Capturing Hopes Photographer FAQs
What is the mission of Capturing Hopes? The mission of Capturing Hopes is to provide progress photography throughout the entire stay of a NICU baby in the hospital from the time they are born until the time they graduate. This gives families hope as they see their baby grow and progress through our professional lenses. It has been proven that families cope better with the traumatic NICU journey of their baby when they have access to professional photography for their baby.
More about our mission and founder here: https://www.capturinghopesphoto.org/about
Do the photographers get paid? No, all of our photographers are volunteers. Most own their own businesses and work full time in newborn photography or family photography.
How soon do I book the session with the family? Each family receives 1 photo session a month in our program hospitals. The scheduling coordinator will let you know all of the information prior to your scheduled date in the NICU.
What type of photography do we provide? The majority of photography is documentary style in the NICU of the baby in their incubator and/or photos with their parent(s) or other extended family. Posing is minimal, if at all.
Do we use newborn props similar to what we use in the studio? Props that are provided by the family are always great to use. During holiday events, our program hospitals have items that the families can use and keep for the photos. Anything used in the NICU must remain with the family.
Do I keep copyright of my photography? Yes, the photographer owns their own work and gives Capturing Hopes license to use those photos for our website, training, on social media, in print, etc. At no time will Capturing Hopes sell photos to outside companies, organizations, hospitals, blogs, magazines, or persons that are owned by the photographer.
How do I send photos to the family? You will send the family a photo gallery from your own website within 10 days. Sneak peeks are posted on the Capturing Hopes social media if the parents consent to social media sharing.
Do I need insurance? We recommend that all professional photographers have their own liability insurance, as every business should have, but it is not required by Capturing Hopes.
What type of photographers work for Capturing Hopes? We only allow photographers with experience in newborn work or low light photography to work with Capturing Hopes. We also specialize in low aperture photography, blurring out the background and focusing in on the baby. This is what we expect from all of our photographer's work in the NICU(s) they are in.
How often will I need to be in the NICU? We recommend being in the NICU once a month. If you are working in a hospital with multiple photography volunteers, then you may only be in the hospital once every couple of months. We also have photo events 5-6 times a year before major holidays and always need all photographers on board for those events.
How many sessions do I provide to each family? Families can sign up for sessions as often as once a month and in some hospital twice monthly. This tracks the progress of their growth through your lens for the families to keep forever. The average micro-preemie spends 100 days in the NICU. Let the family know how often you will be in the NICU and make sure they have the link to sign up for their next session with you through Capturing Hopes.
What days will I need to be in the NICU? This will depend on the hospital program you are part of. Weekday morning and early afternoon are usually the scheduled time for photo sessions once a month.
How do I know when I get a photo request in my area? All photographer's in your area will get the photo request emailed to them as soon as it comes in. You do not need to respond to the requests, the scheduling coordinator will send you the information 48 hours before your scheduled session date.
Is everything free? Yes, we are a nonprofit organization and all of our photographer services, along with the high resolution digital downloads are always free to the family. We cannot charge the families for our photography services as a nonprofit.
How much do I provide? We only recommend taking 10 minutes max per photo session and providing 5 photos per session. If you have extra photos, you cannot charge the families for them, but you are welcome to include them in the gallery. We really try not to give them an overload of photos and we try to keep a consistent amount for all families.
How do I get into the NICU? You will enter as a visitor of the family and through the volunteer services department of the hospital. If there are flu restrictions, you may be prohibited at that time.
Does Capturing Hopes provide bereavement photography? Yes and no. From time to time, a baby that has been photographed through one of our photographers will pass away. If a baby is not doing well, we still provide a session upon request of the family or hospital. If the baby has passed away or going to pass away, it is up to the discretion of the photographer if they would like to take that request. We always recommend that the family or hospital contact a bereavement photography program if they are available in the area. But again, that decision is up to the individual photographer.
*We do have an infant bereavement program available for families to set up in their hospital. If your hospital needs a bereavement program, please provide them with our information.
Can I post photos on my own social media? Only parents that have signed the consent form for social media posting can have their photos posted on social media. We prefer that you share directly from the Capturing Hopes page when those sneaks are posted, and we always ask that you tag Capturing Hopes in all posts of NICU babies on your own social media.
Will I get exposure? Yes, whenever a sneak peek is posted on our social media, your name and business will be included for our fans to see, along with your location (city, state). Capturing Hopes has a good social media following and regular engagement on our Facebook page from our fans and NICU families.
Can I solicit my business in the NICU? No, at no time can you solicit in the NICU or charge a NICU family for photography as long as you are with Capturing Hopes. However, if a family or a staff member ask you for a business card, you are more than welcome to give it out. At no time should you accept any money from a NICU family for a NICU session. Once they have been discharged from the NICU, if they reach out to you about further photography services, they then can become a client. Their relationship with Capturing Hopes ends when they are discharged.
*An exception to the above rule is if a NICU family is currently a client of yours who has already paid for newborn photography services in the hospital (Fresh 48). You can continue that relationship since it was established before they became a NICU family and you can choose to keep that payment or refund it, that decision is up to you. Just be careful about taking money in the NICU in front of staff as it can become a confusing situation for them and could cause red flags for the management.
Can I work for a baby photography company and charge NICU families for sessions while still volunteering with Capturing Hopes? The answer to this is NO. Many hospitals have hospital programs within their mother/baby units or birthing centers that provide photography for families who would like to pay for those services. This often covers the NICU as well. As an organization, it goes against our policy to ever charge a NICU family for photography since we are a free service that provides family support during a traumatic situation for the family. If one of our photographers also works for the paid hospital program, it can cause confusion for the families and staff, and it also causes a conflict of interest for the Capturing Hopes organization.
What can I do with the baby? Do not ever lift a baby or hold one. Ask the mom/dad or nurse to do any moving or dressing of the baby. Minimal touching is allowed with proper hand washing and glove wearing. Please always ask before touching anything.
What about masks? The photographer should wear a mask at all times in the hospital if it is required for the staff. When photographing the family, you may ask the nurse if they can remove their masks temporarily for a family photo, which is usually allowed, but is at the discretion of the family and staff.
What if the baby is really small? We photograph babies no matter how small or how big, as long as they are in the NICU. If the baby is low stimulation and cannot be moved or touched, you can photograph through the incubator and try to get whatever you can that day. We photograph babies their entire NICU journey, there are always other days to get more.
What kind of lighting can I use in the NICU? This question is best answered by the nurse that is caring for the baby that day. They will let you know if an external flash is allowed or not. In general, an external flash is not harmful to a premature baby, as it is no stronger than any other light that is in the NICU and is only flashed for a split second. However, some NICUs do have rules against a flash being used and we must follow their rules in order to be a guest in their hospital. Any other lighting set up is prohibited and would take up too much space.
Studio lighting is allowed in most hospitals if the photographer has it available for use.
*A pop up flash is never allowed and is not considered professional by Capturing Hopes.
How often can a baby have a session? NICU babies can get a free photo session at least once a month, or more often in some hospitals.
How will the NICU Families know about Capturing Hopes? Each hospital program has a coordinator in the NICU that handles all of the information that the families receive to sign up for a photo session. You will not need to do any marketing.
Does Capturing Hopes take requests from parents with children that are not in the NICU, but are in another area of the hospital?From time to time we get requests from The Ronald McDonald House or a parent requesting photos of a child going through cancer or another childhood illness. The answer to this is YES. If a child will have a long term stay in the hospital or long term illness, the family or organization can request a photo session for them through the website "schedule a session" section. It is up to the individual photographer if they would like to take the photo request for that family.
Volunteer (Photographer Assistant) FAQs
What is my role as a photographer assistant? Each photographer needs assistance while in the hospital handling spreadsheets, schedules, speaking with families, preparing the family for their upcoming time slot, checking in with the staff, and any other small things the photographers need. Your role is basically to keep things moving so that the photographer can focus on photography and not have to worry about all of the othr moving parts of being in the hospital. This is an important role and the photographer will appreciate the role that you play.
How can I make my role easier to handle? Have a clipboard and be as organized as possible prior to going into the hospital with names, time slots, and family information. Go to the family 10 minutes before their scheduled time and encourage them to start getting their child ready for the photo session. Bring in props that can be used to add to what the options are for the family to use. (A list of prop options is available if you would like those).
Before the sessions: Communicate with the families and the hospital to set up the day you will be there with the photographer. Make sure you know what is required prior to coming in. Ask if the staff will give out information cards to the families so they know how to sign up for a session on the day that you will be there. Communicating is the best thing to do in order to set your sessions up to be successful.
Other Information:
- Photos should not ever be sold or given to media or other companies or organizations at any time, including the hospital. You must have written permission from Capturing Hopes and the family prior to allowing use of the photography in this way. Capturing Hopes will also obtain permission from you prior to allowing your photography work to be used in any of the above ways.
If you have other questions that should be added to this list, please email CapturingHopesDirectors@Gmail.com