Ally Stuart-Ross, whose newborn and baby photos studio Mabel & Møøse is located in the UK, has coined her Scandinavian-inspired newborn photos aesthetic as ScandiStyle. She uses only white to off-white colors for wardrobe and uses completely natural-looking poses and backgrounds. Stuart-Ross says her biggest business breakthrough was niching down because it allows her to entirely focus in on what she loves, and people can tell immediately when they look at her website whether or not she is the right newborn and baby photographer for them.

Ally Stuart-Ross’ Business Breakthroughs

What has been your biggest breakthrough in business? 

Definitely my biggest breakthrough has been niching down to a very small market in newborn baby photos. I’m studio based, and I only photograph babies from birth to 18 months in my studio. I include parents and little siblings, but I won’t photograph babies with much older siblings, grandparents, cousins, Mum’s “best friends since kindergarten,” kids, or dogs……AND everyone must wear white. It really doesn’t get much more niche than that. I also offer maternity sessions but don’t have too much time to book in many of them.

It means I’m never chasing every newborn client. Being so niche lets me focus on serving the clients that love what I do. Clients know exactly what they can expect from Mabel & Møøse.

Niching down has given me the chance to become a specialist in newborn and baby photos. My website and branding can be totally on point. I really believe that whichever genre you choose, you should be as niche as possible.

What is your average sale currently? 

My average sale for my first year of business was £970/$1200. I’m exceedingly happy with this figure as I’m building a very solid business base in my area of newborn photos. My pricing and profit margins are all structured so I can make an excellent salary from this average. I am intending to increase this average, but I’m not looking for any huge jumps. I have a strong customer base who never have buyers’ remorse and are happy to refer me to their friend groups and are all coming back with second babies.

[Read: 5 Tips to Shooting Unposed Lifestyle Newborn Photography]

Most artists have a point in their life when they knew this was meant for them. Do you have that moment?

The minute I made the decision to start Mabel & Møøse, I 200% knew that this was meant for me. I didn’t even have the Mabel & Møøse name at that point in time, but I could see every part of the business in my head, and I just knew that everything was going to fall into place. I wanted to become a specialist in newborn photos in what’s become my signature ScandiStyle. I wanted a brand that I could be really proud of, and I wanted to get to a point where I could pass my expertise and knowledge on to others.

How did you push past fear when building your newborn photos business? 

I pushed back any fear by not really thinking about it. Fear will always be there. It’s part of being human, to protect us from harm, BUT I was starting a newborn photos studio, not running from lions on the Serengeti. My father did all kinds of adventurous things in business and so I was brought up with him talking about ventures that to most people would be far too risky or just not achievable. As a nine-year old, I thought it was normal for Dad to be announcing that he was going to buy a bit of land and start a new international airport. (He didn’t do it, but this was the sort of chat I was exposed to as a child.)

Every second I could spend being in fear of what could go wrong is better spent pushing forward towards my goal.

[Read: The Next Natural Step—Branching Out From Wedding to Newborn Photography]

When I first started to photograph weddings, years ago, so many people tried to dissuade me as something might go wrong. So, I thought of the job that could have the worst consequences if I messed up. I decided that being an air traffic controller carried the most risks of disaster. So, there is never any excuse to be afraid if I was a photographer.

Fear is really a choice, and I’m choosing to ignore my fear. It does exist, but I don’t give it airtime in my head.

Making a connection with your subject is one of the most important parts of a great portrait. How do you make lasting connections with your clients? 

When parents arrive at my studio with their new baby, I have to make an instant connection with them. They are about to entrust their precious newborn to me. They are not only trusting me to create beautiful photographic memories, but they also trusting me to handle their baby and to keep them safe. I’m often in the very privileged position of holding their baby even before the grandparents have had a chance to do this.

I make a connection with them because I genuinely love people. Parents who’ve just had a baby are at such a beautiful moment in their lives, and I want to help them celebrate it. For anyone who’s become a new parent you’ll know that it’s sometimes a very difficult time, too. It can be magical and challenging, all at the same time. I try to be incredibly sympathetic to their needs and feelings. I’m always asking if they are happy with what I’m doing with their baby, and I explain everything to them when they arrive at the studio. This way they feel that their baby is in good safe and caring hands, and they also know that I’m very mindful of their needs during their newborn photos shoot. That’s how I connect with parents. Then I need to make a connection with the baby and with any little siblings.

[Read: Tips to Photographing Your First Lifestyle Newborn Session]

I’ve got four children of my own, and I was the eldest of four children, so I’ve always been used to handling and settling babies. Keeping them feeling safe, secure and settled is key. They can sense if their parents are anxious so keeping everyone in the studio in a relaxed, calm mood is vital to a successful newborn photos session.

Connecting with a little sibling comes naturally to me. I give lots of advice about working with siblings at my workshops, as it’s key to a sibling and newborn photoshoot being successful. Working from my Natural Flow Posing Guides means I can concentrate on connecting with the little one rather than desperately trying to think of my next shot.

For someone starting out on their photography journey what advice would you have for them? 

My advice to anyone starting out in business is to invest in training. Education, learning and practice is the key to success. Also, put your heart and soul into it. There’s no point in listening to a training video once. Listen time and time again until you know it backwards. Know your equipment inside out. Practice everything until changing your camera or lighting settings is as automatic as blinking. Depending on your genre, practice with friends, or if it’s newborn photography, buy a doll. Set times to practice. Don’t put it off. And probably my best advice would be to move quickly into photographing real jobs for money. I see so many people who wait until that “I-am-now-good-enough moment.”

[Read: The Why and How of Test Shooting with Models: Ben Sasso’s Complete Guide]

So just start. Find someone to photograph, either by model call or use gift vouchers, and when you do your first sessions don’t try to do too much. If your very first newborn photos session results in one photograph that you gift to your client and two more that they love enough to pay you for them, that’s a great result. Do this a few times and then when you’ve mastered three poses, do five the next time and keep moving forward. If you don’t move forward, then you’ll get stuck. And the minute you feel that you’ve got to a certain level, invest in more training, and then move to the next level.

And invest in training in all areas of your business. Marketing, sales, photography…. Never stop learning.

Do you regret any decisions you have made in your business? 

Yes and no. I wish that I had implemented Sue Bryce’s business model years ago. But I also think that everything that I have done in my life has had meaning and is helpful to me with Mabel & Møøse.

Everyone has a favorite shoot – tell us about yours and why it’s your favorite. 

My favorite shoot changes all the time. It’s usually the last one that I’ve done. Honestly, I just love what I do so much that every time I finish a newborn photos shoot, I’m on such a high that that becomes my favorite session.

I do get some sessions that I feel have been harder than normal. Usually that’s when there’s tiny siblings involved, and the parents and I are pretty exhausted after the session. (And I’m left thinking that the copy on my website that says, “A photoshoot with Mabel & Møøse is a relaxing experience,” is a complete lie!)

And then I download the files and find that I’ve got some great photos and suddenly that shoot becomes my favorite….until the next one.

What fellow artists in the industry do you gain the most inspiration from? 

Over my long career as a photographer, I’ve been inspired by so many fellow photographers. Each one has taught me something that now comes naturally to me. If someone inspires me, I will always seek out their training. Sue Bryce is obviously top of my list. She’s not only an incredible portrait photographer, but her teaching on money, business and most importantly self-value has helped me enormously. Jerry Ghionis had a huge impact on me and my work. I spent a week with him at a workshop in London, learning about my craft. Susan Stripling, Roberto Valenzuela, Lanny and Erica Mann of TwoMann, the brilliant documentary photographer Paul Rogers, and of course, the amazing Queen of Newborn Photos, Kelly Brown. These are just snippets of all the photographers who’ve influenced me.

[Read: The Power of Print: Newborn Photographer Kelly Brown on What’s Fueling her Skyrocketing Business]

Where do you see your newborn photos business in the next five years? 

It’s always good to make plans when running your own business. It keeps me focused and sets my intention to me and to the universe as to where I’m going and what I need to do to get there. I have daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and five yearly goals. Over the next five years, I’m going to continue growing my newborn photos studio, Mabel & Møøse. I’ll be introducing a small number of higher value products to help my clients who desire something that’s extra special for their home.

I am also going to be helping a small number of photographers reach their goals in becoming newborn photographers. I have in-person workshops planned for later this year (2023), and online workshops in 2024. I’ll cover everything from photography to business and editing.

I’m releasing my ScandiStyle Actions and my Natural Flow Posing Cards later this year. I couldn’t work without them.

I was in Phoenix for Sue Bryce’s first Self-Value workshop, and it was life changing. I’d love to get more involved with mindset and self-value. I’d also love to teach a class at a photographers’ convention so hopefully an opportunity to do this will present itself. I’m just going to put it out there to the universe, and I’m sure it will happen.