Since you're reading this, I assume you're expecting a new baby? CONGRATULATIONS! There is nothing more exciting than welcoming a new member of your family into the world!
It is NEVER 'too late' to photograph your beautiful baby!
Babies grow and develop very quickly, but every stage of their growth are precious and beautiful, NO time is a 'bad' time for their photo session for you to preserve this special time.
Understanding the different stages of your baby's growth and the photographs we're likely to capture, will help you decide when to book their first professional photo session, and know what to expect.
5-14 Days
in the first 2 weeks, a newborn baby is very flexible. She naturally curls up into poses she prefers when she was still in the womb.
When she is well-fed and warm, she will fall into a deep sleep, allowing us to gently unwrap and pose her without waking.
This is a great age for us to capture those heart-melting sleepy naked baby curling up into teeny-tiny bundle poses.
I recommend scheduling your photo session for a 9 or 10am start, because newborns under 2 weeks are generally very sleepy in the mornings.
At this age, your session will most likely take 1.5-2 hours, so that we can allow plenty of time for your baby to have a feed, change, and settle at the start of her session as well as mid-way during her session if needed.
If your baby has an older sibling, I always try to capture the family and sibling photos first. That way once the family/sibling photos are done, the older child is free to leave with one of the parents to a nearby park or cafe while we take our time to gently pose and photograph your newborn baby.
2-4 Weeks
As your newborn baby progress in development, her bones harden and she will tend to 'uncurl' and stretch out more over the next few weeks.
She will now stay awake for quite a bit longer, and prefer being dressed/wrapped rather than naked.
Once fed, changed, and wrapped, most babies at this age will be clam and settled, and will look around curiously for quite a long while before falling asleep.
We don't need to wait for your baby to sleep to start photographing. As long as she is calm, there are many gorgeous poses we can achieve with her wrapped in a cute little bundle.
At this age, your baby is much more sensitive to touch and may wake easily when naked. My sessions are 'baby-led', which means we will photograph your baby naked ONLY if she is calm and happy, and will not force her into any poses that are unsafe or cause her stress.
Many babies developed milk spots (milia) on their faces around this time. Don't let that stop you from doing a photo session. Some parents love them as they document a small window of time in their baby's journey. Some parents prefer not to see them, in which case they can be easily photoshopped off.
By this time, your baby may have established an eat-play-sleep (or a play-eat-sleep) routine. It is best to schedule your arrival at the studio at the time that your baby is due to wake up. That way, baby can be woken and fed at the studio, then we can capture your baby awake and interactive as well as sleepy and snuggly. Generally, mid-morning is a good time for babies around this age group.
5-12 Weeks
This is such an exciting period in your baby's development.
At this age, your baby will most likely stay awake for her photo session, and will no longer like to be wrapped.
She now has the strength to hold her head up during tummy time, and has learnt how to use her hands to reach out to toys.
This is a great time for the more interactive style of photos now that your baby will interact with you (and her siblings) by watching, cooing, and smiling!
At this age, many babies' sleep schedule is constantly changing. It is best to avoid scheduling your session for a time that your baby is normally asleep. Many parents will book in a tentative time for when baby is due to wake up, then contact me a week before their session to confirm whether that's still the best time for their baby. We will adjust the session times to suit your baby's nap times, it's not worth waking your baby mid-nap and risk her being tired and grumpy for her photo session.
100 Days (3-4 Months)
Many Asian cultures celebrate baby's 100 days with a studio portrait session.
This is an absolutely gorgeous age for photos because your baby can now smile and giggle, and has so many different facial expressions for us to capture.
She can now sit up with support, push up with her elbows at tummy time, and play with her feet with her hands.
By now, many babies have a well-established sleep routine. It is best to schedule your photo session for a time when she is normally most awake, this is usually in the morning after a good night's sleep, or in the early afternoon after a long nap.
5 Months and Beyond
Photo sessions for babies 5 months and older is faster (it'll only take 30 minutes) and filled with giggles.
Now your baby can sit on her own, she will be interested in a whole range of toys like balls, balloons, and bubbles.
She will also like motion games such as being lifted into the air, or dance and spin in parent's arms.
And those gummy smiles and chubby rolls will make your heart melt!
Now that you have a better idea about when to book your newborn baby in for her first professional photo session, read the NEXT ARTICLE for tips on how to make sure your baby has a smooth and successful first photo session!