Photographing children with Special Needs

by Claire | Mar 13, 2024 | Family, Family Photo Sessions in West Sussex, Fathers Day, Horsham Photographer, Horsham Photography Sessions, Location Sessions, Mother’s Day, Photo Sessions for children with special needs, Things to do in Sussex

Booking a photo session for children with special needs

Booking a family session is hard because most parents wonder whether their child is going to behave and smile properly.

Photographing children with special needs is even harder because it’s such an unfamiliar experience. As a parent you are worrying about your child, and how they are going to react. Whether they will cope with a completely new environment and allow anyone to take their photo.

I know lots of families that thought having family photos were out of their reach. I have been able to help them and I can help you too.

newborn and family photography in horsham and west sussex

Why should you book your session with me?

For the last few years I have worked at a local special needs school. This means I have many way to be able to help you. I work as a photographer part time because I’m not ready to give up my job at the school. So, being able to photograph children with special needs is amazing because it brings both of my jobs together.

I understand some of the challenges that you face. Together, we will work hard to ensure your session is as relaxing as possible, for your entire family.

How will I be able to help?

To ensure that you get the session and memories that you’re after I send you a questionnaire. This helps me collect information about your family. The more you can tell me, the more I can prepare. The session can be run in your own home, outside, or at my home studio. Wherever you feel it will be easier.

Before the session I can also send you a social story, if you think this will help your child to proces the day. I’m also happy to discuss other ways to help your child feel more comfortable. It’s completely up to you. We can even arrange to me up or a visit to my home studio. Just let me know.

How will the session work?

First of all, you choose if you’d like me to come to your home, or you to the studio.

I can take natural photos of you all interacting as a family, in familiar surroundings. Or, I can bring lights and backdropsf or a studio style photo session.

I will come to your home and quietly set up while your children get used to me.

Session that are run in my home studio have everything set up prior to you arriving. When your children come in they can take their time to settle in and get used to their new surroundings.

Wherever the session is, it is meant to be as relaxing as possible. This means if it take your child 45 mins to settle in then that’s absolutely fine. With your direction I will help your child to feel settled enough to have their photo taken.

Some children come in and end up playing with some toys while the family are around them. I won’t be expecting your children to be looking at me but I will do my best to capture them looking at the camera.

My job is to capture some natural photos with you all interacting as a family!

You are welcome to bring anything with you that will help your children to feel relaxed.

I hope this helps you to understand a little bit more about what happens during a family photo session. If you’d like more information about booking a photo session for children with special needs either visit my Family Photography page HERE or email me at clairewildersphotography@gmail.com

What happens during a newborn session

by Claire | Feb 15, 2024 | Family, Family Photo Sessions in West Sussex, Fathers Day, Horsham Photographer, Horsham Photography Sessions, Location Sessions, Mother’s Day, Photo Sessions for children with special needs, Things to do in Sussex

Booking a Relaxed New Baby Photo Session, West Sussex

So, what happens during a newborn session?

First of all, booking a new baby photo session is a big deal. Why? Because you are trusting your photographer with your most priced possession… your brand new baby!! So, this is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. I have children of my own, so I know how precious that are!

I absolutely love running these photo sessions because it’s capturing your first moments as a new family, whether it’s your 1st, 2nd, 5th child, they’re all magical. It doesn’t matter whether look exhausted or haven’t lost the baby weight, it’s about capturing these new moments for you to look back on with your baby in many years to come.

How do i know when to book a newborn baby session?

You can either book me as soon as you’ve had your 1st can or once the baby is born, although life at this born can get pretty hectic. Once you contact me, I book you in for your due date, or as soon as possible if your baby has already arrived.

To secure the booking I do require the session fee upfront, as I do book up quickly and we want to take the photos as soon as possible.

I send you a questionnaire which allows me to prepare for your session and allows you to choose where the session is run. You can also choose backdrop and prop colours plus it allows you to give me any additional information you’d think I need. You will also receive a welcome pack which explains about the session and how to choose the correct clothes to compliment each other.

Once baby has arrived, you then let me know and I booked you in within two weeks. This was we capture all the tiny details and first memories of you little baby.

TB - Newborn Session - June 2023 - (22 of 33)

What happens during the session?

LOCATION

Once your baby has arrived we then decide where to run the session.

If you’re local to Horsham, I am happy to come to your house.

I bring the props, backdrops and wraps etc with me, then run it in the comfort of your own home. I need some natural light to work with but I don’t need a huge amount of space. For the family photos I use a pop up backdrop or your sofa for some natural photos. Having it in your home can incorporate your nursery too and make the most of capturing those first memories at home. If you feel your house is a bit messy then I can still come to you but just use the backdrops, so none of your house is seen…. and don’t worry I’m a parent so know the carnage of having a new baby!!

Below are some photos taken in peoples home…

Newborn Photographer Horsham, baby photographer Horsham

The other option is my home studio. Here we have studio lighting set up for the family photos and then baby on their own. I provide all the props, backdrops, clothes and wraps etc. You just get to sit back and watch me work. Normally we like them to be fed, either, just before you arrive, or once you arrive to me. This way they’ll be ready to sleep and we can capture lots of dreamy photos. Or, if they’d rather stay awake, we can have some gorgeous awake photos.

THE SESSION

The session itself is very relaxed and completely baby led. If we need to stop for feeding, cuddles or a nappy change that’s absolutely fine. Some parents have come to have their baby photos and even fallen asleep because it’s the first time they’ve been able to sit down without having to worry about their baby…

During my sessions I start off with family photos. Followed by indvidual photos of baby with mum, dad and then any siblings that have come along. Once this is complete everyone else can relax and it’s just baby for their photos. During this time I do a variety of different poses, using props and blankets plus hats, hairbands and clothing. I don’t force your baby into any position, so if they don’t like it, we move on. This is why each gallery is completely different.

Eventually, we end with the naked baby shots and lots of parents worry that your baby is going to have an accident on my blanket or prop…. don’t worry because this DOES happen and all of my props CAN be cleaned. I’m used to poop! That’s just part of it when you’re dealing with naked babies.

Gorgeous boys at an outdoor family photo session.

When do I get my photos

VIEWING YOUR PHOTOS

After the session, I aim to get your photos back to you within 2-3 weeks. The edited gallery will have around 30 digital images.

There are two options available.

The first, is to come to me and we go through your photos on a large screen, without any watermark covering your photos. Being able to see your photos in this manner is very special and I’ve had many families needing tissues.

We can discuss your option of prints and digitals, wall art and albums. Ensuring you get the best deal and leave with your photos ready to download. All of the pricing is on my website, as well as attached to emails that you receive. This way, there are no hidden surprises when it comes to purchasing a package or wall art.

I don’t do a hard sell, when you meet me you’ll realise this is not in my nature. I am also happy to discuss payments plans if you would prefer to spread the cost over a few months.

The photos sell themselves and you’ll see my products during your session, so you’ll have a chance to see what you’d like to purchase.

Any digital images will be available to you for digital download once you’ve purchased your package, prior to receiving your prints.

The second option, is to have a private online gallery. This comes with an email link and password but your photos will have a watermark over them until a purchase has been made. You can view your photos at your own leisure but delivery can take longer.

PRICES

The packages are the cheapest option because these include digital images PLUS discounts to wall art.

To view the PRICE LIST please click HERE

I hope this helps you to understand a little bit more about what happens during a newborn photo session but if you’d like more information either visit my Newborn Photography page HERE or by emailing me at clairewildersphotography@gmail.com

Newborn Photography Horsham, Photographer West Sussex, Newborn Photographer Horsham

If you have any questions please do visit my family page by clicking HERE and complete the contact form or email me at clairewildersphotography.co.uk

I hope you like my photos, I would love to have the opportunity of creating some fabulous memories for your family.

what happens during a newborn photo session

Reveal Wall

by Claire | Sep 26, 2018 | Newborn Babies

As a photographer it’s obvious that I love to take photos.. They reckon about 1.2 Trillion Photos are taken each year but that’s as far as it goes, they stay on a phone, maybe end up on social media but they very rarely get printed.

Beautiful new baby face wearing a hairband

I however, love to see them in print. The day the photos arrive I still get excited! Don’t worry I’m like the rest of you, I don’t print every photo, I still have tons that sit on my phone but I still love to print some of them. I started doing photography because I wanted other people to be able to have beautiful photos of their children and families, just like I do. I started off only providing galleries for clients, where they could view the photos in the comfort of their own home and look at their photos at their own leisure but still not see a print.

The next stage would be to purchase prints or photos on a USB stick… but again, rightly, or wrongly, photos would not printed and they would stay safe on the computer or USB. This is why I decided that I wanted to start doing a reveal wall.

What is a reveal wall? A reveal wall is photo set up of all your edited prints. Once your session has been completed I edit your photos and then print them ALL off as 7×5 inch mounted prints. This enables us to meet up and allows you to see EXACTLY what your photos will look like. You can see your beautiful gallery up close and decide easily which photos you would like to purchase. Your photos look great on a computer or your phone but they will look stunning when you can see them in your hand. The other great thing about the wall is that if you decide you like the 7×5 inch prints you are able to purchase them and walk away with them that evening.

If you have ANY questions about the reveal wall please do not hesitate to leave a message below or contact me for more details. [contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]