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This article was previously seen on the defunct Light Inspired blog and is reposted here for archiving purposes.
Every photographer I know has a reshoot clause in their contract. Why? To protect themselves in the event a client is not happy with their shoot and demands another chance in front of the lens. Poor choice in wardrobe? Not happy with your hair or makeup? Husband that isn’t willing to smile for the camera? My contract specifically listed these as reasons not to grant a reshoot. We must have the option of declining a request if we don’t feel it is in our best interest. While there are legitimate reasons to offer a reshoot, these should only be done in a limited capacity. That being said, babies have a mind of their own and reshoots are just a part of offering newborn sessions.
I don’t do posed newborns. No really. Others make posed newborns look good, I do not and proudly admit that. If you want a posed newborn session I will happily send you to one of my photographer friends in the Denver area. So for me there has never been a need for a reshoot if a baby is fussy and won’t sleep. That is part of their new life so I am happy to document it. If you have a baby that won’t settle in a posed newborn session the protocol is to typically feed them until they are full and will sleep. My last newborn was most content being fed and would only sleep while being held, so lifestyle newborn sessions are not exempt. It wasn’t until I got home and began to review the images that I realized I did not have one image of the baby alone where she was not fussy. I also did not have an image of just the mother and baby that I was in love with where she was not breastfeeding.
So I did something I have never done before, I contacted the mom and asked if she minded if I stopped by again in the morning before they checked out of the hospital to take a few additional shots of the the baby, both alone and with her. Then I waited. If she said no would it have been the end of the world? No. I did have a great gallery already. Plenty of shots with everyone interacting with the baby, grandparents included. I just felt like a big part of the story was missing and as a mother I wanted those images for her.
She said yes and I was thrilled. I arrived at the hospital early the next day and within minutes I take this shot. Yep, this one shot was worth the trip back.
The second day was so great. Miss Sophie was a happy baby, parents were more relaxed, and overall it was a great decision to go back. I also captured what might be my favorite image to date. This image screams happiness and if I had not gone back I wouldn’t have this to include in their gallery. You can see the fusion video from this session that includes images and videos from both days. Looking for tips on preparing for a hospital newborn session?
So don’t think of reshoot as a dirty word. Sometimes it is really great to take a step back, regroup, and try again. This isn’t limited to client shoots either. Reshooting is the basis of a good personal lifestyle image for me. If I see Chloe do something incredibly cute but all I have time for is a snapshot, I usually try again later. In my experience a planned shoot with a two-year-old isn’t easy or is that just my lovely child? Sometimes you can get the vision in your head, often you get something unexpected but wonderful, and other times you must give in to try again another day.
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