Newborn photography: labour of love
A special set of skills
To be successful as a newborn photographer, Tiffany Selzer from Tiny & Brave believes that patience is paramount. She allows four hours for sessions at her natural-light studio in Melbourne. A lot of this time is spent settling the baby, sipping tea, chatting to parents, changing nappies, or simply cuddling the baby. Her aim is to provide a calming experience for everyone. In fact, she says that it’s not unusual for parents to also fall asleep during her photoshoots. Another crucial ingredient for success is stellar customer service and experience. “Look after your clients; treat them like royalty. They feed your kids, and put a roof over your family’s head; they deserve the best, because without them you wouldn’t be here,” she says.
Perth-based family photographer Erin Hoskins agrees with Selzer. Patience is most important as babies are unpredictable, she says. “Sometimes newborns don’t like a certain position, want to eat every 45 minutes, or are just plain having a rough day. It’s my job to stop the session whenever they need a feed or break, and then coax them as gently as I can to create beautiful galleries for my clients so that they can remember this beautiful time.”
With years of experience behind her, Selzer has developed a kind of second sight she uses to make the unpredictable in newborns more predictable. She has learnt to read a baby’s facial expressions and body language to
