In the first year of life, your baby will grow and change a massive amount. It’s hard to imagine when they’re first born, but by the time they celebrate their first birthday that will be about triple their birth-weight… probably talking and walking. In this period of massive change, you need to ensure that you take lots of photos.. If you’re wanting to hire a baby photographer to capture these special fleeting moments, here are the most popular and best times to photograph your baby.
The Best Times to Photograph Your Baby
Newborn Photography – The First 2 Weeks
Probably the most popular time for photos – newborn photography is best taken within the first 2 weeks after birth. During these sessions babies tend to be sleepy (most of the time!) and able to be curled into beautiful poses and positions.
Sometimes babies are not able to be photographed in this 2 week window after birth. Often parents just don’t consider booking in until this small window of time has passed, or sometimes a baby has been ill in hospital. All is not lost! Whilst it’s true that newborns older than 2 weeks are less sleepy and flexible, newborns up to 6 weeks can still be photographed beautifully. If you’re lucky and have a lot of patience, you can sometimes still capture some posed images as well.
>> Find out more about my Newborn Photography Three Month Old Photography
At 3 months, babies are much more alert and aware of their surroundings. This age is a less popular stage to photograph as they are at a tricky time in between the sleepy newborn stage and the sitting stage where they are unable to sit on their own. While many photographers turn babies away at this time, I really enjoy photographing 3 month old babies. They are often just starting to smile and you can capture their sweet personalities at this stage. Whilst it’s true that it’s harder to get a large variety of images as they are not able to sit – with some creative thinking and beautiful textures you’re able to get some gorgeous images for you to treasure.
Little Sitters – 6 to 9 Month Old Baby Photography
I absolutely adore this age. By the time babies are sitting confidently (each baby is different but most babies reach this stage at about 6 to 9 months) they are at the perfect time for some beautiful photos of them exploring their new talent. Sitting babies are perfect as they are able to confidently sit in a variety of positions and in props, without being mobile (i.e running away from the photographer! haha). Babies of this age are usually pretty happy with their new-found skills and enjoy showing off for the camera. Sitting babies are at a perfect stage to capture their sweet personalities and smiles. It is a great time to capture them before they start to become more mobile and difficult to capture. >>Here’s some more information about my Little Sitter Sessions
Age 1 Baby Photography – Cake Smashes
Cake Smash & Splash photos are a gorgeous way to celebrate your baby’s first birthday. We are able to capture lots of beautiful images of them in outfits, family shots, then enjoying some cake and a bubble bath to clean off.Babies at this age are typically very curious about their environment with a short attention span and very mobile so these sessions are all about capturing as much as we can in a very short amount of time before they lose interest!
As you can see, babies change dramatically in their first year of life! Be sure to take lots of photos of your baby to capture each of these stages!
Have a question about baby photography or anything else? I’d love to hear from you!
Best wishes!