First, some agencies vary in this, but I recommend getting industry-standard professional photography for your baby or toddler. Why? Because industry-standard professional pictures show the potential buyer or casting director exactly what your child will look like when shooting for their professional project. I do not recommend using portrait photography or snapshots as the sole tool for your agency to use in representation. Unfortunately, your child will grow very quickly, so you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on their shoots, however, they do need to utilize the best photographers you can afford. Typical shoots for lifestyle markets can range from $350-$600. Also, unless your agency specifically requires it, I do not recommend getting these photos mass reproduced. After 6-8 months, you will need to reshoot and those images will be outdated. The benefit from shooting these industry standard professional pictures is that the agency can use them, as well as the parent having amazing pictures every 6-8 months for the child’s scrapbook.
Second, remember each agency is different and baby/toddler projects are typically the smallest part of what the agency books. Therefore, you should not expect a call, audition or booking every month. However, one project could reimburse you for the investment.
Third, the agency needs to be well aware of your baby’s temperament. Is your child a sleeper? A talker? Smiles a lot? When does your child take naps? Does your child warm-up easily to new people or does your child take a bit of time to warm-up? This is important, as some projects and buyers need specific types of babies. Not all projects need a perfect-smiling baby.
Fourth, feel free to enter your baby/toddler in online contests and projects. This could help reimburse your investment in pictures and your child’s amazing photos could help win extra exposure. Just be sure to clear every project with your talent agency.
Finally, always check-in with your agency via email and email any updated snapshots that you take of your child. For example, if your child grows their first tooth, the agency should know. This is important, as your child changes often and the agency or booker should know about these changes. Also, making sure your agency has correct sizes are important, as not every 2 year-old child wears a 2T.
Have fun with the pictures and give your agency the best tool they have to represent your baby/toddler!
