When is the best time to photograph your baby?
Newborn. Sitter session. Cake smash.
If you’ve been looking into baby photography, you might think those are your three options. And if you miss one of those stages, you’ve missed your chance. But here’s something I want every new mum to know:
There is no “perfect” age to have your baby photographed.
Yes, there are certain stages that are particularly popular for photography. And if it’s something very specific that you are looking for, there probably is a best time. If you are specifically looking for sleepy and curled up poses, then the first 2 weeks is highly recommended. Or if you want photos of your baby sitting indecently about 8 months old when they can do that comfortably is ideal.
But if you are just looking for beautiful photos of your baby, he/ she doesn’t suddenly become less photographable because they are 4 months old instead of 8 months old, or because they’ve already celebrated their first birthday.
The newborn stage – those tiny first weeks
Newborn photography is often associated with those beautifully sleepy, curled-up images of tiny babies. And yes, if that is specifically what you are looking for, that should ideally be done in the first 14 days in order to capture that particular newborn look as believe it or not, babies start to loose the flexibility to curl into positions they were in while they were in the womb from 3 weeks on.
But newborn sessions don’t have to be all about sleeping poses either. I’ve photographed newborns up to 6 weeks old before. The gallery may have more awake than sleepy images but most mums adore newborn eye contact photos .
The sitter stage – when they can sit independently
Once your baby can sit confidently on their own, you’ve entered another lovely stage for photographs. They’re still little enough to have those gorgeous baby proportions, but they’re now much more interactive and expressive. This can be a particularly fun time for photographs because we can capture them sitting, playing, reaching, laughing and exploring.
And don’t worry if they don’t sit perfectly still. They’re babies, not professional models. My sessions aren’t about making your baby perform for the camera. I want to capture their personality as it is right now.
First birthday – cake smash
A cake smash can be great fun, and if that’s something you love, absolutely go for it. But it isn’t your only option for celebrating your baby’s first year.
You could have a simple baby session. You could include Mum and Dad. You could bring siblings into the photographs. You could create beautiful portraits that focus on your baby’s personality rather than a birthday theme. Or you could do both.
The important thing is that there’s no rule saying a first birthday has to mean a cake smash.
And what about all the ages in between?
This is the important part and the bit I really want parents to remember. You don’t have to wait for a milestone to have photographs taken.
Your baby doesn’t need to be:
- A sleepy newborn
- Sitting independently
- Turning one
- Or smashing a cake
to deserve beautiful photographs.
Maybe your 4-month-old is becoming more expressive or has the biggest smile you’ve ever seen.
Maybe your 5-month-old has just discovered their feet & loves playing with their toes or has mastered tummy time..
Maybe your 7-month-old is absolutely fascinated by everything around them.
Maybe your 10-month-old has started crawling and won’t stay still for two seconds.
Those are all stages you’ll look back on one day and realise you wish you could bottle them up forever. And that’s really what baby photography is about.
Not ticking off the “correct” milestone. It’s about stopping for a moment and saying: “This is my baby right now. And I want to remember this.”
So, what is the best age to photograph your baby?
Honestly? The age they are right now.
Not sure which stage is right for you?
Have a look through my newborn and my baby/ child/ portfolio on my Portfolio page, and see which images you connect with most.
And if you’re still unsure whether your baby’s age is “right” for a session, send me a message and tell me how old your little one is. I’ll happily talk you through what we could capture at their current stage – no pressure and no need to wait for the next milestone.
Because there really is no perfect age. There is only this age. And you’ll never get it back.
