The best part about the photographer we chose was how great she was with the beans. She was truly the baby whisperer. She made sure they were warm, relaxed, and comfortable.

In fact, she was able to keep them asleep for the whole 5 hour session! It was truly a miracle. So to me, it was worth it to pay for a more experienced photographer because I knew she could handle taking the photos of two babies at one time. Plus I wanted to be happy with my photos for a lifetime, which I know I will be.

In addition to having newborn photos taken, I also decided to have a birth video compiled. Birth videos are getting more and more popular these days. Videos are easy to share with friends and family who weren’t able to be with you for the birth of your baby for his or her first few days of life.

Yes, photos can be used for this purpose too, but a video makes them feel even more a part of the experience. Plus, you can use a video to look back on your own birthing experience for years to come. Giving birth is an amazing, exciting, and somewhat stressful experience. The video, which you can see below, was created by the amazing Joy at Cher Bebe Birth Stories.

For my birth video, some shots were taken prior to my c-section and others were taken during and after the arrival of the beans. If you are thinking of having a birth video put together, be sure to choose someone you trust and who will follow directions from you and your baby’s father if something were to change during the birthing process.

I loved and trusted my birth photographer/videographer so much that she was the only other person in the room with me aside from my husband.

The price of a birth video is steep, even more so than photography most of the time. Most birth video packages start at around $500 but can go up to $1,200 or more. But again, it’s an amazing thing to have.

Our beans don’t have a lot of toys. They don’t have tons of gadgets. They don’t even have a lot of clothes, but the things they do have are newborn photos and videos of the first few months of their lives, which are priceless.

 

Hiring a Photographer or Videographer

 

So, now that you know what newborn photography and videography can cost you (of course it varies by region), why should you hire these services done instead of DIY-ing it?

• Hiring a professional ensures quality images. Professional newborn photographers and videographers have lots of experience with newborns and know the best way to dress them, pose them, and soothe them during the session. They also know which shots are “must haves” for newborn photo sessions.
• Hiring a professional takes the stress out of it. Again, because of their knowledge and experience, hiring a professional to help with this special session will help ease your worry as a new parent. There are plenty of things to worry about, but your newborn photos/video should not be one of them.
• Hiring a professional allows both mom and dad to be involved in the pictures. If you are DIY-ing it, it can be difficult to get yourself and the baby’s father in many of the images. Usually in DIY situations it’s either one parent or the other in newborn photos. It is much easier to capture a whole family photo with a newborn if a professional is running the camera.

There are lots of areas in my life where I choose to be frugal; scrimping and saving to fit everything into our budget is my specialty. But, I knew that I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to document the beans as newborns.

They are only newborns once, and it’s something I want to be able to look back on and remember forever. Luckily with these incredible newborn photos and videos, I can.

Guest Contribution by:  Catherine Alford is a freelance writing coach and blogger at www.BudgetBlonde.com.

Photo  and Video Credit: Joylynn Breaux at Cher Bebe Birth Stories.

 

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