8 Pictures to take of your baby in the first month

You just had a baby, wether you have a simple mobile phone or a nice fancy camera chances are you want to take a gazillion pictures of this new little peanut who has just entered your world. Baby Drabant number two arrived this year and I know exactly how you feel. I also know that you are tired, overwhelmed, hormonal, and scatterbrained (at least I hope I am not the only one!;) ).
I am here to help you out! Here is a list of 10 shots to get during baby’s first month of life. If you can check these off your list you will be off to a great start documenting your new arrival.

1. D Day!

It is amazing how quickly baby changes in those first few hours. Choose someone to capture your sweet little one as soon as he/she enters the world. Whether you choose to hire a birth photographer (something I  highly recommend), pass your DSLR camera to Dad, or hand your iPhone to the labor and delivery nurse, choose to give this job to someone you can trust and have them take LOTS of shots of that fresh, scrunchy little face. You can never have enough!

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2. With Mommy

Believe me, I get it…we aren’t quite feeling our most beautiful right after giving birth, but I promise that you won’t regret being in the picture with your baby. Hand over that camera again or set-up the tripod or just use your phone. Do whatever it takes to have a picture of you with your sweet baby.

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3. With Daddy

Every father is different, but I think that for the most part the idea of a baby is just an idea until he gets to hold him/her in his arms. And then? Well, then it is just mushy wonderful magic. Seeing a grown man fall in love with a teeny tiny infant is enough to make my heart melt every.single.time. I  never knew I could possibly love my husband more until I saw how much he loved our little girls.

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4. With Siblings

There is nothing quite as amazing as seeing your first baby meet your second (or third or fourth…) baby. The wonder as they finally get to see this little person who has been occupying your belly for forty weeks is just the sweetest. Of course, sometimes it isn’t all roses and there might be a little jealousy or hesitation. Go ahead and shoot that, too! You want to document this baby’s life in an authentic way.

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5. Family Portrait

Wether you take your first family portrait at the hospital  at home or come in for your baby’s first portraits make sure you get a photo of your new family.

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6. Sleepy

Newborn photography is truly an art form and to get those beautiful final images takes a lot of time, patience, and practice. You can always hire someone to take these or you can give it a go yourself.

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7. Funny faces

I love the funny little faces newborns give…the crossed eyes, the big open-mouth yawns, the squinty stares. They may not get blown up on a canvas for the world to see but they are a part of this baby’s stage in life and are worth capturing with the same care as those pretty sleeping shots.

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8. Little details

Teeny feet, little hands, sweet lips, wispy eyelashes…these are the details that define a new baby. Get creative in capturing these tiny features that make your baby so special, whether it be a new perspective or utilizing a macro lens. You will want these images to help you remember the little things when they disappear.

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Wedding Photography Do’s & Don’ts

 DON’T Wait  too long to book your photographer. If you find a great photographer DO book them!

Biggest and most regrettable mistake is not booking your desired wedding photographer in time. Though it is not required when booking with Brittany Drabant Photography tho I do recommend booking one year in advance. By booking this far in advance you are able to lock in current prices as well as guarantee date availability. Nothing is more frustrating than choosing a wedding photographer and then finding out that they booked out your date a week prior.

Don’t Skip the Engagement Session

This is a whole other blog in itself. There is many important reason to book an engagement session I do recommend reading my blog Importance of Engagement Sessions.

Hire a Professional Photographer – This could also be another blog in itself by I’ll try and keep it short and sweet 😉

Choose someone who is a professional and not just anyone with a digital camera and a website.

  1. A Professional is committed to you.  When  you hire and pay for a professional they are contractually obligated to carry out duties that you hired them to preform. No Contract? NO HIRE!
  2. A professional will have experience. There are so many things you have to remember and check of your list of to do’s on your big day. Pictures should not be one of them. your photographer should know what when and who to photograph ahead of time with out standing around guessing.
  3. The idea of your friend or family member photographing your wedding may sound fun and convenient but  dont you want your friends and family to enjoy your wedding?

DON’T Focus too much on taking photos or posing. Do enjoy yourself and your guests.

I want to be able to capture your story of the day while keeping time away from loves ones at a minimum.  Don’t worry about posing  I will help give direction to get the best moments and shots from your day. The best thing to do is relax and act naturally, be in the moment.

DO Get a helper to organize guests

Designate someone that you trust and who knows your family and friends to be in charge of organizing people for portraits. I of course will still tell you how to pose and where to stand. You helper of choice will simply help gather the people needed, direct them on what shots they will be in, and then release them when they are done. It keeps things moving quickly, smoothly, and enjoyably.

How To Choose Your Wedding Photographer: Part 2

How To Choose Your Wedding Photographer: Part 2

Click HERE to first read how to choose your wedding photographer: Part 1

Make Sure Your Personalities Mesh

Please refer back to Importance of Engagement Session. An Engagement session is a perfect way to make sure you like and bond with your photographer.  Do not underestimate the importance of this.  In order to get the best photos be sure to book with a professional  who has a firm grasp of social graces but is bold enough to go out hunting for great images and who, above all, puts you at ease and doesn’t irritate you in any way. Remember:  They’ll be shadowing your every move, and the more comfortable both of you are with the photographer, the better the photos will turn out.

Compare Packages

You won’t be able to nail down an exact dollar amount until you’re sure of what you want; digital images or prints, where your photographer is based, hours of coverage. When interviewing candidates, ask for a general range based on the amount of coverage you’re hoping to book them for. It’s important to find out what’s included in the their packages, plus the basic range for any extras you may want, like an engagement shoot or additional coverage, so you can compare rates. Also be sure to ask if travel charges are included in their package or if they are separate. Not Sure what you want? Ideally, most couples want their photographer to be there for the full wedding day. This may include from when you start getting ready until after you make your grand exit from the reception. While packages vary, most include about 6 to 12 hours to cover everything from preceremony events (getting ready with your bridesmaids or first-look photos) to the end of the reception. It’s usually better to pay for more coverage if there’s a chance you’ll run over and you definitely want your photographer there until the end (overtime is usually charged at a higher hourly rate).

Make Sure There is a Contract!

If your photographer does not have a contract I urge you against booking with them! Contracts protect both you and your photographer. Most contracts stipulate that the photographer owns the rights to all photos taken at the wedding, even the ones of you. This simply mean the photographer can use them promotionally (on their website or blog, submit them for publication and even use them in ads). You contract will also define booking fee, payment and pricing, cancelation, rescheduling, coverage, liability as well as other important information. You want to be sure that you have all this in writing to again, protect you and your photographer incase of anything.

Postproduction Details

This is one piece of information that can easily be forgotten to ask your photographer. When will your images be ready to review and order from? It usually takes at least a month to get all those photo proofs back from your photographer. Why? If  they choose to shoot in raw like myself these are enormous files far bigger than your typical JPG. Shooting raw files gives me  greater ability to correct the photo if need be.  It also takes a longer time to upload, process and edit all those files (in order to correct color levels and so on) if done right there should be very minimal editing however in most churches their lighting gives off a overly warm image. It varies, but many photographers say that they spend an additional 40 hours editing images from a single wedding, so it can take up to six to eight weeks (or longer, depending on the photographer and how busy they are) to get proofs back. Be sure to ask how many images you should expect from the wedding. When booking with me please ask directly it all depends on amount of hours booked as well as size of wedding party.  Ask if your images you receive will be high or low, I offer all high resolution.  Will you be able to get prints made yourself, or does the photographer retain the rights to the images? I allow you to print yourself but recommend printing through me, I use a professionals only lab.  Another question to ask is about retouching options (which can range from simple white balancing/color correction to beauty retouching/blemishes).

I am your Photojournalistic Photographer

DSC_7941 copyI AM  YOUR PHOTOJOURNALISTIC PHOTOGRAPHER!

Now that you know the differences in the styles of wedding photography lets make sure my style matches with yours.

Over all I consider myself a photojournalistic photographer. That being said I do like to add a dash of  traditional as well.  Not only will I photography candid and spontaneous images throughout the day but i will also include some of those more traditional images. These more traditional shots are taken when we  have time to gather  the entire wedding party, as well  your friends and families if you so choose. I also like to include the commercial aspect of your wedding with shots of the centerpieces, cake, flowers, rings and other decorations you might have. No matter how chaotic or behind the day is running, I will make or find the time to capture the little details in which you, the Bride and Groom labored to choose, but might not ever remember. It’s all in the details. You might be wondering why you would we want pictures of the shoes ect. Honestly, it’s very simple: The details fade. The jewelry could break or get lost. The cake will get devoured and all will be gone after the very last bite is taken from the topper you saved in your  freezer for one year anniversary. The dress will get packed away or sold. It’s just fact. The details make each wedding different and unique to each couple. This is really important to capture and preserve your wedding day.

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Here is just a few samples to show the not so typical wedding images you normally see but  the ones that document and serve as a rememberance one of the most important days of your life. For more images of weddings I have done please see my Wedding Gallery

How To Choose a Wedding Photographer: Part 1

2016-01-01_0036Unlike the work of your other wedding vendors (music, flower arrangements, cake), photographs aren’t things you can hear, smell, or taste.  This means careful research and selectiveness regarding professional skills, artistic style and personal demeanor are extra-important when choosing your photographer.
Before you begin researching photographers, you’ll need to first decide what type of photography style you prefer, as that will help determine which kind of photographer you’ll want shooting your wedding. All wedding photographers have their own distinct styles when it comes to how they shoot your wedding day. I like to call it story telling. Each photographer has a personal take on the best way to tell a story through photos. The way a photographer perceives storytelling is going to inform what they take photos of, how they take them, where they are when the important events happen, and everything else in between.  It is important to choose your wedding photography style before you choose your photographer. This will help to insure that your photos will reflect your style on your wedding day. How do you choose which style you like best?
In this post you will find the definition of  the 3 basics styles photographers have

TRADITIONAL/PORTRAITURE

A traditional photographer generally treats every image as a posed portrait, even shots you may think of as candid.(think: your parents’ wedding album) That doesn’t mean that the photographs will appear forced or posed, but that there will likely be few spontaneous “action shots” included in the mix.

CLASSICAL/ FINE ART

These photographers specialize in expertly composed, well-lit portraits. They try to keep an unobtrusive presence at the reception in order to set up perfect, classical images. You won’t find them mingling or telling the crowd to “look at the camera” to come up with magic moments.

PHOTOJOURNALISTIC / DOCUMENTARY

A wedding photographer who takes a photojournalist approach is one who considers it is the photographer’s job to record events, not stage them. This photographer will take the group shots you want but will also include candid and spontaneous images. There are few formal of guests smiling for the camera, but this photographer prefers capturing close-ups, spontaneous reactions to events, and sensitive impressions of a wedding led by events and the emotions surrounding them, not posed tableaus orchestrated by the photographer.
Now that you have a understanding of the different types of wedding photography styles what one best suites yours?
Was it traditional? How about  Photojournalistic ? Wonderful! I might just be your match! 🙂