why schedule the newborn photography session so early?

Your newborn is only newly-born once. If you are looking to record the first moments—those teeny fingers and tiny nails, little baby wrinkles not quite ironed out yet, the look of other-worldly wisdom and awe at being alive—you want to catch all of that on film as early as possible. You might not believe me when I tell you this, but your newborn will transform seemingly overnight into a BABY. You’ll want to get shots of your baby later, too, of course. But you can only get newborn images when your infant is new to the world.

There are practical considerations, as well.

• It’s less common for newborns to develop cradle-cap or diaper-rash than after they’ve been around for a few weeks.

• Newborns are less likely to be bothered by the lights, sounds, and photographer in a studio than older infants who have gotten used to the routine and safety of Mom’s embrace.

• Within the first two weeks, Baby is still used to being in the womb and curls up naturally into the poses like the one you see in the image below.  After just a couple weeks, they tend to really like to stretch out.

• Within those first two weeks, babies tend to sleep longer and deeper, which allows photographers to get much more done during the session.  Even at just three weeks old, we spend the majority of the session just trying to get Baby to sleep.

Schedule your newborn photography session as early as possible, and you can check one more thing off your to-do list.  Schedule the session within 10 days of your due date to capture your newborn’s earliest moments without stress. If Baby shows up a bit early or late, no worries! As a maternity and newborn photographer, I have learned to be very patient and flexible. Just like with motherhood, it’s part of the job description.