How many photographs will we get at the end?

We sift through approximately 250 photographs taken on your shoot and then we select between 50 - 70 photographs to be edited. These edited photographs are then given to you as part of the package to e-mail or make enlargements from.

Do you use studio flash units?

Yes we do. Studio flash units are utilised in the studio shots to give you unsurpassed quality photographs.

How long is the shoot before and after the child is born?

We like to keep the shoots to about 2-3 hours. This allows us to be creative and not feel rushed to get different shots.

Can we wear Happy Event or Bio Oil cream on the day of the shoot?

I would say no as it will create very drastic highlights on the tummy. It will create a more even tone of you do not wear any form of cream or oil.

Do you use special effects on the photographs?

Yes, certain photographs lend themselves to be made B&W, sepia, soft focus or hand coloured. Hand colouring is when a photograph is B&W and another part, like the booties are left in colour. Sepia is the yellowing of the photograph to give you an old age feel.

What if something happens to my album?

Softlight Media as a standard keeps a master DVD of your maternity and new born photographs just in case something should happen to your copy. We will also keep all the raw images from your shoot on a DVD for life. We also keep a copy of your maternity photographs on the computer until you have received your final product.

What is Blu-ray (High Definition) and why should we have the birth of our child filmed on Blu-ray?

Blu-ray is the new format of ‘DVD’ that has come onto the market. In the past, footage was filmed on Cine cameras ‘old film reels’, then from there came VHS tapes which was later replaced by DVD, and now from DVD we have Blu-ray (High Definition). In our opinion it is better to have the birth of your child filmed on Blu-ray which is a much higher quality compared to DVD. If you do not have a Blu-ray player we will down convert to DVD format for you. But once you do get a Blu-ray player, we will never be able to replicate the quality of the footage should the birth be filmed on DVD format only.

Will our DVDs/Blu-rays have chapter points for easy movement in the DVD/Blu-ray?

Yes it will. We do interactive moving menus on all the DVDs/Blu-rays with a scene selection. We also put chapter points in the DVDs/Blu-rays to enable you to skip through fast. The chapter points will also be placed at crucial points on the DVDs/Blu-rays.

Can you film the babies first bath?

We can do that so long as the hospital allows that. It is a nice memory as often the mother does not get to see that.

How long will the complete DVD/Blu-ray run?

It is hard to give you an exact length, but generally we work on the DVD/Blu-ray not being longer than 1.5 hours and any usable footage is used. We feel, for the sake of your memories that you should have all the moments of the birth of your child filmed.

Can we choose our own background music for the DVD/Blu-ray?

Yes, you can. We prefer it when parents do choose their own music for their DVDs/Blu-rays as it makes each DVD/Blu-ray more personal. We like the music to be given to us before the day of the birth as this enables us to start editing as soon as the birth happens. An average of about 10 songs are required.

What kind of music can be put on the DVD/Blu-ray?

We would say anything you like. It is your DVD/Blu-ray and if you like fast music with a beat then we will make it work for your DVD/Blu-ray. We do take the volume of the music down so that it plays in the background. You will still be able to hear the talking which is important.

Will we watch the birth of our child more than once?

Coming from a mother I would say yes. I watch my video fairly often. It is also something to show your child one day.

Do we need special permission from the hospital?

Yes, you have to check with the gynaecologist if he will allow a videographer in with him and he should be able to check with the hospital if that is ok.

Do you use Bright lights?

When filming the birth we do have a LED light that we mount on the camera just in case we need extra lighting.

What if something happens to my DVD/Blu-ray copy?

Softlight Media as a standard keeps a master DVD and master Blu-ray copy of the birth of your child just in case something should happen to your copy. We will also keep all the raw footage from the birth on tape for 12 months.

What equipment do you use?

On the photographic side we use the Canon ‘EOS’ range of photographic cameras. At every shoot we carry a backup camera in the unforeseen event that something should go wrong with the main camera. We carry a selection of 3 lenses so that we can have the perfect lens for the perfect shot. We use studio flash units for the maternity and new born shoots.

On the video side we have

3 HDV Sony Z5 cameras.
CF card memory record units.
External Microphones for the Sony cameras.
2 Canon XM2 SD cameras.
On board lighting for the cameras.

Why should we hire your company to photograph our maternity and new born shoot and film the birth of our child?

Firstly, we really want to photograph and film this event in your lives. Our heart and soul goes into every single one of our shoots.

Our Photobooks are finished on high quality paper and bound in a hard cover.
Our DVDs/Blu-rays are professionally filmed, edited, printed and packaged in ‘movie’ style DVD boxes with printed discs and covers.

Softlight Media backs up all photographs (raw and edited) and final DVDs/Blu-rays onto master copies, which are then stored for life. This is an assurance for you that in the event that anything should happen to your Photobook and DVD/Blu-ray such as a robbery, damage or should you require additional copies, you can always get another one from Softlight Media.

What do we do to book you as our photographer/videographer?

You can call us on +27 (0) 82 830 7878 / +27 (0) 82 775 9493 or email us at info@softlightmedia.co.za