One of the most common questions that my newborn clients ask me when they inquire about a session is when is the best time to schedule their session. Such a good question! There are so many things to get ready when a baby is on the way, and scheduling your newborn pictures ahead of time is highly recommended. It will be one less thing to think about after your baby is here!
My newborn photography is not the typical, traditional baby photos you may have seen elsewhere. I don’t use any props, and I never place babies in anything but the parent’s arms for their portraits. Because of this, I don’t require the newborn to be 2-3 days old like many newborn photographers. (Some photographers who use props require that your newborn be only just a few days old so that they can pose a certain way while staying asleep- and is more easily accomplished the younger the baby is.) In fact, since my focus is really more on motherhood and the irreplaceable moments of connection between a mother and child- it’s really important that Mom has some time after the birth to feel a bit more like herself because mothers play a huge role in each of my newborn sessions.
I personally find that the sweet spot for my style of photography is between 10-14 days old. This isn’t always an exact possibility, as of course sessions are scheduled around my availability. This is why I always encourage expecting moms to reach out to me early on to ensure a better chance of having a session opening around this time.
If the baby is a week old or younger, although possible, I have found that the session often becomes more overwhelming for Mom to plan for, than it is an exciting and meaningful experience as it should be. If the baby is older than 2 weeks, our only possible challenge is that the baby will be awake for more of the session – which often is more difficult as the baby is usually wanting to eat more than usual, can be fussier, etc. Again, most definitely possible and even often booked at that age, but not as ideal as that 10-14 day sweet spot.
When it comes to newborn sessions, I always remind the moms that her baby always runs the show. I do my best to make suggestions such as when the best time to schedule the session is, but in the end, every baby is different and we can’t control everything. One of the most important things to keep in mind is to go with the flow.
I like to work with my clients to plan as much of the details (what to wear, booking hair and makeup, etc.) well before the baby arrives – because time and the brain space to make decisions in those first couple weeks after the baby has arrived is often so much harder than one expects. I have had numerous clients of mine comment on how grateful they were to have planned all of the details ahead of time so that it wasn’t something that they had to worry about in that first week.
