The Newborn Photography Foundation course is an online, twelve-week mentoring programme designed to kickstart your newborn photography career in Newborn Photography.

Each week of the programme focuses on different fundamentals of newborn photography. On completion of the programme, you will have the skills and confidence to build your own portfolio of stunning newborn images as well as a blueprint on how to start your own successful newborn photography business.

The next course starts on the 6th January 2025

Is This Course For You?  

  • Are you looking to start a career in the exciting and profitable world of newborn photography, but not sure where to start? 

  • Are you a photographer that has recently started their newborn photography journey, but you feel the quality of your work is holding you back from charging more?

  • Are you a social photographer looking to add a new string to your bow, fill your weekdays with profitable sessions, and free up time on the weekends? 

If any of the above describes you, I am here to help!

It took me five years to build the confidence in my work to charge my clients what was needed to run a profitable business. I don't want you to make the same mistake, so I developed a system to help you achieve your goal of creating professional and sellable newborn baby portraits (for a healthy profit) in just three months. With this twelve-week mentoring programme, I will guide you, step by step, through this process, and upon completion, you will have the skills and confidence to continue to build your own beautiful portfolio of newborn baby portraits and a blueprint to launch your photography business.

See what past students have to say

Your Mentor

Hi, I am Russ Jackson. I am a specialist newborn baby photographer and educator. I have been a portrait photographer for 22 years and started photographing newborn babies in 2011. Since then, I have established myself as a world-leading newborn photographer and educator. Through my in-person workshops and mentoring services, I have helped over 600 photographers from 38 different countries succeed in newborn photography. I am regularly invited to teach and present at international symposiums and conferences. In 2018, I launched the Russ Jackson Academy, an online resource for newborn and maternity photographers. I still run Russ Jackson Photography, one of London's leading portrait photography studios.

 What's included?

This course is a members-only 12-week mentoring program. Each week, there is a live, interactive online lesson that covers an essential element in learning the art of photographing newborn babies and how to prepare for the launch of your business. There is also a two-hour LIVE Q&A session each week to review the week's topic and compare notes on the week's home learning task. All lessons and the Q&A sessions are recorded to watch at a time most convenient for you.

The core curriculum is broken down as follows:

 6th January 2025

Week 1 - Equipment and Accessories

  • Cameras, Lenses and Lighting gear.
  • Specialist equipment and accessories for newborn photography.
  • Discovering your brand and creative style.
 13th January 2025

Week 2 - Newborn Safety

  • How newborn photography differs from other genres.
  • Newborn baby physiology, life in the womb and how it relates to newborn photography.
  • Baby Safety - Photographing babies safely and with respect.
20th January 2025

Week 3 - Posing

  • The six main newborn poses.
  • Posing flow.
  • Posing safely in props.
27th January 2025

Week 4 - Camera Angles and Composition

  • Using the correct lens. 
  • Optimum camera angles for the 6 foundation poses.
  • Image composition guideline 
3rd February 2025

Week 5 - Lighting

  • Introducing studio light & using the correct settings.
  • The four fundamentals of portrait lighting.
  • Lighting newborn babies creatively.
10th February 2025

Week 6 - Family Portraits

  • Two easy family poses.
  • Capturing emotion.
  • Posing and lighting fundamentals.
17th February 2025

Week 7 - Portfolio Building

  • Portfolio building sessions, the do's and dont's.
  • Preparing for your first shoot.
  • The 5 steps to create the perfect image.
24th February 2025

Week 8  - Post Production

  • Essential hardware
  • Editing Software 
  • Post Production workflow
3rd March 2025

Week 9 - Newborn Retouching

  • The Main Photoshop Tools
  • Photoshop Actions
  • Editing in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
10th March 2025

Week 10  - Pricing & Sales

  • Pricing for Profit
  • The Pricing Calculator 
  • Popular Sales Techniques
17th March 2025

Week 11 - Branding and Marketing

  • Creating a desirable website.
  • Social Media Marketing. 
  • Word of Mouth Marketing and Customer service.
24th March 2025

Week 12  - Getting Ready to Launch

  • Bringing it all together 
  • Photography, Business and Mindset
  • Course review and the next steps
REGISTER HERE

Bonus Content

To ensure that you get the most out of this course, there are bonus support videos, downloadable course notes, PDF cheat sheets, and other support documents for each of the weekly modules. You will also have access to a members-only Facebook support group. Here, as a community, you will receive real-time support and feedback from Russ and your fellow students.

Support Videos

Apart from the weekly lessons, over 25 bonus support videos are spread out throughout the course. These short but highly educational videos will back up the content covered in the weekly lesson.

You can watch the support videos in your own time, and as with the module lessons and Q&A sessions, you have lifetime access to these videos.

Course Downloads

Each week, you can download the course notes for the specific topic covered in the weekly lesson. By the end of the course, the course notes combine to make a comprehensive workbook for you to print.

There are also PDF resource guides, model call templates, Photoshop actions and printable guides for you to download.

Members Only WhatsApp Support Group 

You are not alone on this journey. The dedicated members-only WhatsApp group is a platform where you will receive real-time support from Russ and get feedback on your progress.  There is also a private Facebook group for all current and past students where you can connect and compare notes, and encourage each other, even after you complete the course. 

Case Studies

This course is tried and tested! Students that have watched all the lessons, and support videos and completed the home learning tasks have all come away with incredible results. The systematic structure of the course and Russ's methodical style of teaching allows you to have the confidence and skills to photograph your first newborn 'portfolio building session' in just week 7 of the course. Here are some case studies of previous students of the course:

Case Study - Hanan El-Hares

Hanan enrolled in the course not even having a camera. After completing the first six modules of the programme she captured these images during her first three portfolio-building sessions.

Here is what Hanan has to say about the course:

“The course was thorough, very informative, well-paced, and also being able to study at home was great! Russ is an amazing mentor, he is so supportive and always there to give guidance whenever it was needed. I am now able to apply the theory I learned from the training into practice by utilising all the tools and useful information gained from this course. It has taught me everything I needed to know about Newborn Photography and gave me enough confidence to launch me successfully into the next chapter of my business. Thank you Russ for such a wonderful experience!”

 

Case Study - Susanna Katajala

Susanna dreamed of pivoting from her current employment to starting her new photography business.  She attempted a few newborn sessions but soon realised she needed help getting started. Susanna, still in full-time employment and a mum of two, has done an AMAZING job in completing several portfolio-building sessions since beginning the course in January. That’s just three months to get to this level! Let me tell you, it took me years and many, many sessions to get my photography to this level!

Here is what Susanna had to say:

‘Russ! Big thanks. This course was more than I could ever expect. Your teaching is amazing. I’m speechless about how this all could happen in a few months! Thank you so much!

 

Case Study - Chantal Beaumont

After the birth of her own baby, Chantal experienced a newborn session and loved the idea of starting a career photographing newborn babies herself. Chantal was the perfect student and blew me away with how she completed the practical tasks, studied the course notes and implemented them with her first model portfolio-building sessions. These images are from her first two sessions, (taken while the course was still running), and they are just amazing. Well done Chantal! 

Here is what Chantal has to say about the course:

'’I'd just like to say thank you so much for such an amazing course, your support, guidance and specific detailing has been magnificent and I’m so grateful for you putting this course together! I’ve only photographed four babies/families and I’m honestly so proud of how far I’ve come and the results of my hard work, thanks to you. Russ, you gave me the skills I needed to get started and the knowledge to really pursue my dream.

 

Case Study - Narita Brugnara

Although Narita had some experience in photography, she had never photographed a newborn at the time of joining the programme. After just six weeks she photographed her first newborn baby model and look at the results! 

Here is what Narita had to say about the course:

"I have just completed Russ's newborn photography foundation course and I can say it was a wonderful experience of learning and it has changed my life. I am very proud of the work I’m doing at the moment, even if I’m just a beginner newborn photographer. I am not usually a big fan of online courses, but Russ made me change my point of view with his way of teaching. Russ is an amazing professional, very passionate and has incredible attention to detail. He is always available for any doubts and his feedback makes all the difference! Every lesson is very well detailed with videos, and notes that you can print and organize in a folder to always have with you. Russ always tries to be sure everyone fully understands each lesson and is willing to answer any questions we may have, even after the lessons. If you are looking to improve your photography skills or want to learn the world of newborn photography, Russ is the right person for you. Definitely a highly recommended investment!"

Case Study - Fiona Marion

Fiona had already invested in most of the equipment she needed to start her new photography business but needed help getting started. Being a mum of three and still in full-time employment, she has done a fantastic job of not just completing the course, but she is now capturing beautiful newborn images to add to the new website she is building.

Here is what Fiona has to say about the course:

'The Newborn Foundation course was over and above anything I could have imagined it would be. Having no experience in newborn photography, I was amazed I was able to photograph a live baby only a few weeks later based on the excellent, in-depth quality and quantity of learning materials and tuition supplied throughout the course. Russ was an incredible mentor, whose communication, organisation and passion for teaching really pushed me forward and inspired me to achieve. Highly recommended!'

 

Have a question about the programme before getting started?

Frequently Asked Questions

Need more info? Book a Discovery Call to find out more.

In Summary

This is an online 12-week mentoring program and includes the following:

  • The next course starts on the 9th of September 2024.
  • A core curriculum of twelve live online lessons spread out over twelve weeks.
  • Twelve live Q&A sessions with real-time feedback on your progress.
  • Over 15 hours of bonus support videos.
  • Weekly course notes, and extra support PDFs make up a printable newborn photography workbook. 
  • Lifetime access to all content.
  • A dedicated WhatsApp group for all students to communicate with Russ and each other in real-time.
  • Lifetime membership of the members-only private Facebook support group.
  • Special discounts on equipment suppliers and accessory vendors.
  • Discounted enrolment fees for Russ Jackson's in-person workshops.  

The real value of this online course lies in the system I have developed. I will guide you, step by step, through this process, and by the end of the course, you will have the skills and confidence to continue to build a beautiful and professional portfolio of newborn baby portraits. 

Pricing

The price for this 12-week programme is £2000

A four £550 monthly payment plan (total £2200) is also available.

Full Payment

£2000

REGISTER HERE

Payment Plan

£550 pm (4 months)

REGISTER HERE

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 Testimonials

"I really like your way of teaching. You have a systematic approach which I like and your training is logical and you explain everything in good detail" 

Sirli Aron
Newborn and Maternity Photographer

"Russ is amazing! I had the opportunity to train with him in his studio in London and that training changed my life as a photographer. It's great to now have access to mentoring online as I no longer live in London. I highly recommend him!"

Chioma Afigbo

Newborn Photographer

"Russ is brilliant at what he does and he passes all of this onto his students, He delivers everything in a way that is easy to follow and understand and holds nothing back, explaining everything that you want to know.. Well worth the investment!"

Douglas Cattanach

Wedding and Newborn Photographer

"I highly recommend training with Russ whether you're a beginner or a pro. His training took my newborn photography to a whole new level. I'm producing higher quality work, gaining more business and essentially making more money. The training was an investment and worth its weight in gold." 

Danya Grey 
Newborn Photographer

"I can’t thank you enough for the training! It was really informative, especially the workflow for posing newborns. It was great to see the techniques used for getting the baby sleepy and then the process of shooting using the posing flow. Also, thanks for your great insights in using flash vs natural light. As a mobile photographer, this is sometimes a struggle as light differs in every home, so I will certainly be looking to use flash in the future for consistency.”  

Jamie Ousby
Wedding and Portrait Photographer

"I just wanted to thank Russ for the 1:1 mentoring! It was a wonderful experience!
It’s so nice to see his patience and how he makes everything so easy. He explains everything you need/want to know. TOP mentoring!!!" 

Michelle Frischkopf 
Newborn, Boudoir and Maternity Photographer