When to Schedule Newborn Photos
The best time to schedule and book your newborn photos is while you are still pregnant. The big reason for that is because newborn photos take place in the first few weeks of your baby’s life.
When to Book a Newborn Photographer
As early as you can. Photographers do book up. You have a higher chance of booking your first choice photographer the earlier you book. And the last thing you want to do in those first few weeks is research and book a newborn photographer. Do it while you’re pregnant and check it off your list!
Booking your maternity and newborn session at the same time also makes the most sense. This is especially the case if you're booking the same photographer. There are some great benefits to booking the same photographer:
You already know and trust the photographer. You know their system and there isn’t a stranger holding your newborn baby
The style for both sessions will be cohesive.
Many photographers offer a discount when booking more than one session.
Regardless, I recommend booking your newborn photographer during your second trimester.
When to schedule newborn photos
An experienced newborn photographer already knows how to handle this. Only 5% of babies arrive on their due date. A healthy, full term baby can be born at any time during a 5 week time span.
When you book your newborn session, you are reserving a spot in their calendar based on your due date. The actual session isn't scheduled until after baby has been born. I ask my clients to let me know when baby has made their arrival and then we schedule the exact session date and time. This requires some flexibility on behalf of the photographer. This is one reason why it is so important to book your newborn photographer in advance. Photographers can only book so many flexible sessions.
When to take newborn photos and the best age for a newborn photoshoot
A newborn is a newborn until they are two months old. As a result, any portrait within the first two months is a newborn session. Still there are prime times for newborn sessions based on style, as well as when and where you want to have the session.
Weeks 1 - 2
This is the prime time for a traditional newborn session. Photographers specializing in very posed sessions stick to this window. These poses can only be done with really young newborns. They require womblike bone and ligament flexibility.
I am a lifestyle newborn photographer. Our timelines are more flexible. With that said, there are still benefits to photographing baby in this 1 - 2 week window. Baby is often sleeping quite a bit and less fussy. This means that they won’t care that you are photographing them for hours. They are happy to be swaddled and held. This is also a stage that is so quick and fleeting. Those first few weeks are so special and like no other.
Weeks 3 - 4
In the third week, the baby sleeps less. But they still look very similar to how they looked during the first couple of weeks. So a lifestyle newborn session is still possible.
This is also the golden time for babies or mamas that needed to be in the hospital a little longer. And a good time for premies. Premies have a lot of flexibility in general with this timeline. But if a premie is home by weeks 3 - 4, it would be no different photographing them at this stage versus weeks 1 - 2.
One Month Old
The first month is for studio and in-home newborn sessions. If you’re looking for an outdoor newborn session, the one month mark starts the prime time for this type of session. Baby can handle the elements a bit better. I don’t recommend doing an outdoor newborn session before the one month mark.
1 month - 2 months old
Your baby is still a newborn. They are much more awake and their personality is starting to a show a little. You might even get a smile. This is typically when I do sessions with families that didn’t book before baby’s arrival. Some families also opt for this month, so they can get settled into their new lives first.
Note about Preemies:
As I said above, when it comes to premies, the timeline above is much more flexible. Focus on baby’s health and when they come home will be the best time to do a session. It is a special time no matter what.
Note about c-sections:
C-sections are serious business, so please don’t push yourself in the name of a newborn session. The images are going to be amazing no matter when we take them.
Why do you have to schedule newborn sessions when the babies are so young?
You don’t! The timing of the session is completely up to your goals with the session. With that said, as a mom myself, I am so beyond happy that I got a newborn session done in those first couple of weeks. Things change so quickly. The squishy face, some birth marks, and that fresh to world skin, will be gone before you know it. If the goal of your newborn session isn’t to get those details though, you have a lot more flexibility. You can still get amazing things when they are older, such as your first official family photo.
Newborn session versus a “48 hour” session
There are two different kinds of portrait sessions that can happen in those first few weeks. There are newborn sessions and there are “48 hour” sessions. What are the differences?
Location
“48 hour” sessions happen in the place of the child’s birth. They are within 48 hours of the birth, hence the name. If you have your baby in the hospital, then they will happen there. If your baby is born at home, the 48 hour session will happen there.
Newborn sessions are outside of the hospital and can happen in three main locations. They can be in a photographer’s studio, in your home, or outdoors.
I wouldn’t underestimate how important the location is for these sessions. A “48 hour” session in the hospital will feel different than a newborn session in the home, outdoors, or in a studio. There is no way to make a “48 Hour” session in the hospital look like it’s not in a hospital. The lighting, the furniture, and the atmosphere will be hospital like. This is especially a factor for family photos. A family photo is going to show that you’re in the hospital no matter how you angle it.
Participants
More people can take part in a newborn session than in a “48 Hour” session. “48 Hour” sessions are only the people allowed into your hospital room. Or family that can visit before you leave. Newborn sessions can be more flexible. Siblings, your parents, or in-laws can all join.
My Baby Is Already Here! Is It Too Late To Book a newborn photoshoot
Nope! You can book your newborn session after the baby has arrived. The only difference is that you have more options if you book before baby's arrival. There are some photographers that will only work with fresh newborns. And then there are others, like me, who will work with older newborns.
Sara Herkes is a maternity, newborn, and family photographer based in Longmont, CO. She serves the the Denver Metro Area, the Colorado Rockies, and the Northern Front Range and captures your pregnancy amidst the Colorado wilderness. Learn more about her services here.
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