When to Schedule Newborn Photos | Pensacola Newborn Photographer
The number one concern when moms contact me for newborn photos is '“getting them done in the first 2 weeks”. This idea that we must get babies photographed within the first 7-10 days has been beaten into us and the average mom doesn’t really seem to know the reason for that window. Allow me to explain and then turn this advice on it’s ever lovin’ head.
THE 7-10 DAY WINDOW
This is the the general time frame for babies being super sleepy, malleable and poseable. Newborn photographers who are wrapping babies and posing them on a bean bag or with props like to get babies into the studio within 7-10 days (or some say 7-14) so that they are easier to soothe and pose. But this isn’t a hard fast rule. Every baby is different, but this window usually offers the best chance for the photographer of getting the baby settled, posed, and captured in the shortest amount of time possible (usually around 4 hours).
IT DOESN’T APPLY TO LIFESTYLE
As a lifestyle newborn photographer, none of that applies. While I do make a point to calm baby and capture him alone, I am not concerned with getting your baby to sleep or contorting their his little body into the froggy pose. I mostly want to capture your LIFE with this new little human, whatever that looks like. My sessions are done in the comfort of your own home and take about an hour…2 max if we just have a super fussy baby.
SO WHEN SHOULD YOU SCHEDULE YOUR LIFESTYLE NEWBORN SESSION?
It’s really up to you! If you are booking prior to delivery, and your spouse has limited paternity leave, I suggest we pencil you in for a day the week after your due date. This is flexible and we’ll the session date around as necessary to accommodate you as best we can. That includes pushing it back if you are just not up photos right after delivery or baby needs some extra TLC from his pediatrician. After my c-section, I needed time before my son’s newborn session. He was a month old before I finally felt recovered enough to enjoy it. And you know what? It was perfection!
WHAT IF MY BABY IS ALREADY HERE?
If your baby is already here, you definitely shouldn’t skip a newborn session just because you think you’ve waited too long. My absolute favorite time for a newborn lifestyle session is actually about 5-6 weeks. At this point baby is usually very alert and engaged and will really be starting to show personality, while still looking very much like a newborn. Breastfeeding is also typically well established, baby is not wanting to cluster feed as much, and they are usually calm and content for the majority of the session.
IS THREE MONTHS TOO LATE?
I’m so glad you asked! Let’s take a look at Carter’s session. Or continue to, because all of the images in this blog post are of Carter and were taken when he was THREE MONTHS OLD! Megan had traditionally posed newborn photos done, but Carter had struggled to gain weight in those early weeks, and seeing how thin and frail he appeared in his pictures made her sad. She called me to scheduled another session when he was 3 months old, looking plump and healthy. It was also important to her to celebrate her own (hard won) breastfeeding success that helped get him there.
It is so important to celebrate life and milestones with a newborn whenever you can. Don’t ever feel like you’ve missed your chance to capture this special time. Call me and let’s get it done, because it’s never too late!