A mother three weeks into her first baby is trying to decide whether to book a photography session. She is exhausted, she is not sure she wants to be photographed, and she has seen images online of babies posed in ways that worry her.
She has questions she will not ask, and the ones she will ask are not the ones that matter.
The checklist
Publish these and the anxious parent books.
1. Lead with safety
How you work, that the baby's comfort comes first, that nothing is forced and that poses are never attempted beyond what a baby allows. It is the unspoken worry and it should be addressed first.
2. Explain the assisted poses honestly
That some images seen online are composites, that certain positions require a spotter and that you will not attempt anything unsafe. Parents have seen the pictures and wondered.
3. Explain the timing
Why certain weeks suit certain styles, that later sessions work differently and that nothing is ruined by waiting. Parents panic about a window.
4. Explain the session length
That it takes hours rather than an hour, because of feeding and settling, and that nobody will be rushed. It changes how a parent plans the day.
5. Explain what happens if the baby will not settle
That it is normal, that the session pauses and that this is expected rather than a problem. It removes the fear of a wasted appointment.
6. Explain the feeding arrangement
That there is space, time and privacy for it however the baby is fed, without anybody being made to feel awkward.
7. Explain the temperature and environment
Because a warm room matters for a newborn and it is the detail that signals experience.
8. Explain the hygiene arrangements
Props, blankets, hand washing and what happens between sessions. New parents care enormously and rarely ask.
9. Explain who else can come
Siblings, partners, grandparents and whether a session can include them. Families want the pictures and worry about asking.
10. Explain the parent in the photographs question
Gently, because many new mothers do not want to be in them and later wish they were. Offering rather than insisting.
11. Explain the location options
Studio or at home, with what each suits. Many parents will not leave the house at three weeks and do not know home sessions exist.
12. Explain the booking and rescheduling terms
Because babies arrive early, late and unwell, and a rigid policy is wrong for this market, which is the flexibility in weather and contingency questions for outdoor shoots.
13. Explain the pricing plainly
Session fee, what is included and what prints cost, which is the transparency in how photographers handle pricing enquiries with a chatbot.
13b. Say what happens with a difficult birth or a poorly baby
Some families arrive after a hard delivery, a hospital stay or with a baby needing extra care. Saying that sessions are adapted, that nothing is expected and that a later or shorter session is entirely normal reaches parents who assume the whole idea is now impossible for them.
14. Answer these questions at any hour
Because new parents are awake at three in the morning, which is the parent audience in portrait and family session questions and orthodontic enquiries from adults and parents.
Getting started
Publish your safety approach, session length and what happens if the baby does not settle, then answer at any hour. SpideyChat for photographers answers from your published pages. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.