Newborn photo session East London
"My baby is 6 weeks old - is it too late to have a newborn photoshoot?". This is one of the questions I get asked A LOT, sometimes the only thing different is the age of the baby in question. I do understand where it's coming from - there is a belief in the photography world that a newborn session is only ever done within the first two weeks of baby's life. And if you want to do it after this time, either you can't or it's not considered a newborn photoshoot anymore.
My thoughts on this?
Firstly, don't let anyone ever tell you that you CAN'T have a photo session because of some invented guidelines. There may be reasons bigger than you and your preference on why you didn't or couldn't have the photoshoot done earlier (if that was your original plan, of course). Not every labour is straightforward, not every woman feels amazing and full of power straight after giving birth. And sometimes there are health complications to either the mother or the baby, meaning a photoshoot at an early date is just not possible.
Secondly - there is just no right or wrong time to have a newborn photo session. A baby doesn't stop being a newborn after two weeks, so why would you think you can't have photos taken of your brand new baby after two weeks' time?
Having said that, there are of course pros and cons on having your photoshoot done earlier or later. If you are after curly, snuggly, sleepy newborn poses, then it's recommended to have your newborn session done within those first two weeks of life. Your baby would still be very sleepy and generally you would be able to move them easily from one position to the next, without disturbing them much. The potential downside to this age is that you may get only sleepy photos - but it's of course amazing if this is exactly what you're after!
If you decide to wait a little bit longer - be it 3, 4, 5 or 6 weeks (or even a bit longer), you are likely to get more awake shots of your little one, where he/she would be more aware of the camera, likely to follow the voice or hold eye contact (even if for a short while). However, 6 weeks is also when babies go through a major growth spurt, they may be hungrier (and likely to cluster feed) and even a bit fussier - meaning it might take longer for them to settle.
So I'm here to tell you - it's never too early or too late to have a newborn photoshoot. A 6 weeks old baby is not too old for newborn pictures. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise, and don't ever think you have "missed the boat" on newborn pictures, if your baby is past the "2 week mark". I regularly photograph babies at different ages, based on families' circumstances and preferences. For more examples, make sure to check out my newborn photo sessions blog posts.
“Alina photographed our family when our wee boy was 5 weeks old. Before the shoot I was unsure whether to do a newborn shoot or wait until he was a bit older, Alina was so helpful and sent us example photos of a range of ages so we could choose what we liked. On the day of the shoot she made us feel so comfortable and relaxed, it was brilliant being able to be in our own environment and have our baby be super relaxed too. We absolutely loved working with Alina and the photos she took are beautiful!”
