When Is The Best Time To Take Newborn Photos?
The most common question I’m asked is – when should i come with my newborn for photos? Perhaps you’d like to book a newborn photo shoot but have no idea how long the official ‘newborn’ stage lasts exactly?! I’m here to help! Some newborn photographers will put a two week age ‘limit’ on newborn photo sessions. I say there’s no reason why you can’t have baby’s newborn photo shoot up to around three or four weeks old or beyond. It’s never too late! The best age for a newborn photo shoot is as soon as whenever suits you and your family. Plus, life gets in the way. You may have had a bit of a stay in hospital after birth, and having a new baby at home is exhausting. Going to the photographer studio to take photos may be the last thing you feel like doing (although if the idea of a super relaxed newborn photo shoot with lots of nibbles and drinks and a relaxed elegant atmosphere sounds good, then I could well be the newborn photographer for you). Read on for my tips on the best age for a newborn photo shoot. Plus how to book one when you have no idea what date baby will actually arrive! Let me put your mind at rest at how easy it is to have beautiful new family memories captured, to treasure for a lifetime. Most parents really enjoy the experience, and it’s much more relaxing and stress-free than you might think!
Babies Younger Than Two Weeks Old (Where Possible!)
As a North East Newborn Baby and Family photographer with nearly 6 years of experience, I’ve photographed hundreds of newborn babies! Speaking from experience, I would recommend scheduling your newborn baby photo shoot for around your due date if possible. The absolute best age for a newborn photo shoot, is between 7 and 12 days old. Babies at this age still tend to be pretty chilled, curled up and sleepy. And you really will want to remember what your gorgeous new baby looked like at their absolute teeniest! This is the best age for a newborn photo shoot that will document all that gorgeous curled-up sleepiness, baby’s snuggles with parents, and scrummy close up shots of baby’s eyelashes, lips and feet. This is also a great time to capture some beautiful photos of baby with their siblings. Baby won’t be consciously smiling yet, but at even the earliest newborn photo shoots I’ve been known to capture at least one or two windy smiles! Around a third of the baby’s are likely to be early, and about two thirds arrive late. So it’s a pretty safe bet, with a first baby at least, that your little one won’t be in any huge rush to come out on time. So we will pencil your due date in our calendar and we will provisionally book a date for your newborn photo shoot. Once baby arrives you can call us or send a text and we will schedule a day for you to come.Older Babies
Babies older than two weeks are not quite so curled up and weeny any more! They also start to lose some of that gorgeous wrinkly skin and downy hair. Baby acne can appear from around three weeks old and cradle cap is common from a month or two old. Yet none of these are reasons not to have your baby photographed, of course! (A very small amount of subtle retouching can work wonders on the odd bit of flaky skin or those little red spots). Every baby is different and it is more than possible for an experienced newborn photographer to get amazing shots of your new baby at three or four weeks old. In fact, no matter how late you get round to it, a photo session with baby is always a super idea, but if you can it’s so lovely to get a few shots of your little one captured before they grow (super fast – you’ve been warned!) and are not so teeny any more. Slightly older babies are likely to be more alert and aware of their surroundings. So photo sessions with older babies can result in more ‘eyes open’ shots than sleepy ones. Super cute!
Caesarean Births
If you know you’re going to be having a caesarean (or end up having one), you may be worried that your photographer will have you moving around lots, lifting baby, or standing/sitting in awkward, uncomfortable or downright painful positions. My newborn photo shoots however are totally parent- and baby-led. I can capture beautiful shots of you with your baby in whatever position is comfortable for you, whether sitting, propped up on pillows or standing. Most parents are happy for me to move baby around for photos myself, meaning that for shots of baby on their own you can just sit back with a drink and watch the magic happen! I’ve photographed over a hundred newborn babies and I am a mum (of 4) myself, so your baby is in very safe and experienced hands.Premature Births
For premature babies, the best age for a newborn photo shoot is around your baby’s adjusted age (that’s the age they would have been if born on their due date). So you’ll book baby’s photo shoot for around then, or a few weeks later. Session can take abit longer with premature babies, as it can take longer to settle than other newborns.
Best Age for a Newborn Photo Shoot
So what’s the best age for a newborn photo shoot? Where possible I recommend scheduling your newborn photo shoot before baby arrival, when you are at the beggining of your third trimester (from week 28th), so we can make sure to have availability when they arrive, to capture him or her in all their wrinkly and scrunched-up newness!(7-12 days old) . Your baby will never again change at quite such a rapid rate as they do in that magical (and exhausting!) first year. It makes a wonderful keepsake to have all that development and growth captured in beautiful photographs. We will create together Bespoke Albums, and Wall Art for you to treasure for years to comeGet in the photos yourselves!
Ah, and of course if you still deciding if you want to be in the photos…
