If you talk to many photographers who offer newborn baby photography, you may hear that the best time for newborn photos is within the first two weeks after birth. While this may be true for studio sessions or specific posed baby sessions, Seattle lifestyle photography is much different.
Life happens, those first two weeks can easily get away from you. Or maybe even you had to spend extra time recovering or in the NICU. Whatever the reason, I promise you will love photos of your one month old’s newborn photos. It is not too late for newborn photos.
When you look back in one year (or twenty years), your child will seem so tiny.
It may seem like your baby has already grown and changed so much in the first month. She probably has. Yet, she is still so small, so much a newborn baby. When you’re looking back at your newborn baby photography album, you will not regret that you had photos taken. Even if you thought it was “too late.”
You will feel more recovered and settled at home.
Those first couple of weeks, while magical, are a blur. Your body is recovering, you may be trying to get the hang of breast feeding, and your toddler is learning to adjust to life with a sibling. These things alone can make those weeks fly by. A newborn baby photography session is likely the last thing on your mind.
But as you reach a month old you may feel a little more settled, a little more put together, and maybe even have lost that extra fluid the hospital pumped into you during delivery. (I was a balloon after one of my baby’s as I had to have so many bags of fluid!).
Newborn baby photography sessions do not “pose” your baby in ways that require a sleeping child.
As your baby reaches a few weeks to a month old, she is starting to be awake for longer stretches of time. Whether your baby sleeps or is awake the entire session, you will get beautiful photos of this stage. Lifestyle sessions allow baby to unfold however she is most comfortable. We also use mom, dad, and siblings for plenty of snuggling.
Your baby may even smile during your newborn baby photography session.
As the reflex smile begins to disappear from the tiny newborn a real smile may start to appear and your baby responds to her surroundings. What an extra perk of waiting a little longer.
Even if there are not any smiles during your baby’s photo shoot, they will be awake longer periods of time. This gives us plenty of time to capture their beautiful eyes.
I hope you do not let the fact that your baby is “too old” for newborn photos stop you from having this time documented. I am always one to say that you will never regret that photos you have taken, but you will regret the photos you don’t do.
Whether you’re expecting and looking for your newborn session or baby is here, contact me to get your family photographed with your newborn baby. (See below for a few more favorites from this sweet baby girls’s newborn photo session, done at one month old).
Visit more resources to help you plan for your Seattle area newborn photography session.
