Capturing the Perfect Moments: When is the Best Time for a Newborn Photo Shoot?
One of the most frequent questions I get asked from expectant parents is about when they should do their newborn photo shoot. My answer is likely unsatisfying in that I tell them it’s really a matter of personal choice. While every new parent wants to capture their baby in their baby’s sacred newborn window, there isn’t a “right time” to have your newborn session, beyond doing it at some point before your baby hits their 3-month mark.
6 week-old newborn session → alert eye contact, but still small
Why Timing Matters for Newborn Photography
It likely comes with no surprise that newborns change rapidly over the course of their first few months of life. These changes include their size and appearance, their alertness, their motor coordination, and their capacity for expressive interaction.
Beyond the changes the baby is undergoing, there are also considerations around mom’s recovery and comfort, parental confidence and ease, and the general feelings of readiness to have a new person in the house (the photographer) for any length of time.
There are pros and cons having your photo shoot early versus doing it a bit later. Below is a summary of what new parents can expect at a newborn session at different ages of their baby.
Newborn Session for 1-3 Week-Old Babies
Newborns change so quickly. Like, they change from day to day in perceivable ways. I often hear new parents comment on how much their baby has already changed when I arrive at their two week photo session. The first two weeks of your baby’s life is when they will most look like that tiny, fresh-out-the-oven human that they are and some still have some that sweet newborn fuzz on their shoulders and ears. New parents at two-week newborn sessions will likely already have a hundred iPhone snaps in their phones, documenting each day, and will be eager to have me document the family together for the first time. This is the time when many or most families choose to do their session.
Two week old babies are fairly predictable. Eat, sleep, poop, stare off into space/out the window, repeat. They often want to be held and snuggled at all times.The mood at these newborn sessions is cozy, snuggly, and love-drenched. Also, it’s perfectly acceptable for a baby to sleep through most of the session.
The first days with your new baby will have that “pierced veil” feeling to them. You’ll feel more love than you’ve ever felt in your life - sometimes it might feel like you can’t take it. 🥹 It’s a sacred transition from your old life to this new one, and it’s when you, your partner, and your baby are all falling madly in love with each other. Wouldn’t you want to have a visual document of this special and fleeting time?
Perks:
Baby’s true “newborn look” will be memorialized before they change too much (it happens fast!),
Baby skin will most likely be smooth, with baby acne usually hitting around week 3
Baby will likely be pretty chill and sleepy for much/most of the session,
First weeks after the baby arrives feel sacred and having documentation feels very special.
Cons:
Some mamas don’t quite feel ready to be photographed so soon after giving birth,
Some families are still figuring out feeding and soothing and aren’t ready for visitors
Some families want a more dynamic shoot and don’t want sleeping baby shots,
Newborns this young typically aren’t yet smiling or wide-eyed.
10-day old newborn session → eat, snuggle, sleep, repeat
2-week old newborn session → swaddled, sleeping, perfect baby
Newborn Session for 4-7 Week-Old Babies
Some families opt for a newborn photo shoot in the baby's second month. This is a time when the baby is starting to smile and make a variety of facial expressions. One of the great pleasures in life is making your baby smile - we’re biologically wired to love this, otherwise we might not think the whole production is worth it. 😉 Having some of those first smiles captured photographically is literally priceless.
Babies at this age are much more alert than they were in their first month. They can track faces and voices and they may stay awake for the majority of the shoot. But with this new alertness, comes a predictable increase in fussiness.
Perks:
Babies is more expressive at this age and are more likely to smile during session,
Babies are more likely to actively gaze at parent’s and sibling’s faces and look directly at the camera,
Parents are beginning to feel more confident with parenthood, routines, and are generally relaxed.
Cons:
Baby has already changed quite a bit from the early newborn days,
Many to most babies have baby acne in their second month (some of which can be edited away but not always 100%),
This can be a time of peak fussiness for many newborns.
6-week old newborn session → eyes of love for dad
7-week old newborn session → mesmerized by the camera and gazing directly into lens
Newborn Session for 8-12 Week-Old Babies
Newborn sessions approaching the baby's third month offer a baby expressing more fully. At this stage, babies can usually hold their heads up and track movement. Some babies can even grasp things. They don’t need to be fed every 45 minutes and can usually be soothed in predictable ways. In other words, they’re more like what you think of when you think of a baby and less like that tiny, sleepy newborn that you brought home from the hospital.
In their third month of life, babies are smiling and cooing. They’re bright eyed and remain awake and alert for most, if not all, of their photo session. They’re also more interactive at this stage. They will gaze into a parent’s eyes and respond with smiles and baby babble. All things that are priceless to capture!
It should come as no surprise that the more time mothers have postpartum, the more they return to feeling and looking like themselves. They’re more confident in their abilities as a new mother and with that comes more comfort with having a new person in their baby’s space.
Perks:
Continued increase in alertness, expressiveness, and eye contact,
Baby is sturdier and more filled out,
Baby’s true personality is best documented at this age,
Parents are better equipped to know what their baby needs if the baby gets fussy.
Cons:
The snuggly, sleepy newborn stage will be over,
Baby will look quite different as compared to how they looked at birth,
Feelings of having missed documenting something important that has now passed.
Below is a sample gallery from a session with a 10-week old baby.
Want to Geek Out on Baby Development?
Before I was an experienced newborn and family photographer, I was a new mom myself. I bought and borrowed mountains of books to help me navigate this exciting yet challenging chapter of life. One book that became a treasured reference for me was the classic manual called TouchPoints, by Dr. Terry Brazleton. Written in the 1990s, it isn’t perfect in its positions around certain topics, but it does present a wealth of knowledge around the predictable developmental stages that babies go through and does so much to ease the anxiety and confusion of new parenthood.
Best Advice for Expectant Parents
For most families, I recommend deciding on your preferred window of shooting and schedule your session based on your estimated due date. Newborn session dates can always be pushed back or pushed forward if unexpected factors arise, if you change your mind on what you want captured, or if you just don’t feel quite ready. While having your newborn baby documented feels of the utmost importance, it is equally important that the process of creating the images feels low stress and enjoyable. Just know that’s ok to schedule something, and then reschedule it.
If you’re in the Bay Area and would like to have your baby’s early days captured, read more here about how I approach newborn sessions. If you’re already excited about the prospect of creating some photographic memories together, get in touch and I can tell you more about it. 😍