When Should We Take Newborn Photos?

One of the most common concerns I get when people ask about newborn sessions is if they have missed the window for their baby to have their newborn session.

This stems from the world of posed newborn sessions. With posed sessions, babies need to be under two weeks old. These sessions are long, and many of the poses require the baby to be sleeping.

With lifestyle newborn photography, that just isn't the case.

Your lifestyle session will be laid-back. Your baby will be in your arms for a huge chunk of it. When they aren't, they will be doing what we call 'baby-led posing'. Baby-led posing is where we let the baby tell us where he/she wants to be! If they want their legs stretched out, they can go for it! If they are wide-awake, that's totally fine! If they wanted to be nice and snuggled in a swaddle, we are fine with that, too. So when I am asked “when should we take newborn photos?”, I always answer, it depends! While there is no guarantee that a baby will act a certain way during a certain age, and truly, babies kind of come out with whatever personality they have, there are some generalizations about ages of babies that may be helpful to consider.

• 1-2 weeks old- Babies are generally very sleepy and malleable. They don't cry as much when they are changed and will be asleep the majority of the session. Something to consider at this age is that mom may not yet be recovered from birth. Especially with a c-section or traumatic birth experience, mom may not be able to sit comfortably and may find she doesn't have as much energy as she'd like to get ready.

• 2-4 weeks- Babies are typically in an in-between phase. They could be easily soothed and sleepy, but could also be wide-awake the whole session. They are not smiling yet, but have sweet little expressions and typically will look up at parents if they are awake. Mom usually can get away for long enough to get ready and is a little more settled. This is the time frame that I usually recommend scheduling your session before baby comes and we can adjust after they are born. The baby featured in this post is 3 weeks old, for reference.

• 4-6 weeks- Babies are typically awake and alert at this stage. They are more sensitive to being dressed or changed or moved around, but they also make eye contact and look more like they will look as a baby as opposed to the newborn look. Babies have sometimes developed a social smile by this point, which can be a special thing to document.

Whenever you photograph your baby, it will be special and unique. Truly, there is not a 'wrong' time. If you have a baby that’s older than 6 weeks, but younger than 3 months, I still consider that a newborn! If you have a baby that’s older than that, I would recommend reading this post about shoots with older babies to prepare yourself.

If you are pregnant, use the above as a guideline for when to schedule, but we can always adjust once the baby gets here and we see how you feel.

If you live in Marin or SF and need a newborn photographer, I’m your gal! You can see my newborn work here and book your session here. You can also reach out to me directly if you’ve read the above and still need some guidance on when you should take newborn photos.

If you are delivering at CMPC or UCSF in San Francisco or Marin General in Marin and are looking to add a Fresh 48 hospital session as well, I can put together a package for you!