What Age Should Newborn Photos be Taken?
When is the best age to take newborn photos?
TL;DR It’s always a good time for relaxed, natural baby photos.
Your baby is only a 'newborn’ for 8 weeks, so when is the best time to take their baby pictures?
The answer will be different based on the style of photos you want. For a while it was trendy to have very posed photos of babies sleeping propped up in baskets or wrapped on beanbags (think Anne Geddes), so you may have heard babies need to be photographed in the first 7-10 days. This is because babies need to be in a deep sleep to bend and stay in the poses this style of photography calls for.
I personally prefer a more natural, baby led approach to newborn photography, which means the age we take photos at is much more flexible. There are actually advantages to waiting until the later newborn weeks.
2 week old babies
This is the most popular time to photograph newborns at home. Babies are still small and sleepy, and look very similar to how they did at birth. Most of the time babies will have their eyes closed for the photos, and they’ll curl up on your chest to snuggle. Usually both parents are off work at this time, so schedules are a bit more relaxed.
3-4 week old babies
This is a timeframe I usually try not to schedule photos. Many babies develop baby acne in the third week, and it’s also a growth spurt week when babies tend to be a little clingier, crankier, and need more comfort. If you’ve missed the 2 week window, I recommend waiting until around 5 weeks to schedule your baby’s newborn photos.
5-8 week old babies
I love photographing 5-8 week old newborns. This gives you more time to rest and recover from birth. Babies have woken up a bit and are more alert, meaning there is a good chance you can get photos of your baby’s open eyes. Baby acne that makes an appearance around 3-4 weeks has usually cleared, and they’ve filled out to have that squishy baby look. Babies may even start smiling between 6-8 weeks!
Older babies
If you feel like you missed some ‘magic window’ of having your baby photographed in those first weeks of life, please know that is absolutely not true. The beauty of lifestyle photography is that it’s really always a great time for photos.
Older babies can interact more. They may be able to sit or stand up, play with toys, and give huge smiles and so many different expressions.
If you haven’t gotten around to photographing your baby professionally but would love natural photos like these, let’s talk!
Most families book their newborn photos at beginning of their 2nd trimester, but don’t hesitate to reach out!
I also offer a baby’s first year collection that include newborn, 6 month, and one year old photos.
