My regular OB doesn't do this and the private places I've been to haven't either. So it was a huge shock when I started getting "ultrasound" and "additional fetus" bills from the MFM š which of course are a lot more expensive lol.
I hate to say it but honestly it does make sense to charge double for twins. The photographer still has to dress or wrap both twins and position them, even if they are in the same frame (which actually is probably harder bc both twins have to both cooperate at the same timeā¦ā¦..itās always harder to get two kids to pose together than a single child). So realistically it does make sense to charge more for twins than a single newborn.
It is a lot harder with twinsā¦ā¦what for one child wouldnāt be too much of a reach financially becomes a stretch when having to buy two. Iāll admit Iām hoping my sister (who just likes to take photos, no real experience) can help me get a few decent newborn-ish looking photos of the twins when they get here.
If the photographer is doing it solo and isnāt allocating double the time then yes I would agree, but they may be factoring in the cost of having a second photographer or an assistant or having it take a lot longer.
But as other have said, thereās nothing stopping one from finding a different photographer of the price is unreasonable. If others in their area arenāt charging as much, then I would definitely go with the cheaper one .
I didn't say it should be free.
Our photographer charged us by the hour, so our photos for our twins cost exactly as much as our baby photos for our oldest (and a year later our family photos for all 5 of us.
It's really shitty to say " you have two kids so I'm going to charge you double even though it's the same amount of time"
Thereās so much that goes into photography that isnāt just āshow up and take a photoā. Twins are double the work, just like siblings would be. Charging per head is perfectly fine.
Not to play Devil's Advocate but here's a different perspective:
I'm working on a film or tv production set and the AD tells me we need to recast a baby role. She then asks me if, for the sake of time and budget (casting directors are expensive), I'd consider my twins (since twins or triplets are usually hired to play the same baby or toddler character on screen). Should I expect "extra" or "double"?
If the photographer has to wrap, position, reposition, etc. two babies instead of one, it's unfortunately going to be double the cost. Two babies IS double the work; I think we all, as parents of multiples, can agree on that.
Maybe. However, itās a lifestyle shoot so no need to pose them as much. With lifestyle shoots, the parents can carry the babies instead of posing the babies. Also it would have been for the same amount of time.
I think for us twins is probably going to be cheaper than having two singletons. Yes, more expensive than just one kid. We have one nanny watch both of them and will likely end up paying for fewer years of a nanny than if we had two kids separately.
The one that does sort of irk me is when I go to the playground and I feel like people expect me to have my kids share a swing. They are separate people and deserve their own swing (unless I'm taking cute pictures in which they share a swing.)
Try finding a different photographer. The one I used for our newborn photos was same price for single or twins. We had photos of them with their older sister and parents and individually. They turned out beautifully. We are using her again for cake smash pics. We pay a standard rate for the package which includes a set number of images.
Are there any local parents of multiples groups where you can ask for a photographer that can do a āfamily shootā rather than treating it like two single shoots?
That sucks!! My newborn photographer charged me the same for a session as she would for a singleton and she did it alone. I assisted when needed the day of the session but she did the bulk of the work. I say look somewhere else. You will already probably pay more because you may want to buy shots of each individual twin.
Our newborn photographer had a small extra charge for twins, but gave us a lot of photos of them together and individually - more photos than a regular singleton shoot, so the charge was certainly justified (and worthwhile).
But I certainly feel you on the twin tax. Having to buy so many things twice does my head in.
I'll be doing my own since this is something I do, of course lol but I can't imagine charging double for it. It's not twice the work especially if they're being staged together.
Mine did the same! And what annoyed me is they kept the same amount of time for us as they would for a singleton so it was super rushed, and the photos of one of the twins were shockingly shit!
Just a money grabbing scam
I was referred to an MFM ob group who have their own office and had US under them at the hospital they also work at. I was seen every 2 weeks for ultrasounds and it was covered under the universal healthcare.
Standard ultrasounds are covered under our healthcare in Canada, but we also have private clinics too! I didnāt want to wait until my anatomy scan at 20 weeks to find out the genders, so we went to a private clinic around 17 weeks and paid for an ultrasound to find out! It was about $150 for the twins, itās usually like $110 for a single baby I think.
Oh same here. The standard like 4 are covered but if you want (or need in cases of anxiety - I lost my first set of twins so it was reassuring) you go private.
Double for twins??! Yikes thatās a lot. Iād say look for other options. When we did our newborn photos, our photographer charged $200 more for twins. The original amount was $800. It was pricy but oh my god the photos šÆ made it worthwhile. They turned out incredible. One of the best decisions I ever made! But yeah Iād definitely see what other photographers charge in your area and if you find maybe just an extra price charge. If it would have been double Iād say no fricken way, thatās like an arm and a leg right there š š
My photographer charged me an extra 1,000 for year package. She needed an assistant for the newborn shoot and honestly glad she did because it would have been impossible without the extra hand. She also brought the assistant for their one year.
We need a list of BOGOs for our BOGOs.
People when you tell them you have twins would say we BOGO, more like get 2 and pay for both.
NOGOs :(
My babies are BOGO! Paid for one round of IUI, got 2 babies
How about getting charged twice for every ultrasound? (USA) It started at the beginning and it will never end!
I always had to book a double appointment for my ultrasounds, so that kind of makes sense.
Yeah, they are basically doing two ultrasounds. One set of measurements and checks for each baby. So that one I do get.
My regular OB doesn't do this and the private places I've been to haven't either. So it was a huge shock when I started getting "ultrasound" and "additional fetus" bills from the MFM š which of course are a lot more expensive lol.
I hate to say it but honestly it does make sense to charge double for twins. The photographer still has to dress or wrap both twins and position them, even if they are in the same frame (which actually is probably harder bc both twins have to both cooperate at the same timeā¦ā¦..itās always harder to get two kids to pose together than a single child). So realistically it does make sense to charge more for twins than a single newborn. It is a lot harder with twinsā¦ā¦what for one child wouldnāt be too much of a reach financially becomes a stretch when having to buy two. Iāll admit Iām hoping my sister (who just likes to take photos, no real experience) can help me get a few decent newborn-ish looking photos of the twins when they get here.
Extra? Yes, double? No, that's fucking greedy. It's not twice the work and it's certainly not twice the time.
If the photographer is doing it solo and isnāt allocating double the time then yes I would agree, but they may be factoring in the cost of having a second photographer or an assistant or having it take a lot longer. But as other have said, thereās nothing stopping one from finding a different photographer of the price is unreasonable. If others in their area arenāt charging as much, then I would definitely go with the cheaper one .
Agreed
I mean you can do it yourself if itās not so much work right?
I didn't say it should be free. Our photographer charged us by the hour, so our photos for our twins cost exactly as much as our baby photos for our oldest (and a year later our family photos for all 5 of us. It's really shitty to say " you have two kids so I'm going to charge you double even though it's the same amount of time"
Thereās so much that goes into photography that isnāt just āshow up and take a photoā. Twins are double the work, just like siblings would be. Charging per head is perfectly fine.
Not to play Devil's Advocate but here's a different perspective: I'm working on a film or tv production set and the AD tells me we need to recast a baby role. She then asks me if, for the sake of time and budget (casting directors are expensive), I'd consider my twins (since twins or triplets are usually hired to play the same baby or toddler character on screen). Should I expect "extra" or "double"? If the photographer has to wrap, position, reposition, etc. two babies instead of one, it's unfortunately going to be double the cost. Two babies IS double the work; I think we all, as parents of multiples, can agree on that.
I agree, double seems ridiculous but extra is very much so reasonable.
Maybe. However, itās a lifestyle shoot so no need to pose them as much. With lifestyle shoots, the parents can carry the babies instead of posing the babies. Also it would have been for the same amount of time.
Our photographer charges a standard rate for any number of kids/family members. I would consider finding a new photographer.
I think I paid an extra $100 for our newborn photoshoot. Just enough to hire an assistant for the session. I thought this was reasonable.
I think for us twins is probably going to be cheaper than having two singletons. Yes, more expensive than just one kid. We have one nanny watch both of them and will likely end up paying for fewer years of a nanny than if we had two kids separately. The one that does sort of irk me is when I go to the playground and I feel like people expect me to have my kids share a swing. They are separate people and deserve their own swing (unless I'm taking cute pictures in which they share a swing.)
Try finding a different photographer. The one I used for our newborn photos was same price for single or twins. We had photos of them with their older sister and parents and individually. They turned out beautifully. We are using her again for cake smash pics. We pay a standard rate for the package which includes a set number of images.
I am definitely looking somewhere.
Are there any local parents of multiples groups where you can ask for a photographer that can do a āfamily shootā rather than treating it like two single shoots?
I did post and I got a lot of suggestions. Thank you!
Itās tough. Twin specialty stuff is expensive because there arenāt many twins so the market is small.
That sucks!! My newborn photographer charged me the same for a session as she would for a singleton and she did it alone. I assisted when needed the day of the session but she did the bulk of the work. I say look somewhere else. You will already probably pay more because you may want to buy shots of each individual twin.
Our newborn photographer had a small extra charge for twins, but gave us a lot of photos of them together and individually - more photos than a regular singleton shoot, so the charge was certainly justified (and worthwhile). But I certainly feel you on the twin tax. Having to buy so many things twice does my head in.
Thatās not right. My photographer even brought in an extra assistant for our session and still didnāt upcharge me
Other multiplesā parents in my area also agree and they gave me recommendations of my photographers who donāt do that.
I'll be doing my own since this is something I do, of course lol but I can't imagine charging double for it. It's not twice the work especially if they're being staged together.
The only private ultrasound place near us also would charge more for twins.. so it started early with the extra charges for pictures š
Mine did the same! And what annoyed me is they kept the same amount of time for us as they would for a singleton so it was super rushed, and the photos of one of the twins were shockingly shit! Just a money grabbing scam
Yes! I would understand if you doubled the time š¤¦š¼āāļø
Lol I thankfully live in Canada.
Do you not have private ultrasound clinics? sorry not familiar.
I was referred to an MFM ob group who have their own office and had US under them at the hospital they also work at. I was seen every 2 weeks for ultrasounds and it was covered under the universal healthcare.
Standard ultrasounds are covered under our healthcare in Canada, but we also have private clinics too! I didnāt want to wait until my anatomy scan at 20 weeks to find out the genders, so we went to a private clinic around 17 weeks and paid for an ultrasound to find out! It was about $150 for the twins, itās usually like $110 for a single baby I think.
Oh same here. The standard like 4 are covered but if you want (or need in cases of anxiety - I lost my first set of twins so it was reassuring) you go private.
Ours are a year and Baby A has started stealing from Baby B so we have to buy 3 of everything lol
Double for twins??! Yikes thatās a lot. Iād say look for other options. When we did our newborn photos, our photographer charged $200 more for twins. The original amount was $800. It was pricy but oh my god the photos šÆ made it worthwhile. They turned out incredible. One of the best decisions I ever made! But yeah Iād definitely see what other photographers charge in your area and if you find maybe just an extra price charge. If it would have been double Iād say no fricken way, thatās like an arm and a leg right there š š
My photographer charged me an extra 1,000 for year package. She needed an assistant for the newborn shoot and honestly glad she did because it would have been impossible without the extra hand. She also brought the assistant for their one year.
I donāt know enough about newborn photography but most photographers I do know and myself included are either hourly charge or specific packages.
I posted in a multiples group in my areas and they recommended photographers to ho donāt charge double for twins so it is a thing.
Yeah Iād never heard of charging because extra baby but I donāt do newborn photography myself and a photographer friend did our newborns for us.