When to book a newborn photographer

When to book a newborn photographer? This question may be the last thing on your mind when you find out your prergnant. But as long as it’s on your every growing list, your off to a good start. With a baby on the way you will probably start researching many many baby items, so might as well add newborn photographers to that list too. It’s a good idea to research newborn photographers while you still have time before your baby arrives. Once they arrive you may be too tired or overwhelmed to start your search. I occasionally get calls from moms with a 2-3 week old baby worried about finding a newborn photographer in time. I do reassure them them it’s not too late for newborn portraits and try to fit them in.

Some clients are often not sure about when to book a newborn photographer and of course if your unsure when your baby will arrive, how can you book a portrait session for them? When you book with a newborn photographer we write you in based on your due date, but leave enough days open to accommodate you if your little one arrives early or late. We book sessions months in advance and only take a limited number of newborns each month to make sure we leave enough days open to fit in our booked newborn clients. This is another reason not to wait to book. Good photographers book out fast and far, so if you really like someone’s work and want them to be your newborn photographer reach out to them as soon as possible.

Once you are into your second trimester it’s time to start contacting newborn photographers for more information if you haven’t done that already. All photographers offer something different so it’s important to understand what is included and what they offer. There are two styles of newborn photography, lifestyle and posed. They are both very different and some newborn photographers may not offer both.

Lifestyle photography is usually done inside the clients home. There is no posing in lifestyle photography, it’s meant to capture you in a real life situations but in an artistic manner. So lots of snuggles from mom and dad and photos in the nursery. These sessions the photographer doesn’t need to handle your baby much if at all. When to book a newborn photographer for a lifestyle session? Lifestyle sessions can take place at any age, it just depends on how little and alert you would like them in the portraits. I do offer these sessions as well.

This is what I specialize in, and takes much more education, skill, and patience than newborn lifestyle photography. This is what most people think of when they think of newborn photography. These images are usually the sleepy babies posed on blankets or in buckets or props. This style uses backdrops, props, studio lighting, and is usually done in a studio. This style requires that the photographer is trained in newborn posing and safety. These types of session the photographer will need to handle, wrap and pose your newborn. When to book a newborn photographer for a posed session? Posed sessions are best scheduled when baby is between 6-14 days old, this is when they are still very sleepy and still used to being curled up inside mom. I have had older babies with great success too, but it is best not to wait too long.

To sum all this up, it’s never too early to contact and even book a newborn photographer!