Newborn Baby Photoshoot Birmingham | Newborn Baby Photography Wolverhampton | Newborn Baby Photos West Midlands, Staffordshire | Claire Hill Photography | West Midlands | UK
When Should I Book My Newborn Photographer?
I get a lot of enquiries from parents of babies over one month old here at Claire Hill Photography. You are finally getting used to the fact that sleep is a thing of the past. Your Newborn Baby’s feeding is now established, you've managed to successfully incorporate this new, gorgeous little person into your life. Then suddenly realize that thing you were told about babies growing up so fast and changing with every day that goes by.
You may see your friends’ newborn photo shoot on Facebook or Instagram and suddenly you want your own professional photographer too! Maybe you already have a Pinterest board full of what you would like from a professional photographer for, curled up poses, but never got around to booking a photo shoot session. You were tired, felt unattractive pre and post birth, but now slowly you're getting back in shape feeling more confident, human and feeling ready to leave the house!
With a little help from an internet search, social media or our friends, you find someone whose photography you really love and who is based in your area. you make a call to your chosen professional newborn photographer and tell them you would love to book a photoshoot.
One of the first questions you’ll get is: “How old is your baby?” You proudly state he / she is now a month old!
Then the silence follows.
Why do newborn photographers prefer to meet your baby in the first 2 weeks of their life?
The age of the babies usually determines the poses professional photographers are able to position newborn babies in and whether they will play ball or not. All babies are different and it’s not to say that one baby will be easier to pose over another one, just based upon age alone, but in general, the age of the baby has a lot to do with how the session will run and the images that can be captured.
Newborn babies sleep a lot. It may be mostly during the day, but they sleep. In the first week they sleep on average 18 hours a day. To take the most beautiful, timeless photos we all love, ideally your baby should be asleep during the session. Not to say a good photographer can't catch some beautiful images when the baby is awake, but as a rule of thumb: sleepy baby equals great session. Professional Photographers like me can pose them in lovely, curled up poses, their face relaxed, content and happy. The Younger newborn babies get into certain poses easier than older newborn babies, but they don’t mind much about having their clothes off if they are kept warm, which a professional photographer will always have a lovely warm environment with extra heating when taking photos of a newborn baby.
Typically I schedule all newborn baby photography photoshoots between 6 and 12 days after birth, as early in the morning as I can, as much as new mums don’t feel up for venturing out of the house, I would always strongly recommend this time for a shoot. Babies stay asleep longer, don’t mind being undressed and usually at this stage have their feeding set to at least every two hours, helping keep them in that sleepy state, and as your baby grows day by day the window to capture those beautiful shots will soon be gone forever.
The only exception to this rule are babies born prematurely. In those cases I still use their due date from which I can calculate the important “10 days window” sometimes buying some much needed extra time.
From my experience I have to say age doesn’t guarantee a smooth session, but the earlier in your newborn baby's life we schedule your photo shoot, the better chance we have to capture many beautiful images.
When do I book a professional newborn photographer?
The best time is after your first scan, so around 12 weeks. I do leave room in my schedule to make adjustments to session dates once the baby arrives. I generally don't book more than 3 sessions a week, which gives us space to move things around should your baby decide to meet you sooner or later than you expected. Newborn Babies will arrive in their own time and on their own terms but at least you have a guideline to go by for which day your photography session will be.
Why can’t I have my baby’s photo-shoot in the first 5 days after their birth?
The main problems you may get when looking to book a session for a baby under 5 days old is their feeding schedule. If your baby is on formula, this is not as much of an issue as when they are still nursing, as around day 5 your body is still working hard to provide your newborn baby with enough milk to sustain them for any period of time, and you may find yourself spending hours on end trying to feed your baby, only to realise they are hungry again 30 minutes after they stopped feeding, breastfed babies are harder, as generally breastfed babies take on less milk from mother leading to needing to feed more often.
Babies that are not getting fully need to feed, so are more unsettled therefore harder to keep in poses long enough to get the beautiful shots you deserve..
Another reason it’s good to wait at least till they are 6 days old is possible baby acne, and their belly button clip. Sometimes babies can find it uncomfortable if they lay on their belly clip, when positioned on their belly for poses.
What can I expect from a photo shoot with a baby who is over 3 weeks old?
It’s still possible to get some gorgeous photos of babies, even if they are over 2 weeks old. The style of those photos will usually have to be different as they may not be sleepy, or nicely curled, they may not like having their clothes off, but I will look to take images of your baby dressed, nicely tucked in a basket and awake. I may ask you to be present in more photos, even just holding your baby, as your little one will feel most at ease in your arms. I have got some really nice images from babies that have come to me older, as we get to see more personality and if Mom and Dad are there and willing to get in on the photos, which I always recommend we can get some beautiful back lit shots.
What if my session doesn't go as planned?
To my clients who worry about whether the baby is going to get upset, distressed or just not “interested”. They are tiny humans with their tiny personalities. Just like us, they have their good days and their bad days. The date we choose for your session may not be their best day, But as a professional photographer that specializes in newborn photography it's my job to take over and make the calm down feel comfortable and settle them in, they may have an unsettled tummy, they may feel a little “windy” it's no problem. On odd occasions it's just not the day for it, usually the next day or so your baby will be completely different so we can just rearrange but this happens very very rarely.
More often than not, the session will go just fine, but for those rare occasions that it didn’t: we can reschedule! Never feel bad about rescheduling, if your baby is not feeling their best. It’s not the aim to force the shoot upon them, your baby’s safety, wellbeing, happiness and comfort is always my priority.
I hope this has helped you to understand the reason for the two week window and explains why it’s the best time for your newborn baby photo shoot.
Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in the studio soon,
Claire xxx
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