Thank you everyone for entering our baby photography workshop giveaway!
More information on the workshop is available here:
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
A little Lillie grows in my heart! {Newborn Photographer DC}
My sweet Lillie has turned one month old, unbelievable how the time passes when you are seemingly dreaming in those early post baby days. Here is a shot my assistant took in the studio which I will cherish forever. I have so many more to share.
Lillie @ 17 days
Why You Should Attend a Newborn Photography Workshop
Professional Photographers: Why You Should Attend a Newborn Photography Workshop!
As a professional photographer, you may often keep an eye out for workshops to attend in order to expand your skills and to stay on top of trends. Perhaps you want to try out new baby posing techniques or learn how to use the latest photography equipment. But something that is often missing is a focus on how to effectively set-up and run a successful photography business.
If you are a photographer looking to expand into the newborn and baby photography arena, or if you are a current baby photographer looking for vital tips and tricks or improvement, the Blooming Baby Business Workshop is a great resource. These Baby Photographers Workshops were created by Rita Lawrence of Bitsy Baby Photography, a successful newborn photographer in the Annapolis and Baltimore, MD area. Her baby studio is also very close to Washington, DC or really any photographer on the East Coast.
Rita has built a successful business by providing exceptional and quality services to new mothers, expanding families, and their special new arrivals. Newborn photography helps memorialize special baby moments in an artful way that creates timeless images not easily captured otherwise. The business of newborn photography is fast growing, and thus becoming more competitive. It is essential that you continually build your skills, in both newborn and baby photography and in the business side of things most importantly.
Blooming Baby Business workshops are comprehensive and in-depth training that touch on the following items:
Business, marketing and sales
Rita will share her knowledge and experience for marketing and growing a newborn photography business, and give you specific tips for business management, sales, and marketing techniques. Nothing is reserved and you leave filled with everything you need. Some of these may include:
o How can you reach out to future mothers?
o How can you create brand awareness and familiarity?
o How should you motivate past customers to refer new customers?
o What should you price your services as?
Shooting / Session Flow / Transitions
You need to book a certain number of appointments in order to keep your business alive, but it is hard to know what to expect with each newborn session on any given day. You never know if they’ll be sleeping or crying but when it comes to session flow and transitional posing there is a little that you can do to control the baby's mood to obtain the types of images you desire.
You can imagine the numerous kinds of moments you would want to capture with your camera, the fleeting images that make each baby unique, a smile, giggle, yawn, or a surprised expression. But how can you capture them without difficulty posing the baby or waiting for hours with your camera? Learning the skill of capturing the baby engaged in a moment quickly and easily whether their sleeping or smiling is one of the most valuable tips you will take away from the workshop.
Also, there is a skill in knowing how long to spend on each pose before you move on to a new pose. Then, is there a certain pose that works best for awake babies or other things you should think about? Rita will cover these details and actually show you some great techniques for all around success in your baby's first year photography sessions.
Session Prep / Set-up
It is essential that you give your sessions as much time as promised to capture a good mix of images but not spend all day and get nothing great. It is the time before and after the session that can cost you the most time and money. The faster you can set up and take down, the more looks you can get. Learn how to plan ahead and to create a system that allows for efficiency. This is extremely important for off-site sessions where you don’t have all of your props and equipment at easy disposal and are often finding light at the last minute.
Photo Finishing Techniques
The time after the session is important to satisfying your customers, by processing the images and making any necessary adjustments to the photos with photography tools like Lightroom and Photoshop you can stand out from the ordinary images some photographers show. Rita provides an in-depth teaching of efficient image workflow and processing with these tools making it so easy to make the most of your time on the computer and produce artistic high quality images. You’ll receive information on editing, enhancing, and correcting many of the issues typically encountered when working on baby photos. Rita edits most of her sessions in a timely fashion, learn how to do this too and save valuable time thus contributing to your bottom line.
After the session
After attending the Blooming Baby Workshop you’ll receive Rita’s custom templates for her most popular birth announcement and coffee table book, as well as her Blooming Baby’s 1st Year Guide covering complete sessions details for maternity, newborn, smiling, sitting, and standing stages coming in May. This photo guide will be essential when you are in a real session back at your studio and Rita isn’t there to help =)
Get started now
Learn more about Rita’s Photography Workshops on her website at bitsybaby.com. There are options for both one-on-one sessions as well as group sessions, and the site lays out the benefits of each to help you to decide. These workshops are affordable and priced within the industry standards for a baby photography workshop so spaces fill up quick. Sign up to get started – you’ll receive more information than you’ll ever think to ask about, along with hands-on practice and expert immediate feedback. Also, Rita has a great e-newsletter that includes free baby and newborn photography tips so that you can start improving now!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Grow a Baby Photo Business with Bitsy Baby Photograhy
Learn Essential Tips to Grow a Baby Photo Business
If your life’s mantra is centered on W.C. Field’s famous quote “Never work with animals or children”, you’re missing out on an untapped market. No other facet of the photography world allows you to capture raw, exquisite emotion like working with infants and new parents. You might be intimidated by the newborn photographer industry and concerned about how to grow this new venture or all the competition out there. With the right skills and a few tricks of the trade, you’ll have all the tools required to keep both the babies and the parents happy.
Get the Word Out
One of the growing pains associated with starting in or growing a facet of the photography industry, including infant photography, is gaining a credible reputation. The first step to building this positive standing is through effective advertising and/or marketing. Visit a local baby or kid expo and showcase your work to new and expectant parents. Hang photos in establishments that parents and grandparents frequent, including toy stores, baby boutiques and restaurants. Utilize the power of Facebook by designing a professional page, and encourage your existing clients, friends and family member “Like” it and to tag the photos that include their babies.
Woo the Parents
Being a successful newborn photographer goes far beyond getting the baby to smile or sleep, although these skills can also be crucial. It’s also about keeping the parents happy and comfortable and that starts with creating a family friendly environment at your photography studio. If you have the means and space, create a separate area for photographing infants and small children. Include plenty of toys and treats to keep the babies and small children occupied between shots. Don’t forget about the parents and offer them a cup of coffee and a comfortable, private area to breastfeed or care for the baby.
Ready, Aim, Wait…
Working with infants is an endless game of preparation, missed opportunities and a lot of patience. Prepare the space before the parents even walk through the door by testing the light and exposure with a doll. Set up all your equipment and be ready for every eventuality during the shoot to ensure that you capture that small window of time when the baby is attentive and smiling or sleeping soundly.
Leave the Cheese in the Fridge
Making an infant smile (or sleep) doesn’t need to be the cause for stress. Give the parents explicit instructions to have the baby ready before they enter the studio. This includes providing the baby with a good nap, feeding and diaper change. The most effective way to make the baby smile or sleep (depending on the age) doesn’t involve props or magic. Start by getting the baby’s attention with a subtle sound and instruct the mother or father to stand behind the camera. Now all that is required to elicit that illusive social smile is to smile yourself. The baby is wired to smile when it sees you or one of his parents sporting a big, happy grin. Keep smiling and use quiet sounds to keep the baby’s attention and you’ll eventually get the reaction you’re after.
Learn Techniques and Business Skills from an Expert
As a photographer, you are always looking to expand your technical skills to take better pictures and to interact better with your subjects. But, there are few newborn photography workshops that also help you with the specific business skills necessary to be successful in this industry. Bitsy Baby Photography offers photography workshops, termed “The Blooming Baby Business” workshop that are one-of-a-kind opportunities to learn how to run a successful Baby’s First Year business. If you want to not only take great pictures, but to ensure your clients return and your business is successful, learn more about this opportunity today.
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