STRESS-FREE & EASY MATERNITY, NEWBORN, BABY & FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY.
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STRESS-FREE & EASY MATERNITY, NEWBORN, BABY & FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY.
The newborn baby stage goes so quickly.
It is hard to imagine how quickly though until after you have lived it. The moments of your baby being so fresh, curly and sleepy is a matter of weeks after their birth.
It is a milestone that is passed in what feels like one long deep breath. It fills your soul, your body, and then as quickly as you exhale it is gone.
As that time passes so quickly, the best time for a newborn photoshoot to capture that raw newness of your baby is 6 – 12 days after birth.
There are a number of reasons why 6 – 12 days is considered to be the best time for a newborn Photoshoot. These reasons are listed below:
Babies are born with soft flexible cartilage and nearly 300 bones in their body as opposed to adults that only have just over 200 bones. When babies are first born this cartilage is at its most soft and flexible. They are able to be curled up in womb like poses. Just like they have been doing for the last 9 months!
Once your baby is born, its bone forming cells start the process of turning that cartilage into bone and fusing those bones together. So, as the weeks go on you start to see that once curled little body start to straighten out.
This happens at varying points for babies after birth depending on the number of weeks they are born at. When this starts to happen, it can reduces some of the positions that baby can be posed in. Photographing your baby in the first 6 – 12 days however, means that they are still nice and curly.
The next reason this period is considered to be the best time for a newborn photoshoot, is because typically your baby is still super sleepy. This makes getting those cute little naked shots achievable, as they generally need to be asleep for them.
The final reason. After being earth side for a little while your little one will become more sensitive to touch.
In a newborn session your baby gets moved into different positions, such as lying on their side, on their tummy with their cute little bottom up, and their hands under their chin etc.
A baby less than two weeks old will typically let you move them without waking up constantly. An older baby however, will often wake each time they are moved and will need to be resettled again before continuing to photograph.
This in general means that you get slightly more variation in poses in your individual baby images. This of course doesn’t make any difference to your family photos.
Don’t worry! Babies are beautiful at any age. No matter what age you have your baby photographed at you will love the result!
The newborn window of the first two weeks, is what we will aim for as first preference. This is because it gives you the most options for naked, wrapped or outfit images, and the most variations of the poses that baby can achieve.
However, this curly sleepy period, can go for longer that the initial first couple of weeks. It really depends on how many weeks your baby was born at, the general temperament of your baby, and how well they are feeding.
Even if your baby doesn’t want to be naked and curly, they will still love being photographed wrapped.
I personally LOVE images of babies awake. Which you aren’t always guaranteed to get with a baby of under two weeks of age, but you usually always do with a baby that is older.
In the studio, we will aim for a newborn style session for babies up to about 6 weeks of age, and switch to an older baby session after this point. You can see examples of older baby sessions HERE.
Below, some examples of babies that are 3 – 6 weeks old – super cute right!!!!
The best time for a newborn photoshoot to be booked, is while you are still pregnant. Your newborn photography session can be booked from as early in your pregnancy as you wish.
Newborn sessions are limited per month, due to the unpredictable arrival times of babies. So, if you find a photographer whose work you love, you should book in as soon as possible. This will guarantee that you have a spot available in their studio for when your baby arrives!
If you would like to find out more about the newborn photography sessions available in our Melbourne Studio – Click Here
Hi, I’m Karen, the photographer and owner of Vanilla Images.
Our 4-step Portrait Photography experience, makes getting beautiful, natural photos that will keep your memories alive, fun and easy – just the way photography should be!!!!
Those first moments of your beautiful new baby go so quickly, so take your first step for your very own session today!
