When should I book a 'Newborn’ photo shoot? ~ cheltenham & Cotswolds newborn baby photographer
As a family and, specifically newborn baby, photographer in Cheltenham and The Cotswolds, I am often asked this question: how old should my baby be for a photo shoot? And my answer? Whatever age you would like!
For some styles of photography, it is important for the baby to be a certain age. If the photographer is posing the baby by physically moving them into certain positions then the shoot has to take place within 6 weeks for safety reasons.
However, I do not physically pose or specifically position your baby in my photo sessions so there is in fact no age restriction. So, your ‘newborn’ baby photo shoot could take place at 10 days or 10 months - it is entirely up to you!
Let’s take a look at some examples…
10 Days old…
Being so young, your baby will probably be very sleepy and snuggly so we can get lots of cuddly baby photos and all those details: tiny toes, fingers and eye lashes. Of course, there’s a chance your baby might be wide awake and that’s absolutely fine - my photo sessions are very much baby-led so if they want to sleep, feed, cuddle, I go with it!
You can see more from this newborn baby photo shoot with siblings in The Cotswolds here
4 Weeks old…
At this stage, your baby is probably a little more alert during the day - making eye contact with you and looking around at the world around them. But they’re still ‘new’ enough to get those sleepy, snuggly moments. And of course the details shots are still important.
6 Weeks old…
Ah, this is a big milestone age - you’re probably all getting into a bit of a routine and your baby is really starting to look less newborn - no more scrunched up frogs legs but stretching out and kicking around. And this is the time we might catch those all elusive first smiles - in fact the photo below at a baby photo shoot in Cheltenham caught this baby’s very first ever smile! Pure magic!
4 months old…
This gorgeous little girl suffered with hip dysplasia when she was born so her mum and dad wanted to wait for her first photo shoot so she was 4 months old when we got to meet. She was awake for the whole photo shoot just outside Cheltenham and full of curiosity and interest. Being that bit older her parents were able to incorporate more playful shots such as flying her through the air whilst still having lots of cuddles together.
You can see more from this baby photo shoot just outside Cheltenham here
