Best time to schedule your newborn session...

As a newborn photographer, I'm often asked when you should schedule your newborn photography session. When you're expecting, I know how important it is to have everything planned beforehand. This includes your newborn photos. The best answer I can give depends on what type of images you're hoping to achieve. However, there is a general consensus that the best time to get your newborn in for their pictures is before they're 14 days old...sometimes, 21 days, if necessary. Keep in mind, though, this is the best-case-scenario timing. Sometimes, various factors can alter this time period.

I advise clients that are interested in scheduling a newborn session to plan ahead. I can't stress that enough. If you truly want your newborn to have photos that capture those sleepy, precious poses, you definitely need to contact a photographer sooner rather than later. In most cases, if you're hoping to have your newborn photos captured by a professional and educated photographer, you need to get on the calendar ahead of time. Often, photographers are booked well into the future and might not be able to squeeze in a last-minute newborn session. And, this can cause problems in and of itself. You could end up with a photographer that might not be well-versed in newborn photography, which can sometimes be dangerous. Or, you might end up booking with a photographer who doesn't share your style or aesthetic. This last one isn't terrible, but could cause you to regret not scheduling with your preferred photographer's style.

Planning ahead is SO important. If possible, research photographers near you. Find out your preferred style and type of newborn session. Lifestyle and posed are vastly different. (I'll go into that in another post, lol) Once you've decided on your ideal photographer, reach out. Let them know you're expecting and that you'd love more information. Hopefully, you can call enough in advance that their schedule is open near your due date.

Once you've decided on your ideal photographer and verified their availability, get yourself scheduled! Your photographer will set up a tentative date that they will schedule your session. I always plan to capture my newborn clients within the first 14 days after they're born. Usually between 7 and 14 days old. This allows me the opportunity to capture as many cute and sleepy poses as I can. Babies are more likely to sleep longer at this age and less likely to get frustrated during their sometimes lengthy sessions. As a studio photographer, I capture posed newborns with some candids thrown in.

Different factors can sometimes necessitate pushing the photography session until baby is a bit older. If a newborn is premature or has health conditions, we sometimes tell parents to wait until baby is a bit older to have their newborn session. This is something that will need to be discussed with your photographer beforehand to better prepare everyone.

To sum up, if you're interested in a newborn photography session, the sooner you start the better off you'll be. You have a decent amount of time to plan and even taking a moment to research and reach out to a photographer will help you decide which route you want to take. Plus, the sooner you start planning, the more information you'll be privy to. For instance, we offer an added benefit for those clients that book a maternity and newborn session with us. It allows us to capture and give you more to celebrate this occasion. One thing I'll leave you with, you can't get that time back. Once your newborn is born, time will fly by. Take the time to invest in your memories.