Let me help you find your newborn photography sweet spot!

I’ve been a newborn photographer in Hampshire for almost five years now. And one question I always get asked is, ‘what’s the best age for newborn photography?’ Is there a perfect window? A newborn photography sweet spot? Well, no. But then again, yes! OK, let me explain…

The truth is, there isn’t a perfect age for every baby, or every family. Because everyone imagines their newborn photography and the overall experience differently. And so as babies grow and you become more confident as parents, that perfect window will differ from one family to the next. 

And there’s honestly no right or wrong, on this one. You just have to decide what kind of photos you want. And the best experience for you and your baby.

So to help you decide, here are the three main windows for newborn photography. What kind of photos you get, things to consider, and the experience as a whole. So have a little read, get a feel of each, and find that newborn photography sweet spot that’s right for you.

Newborn photography at 1-2 weeks

The first two weeks of your baby’s life are perfect for those quintessentially ‘newborn’ photos. 

Babies are so sleepy in the first couple of weeks, and relatively easy to settle with a feed. So we can get those blissfully peaceful shots of them curled up in your arms. Or breathing softly in the palms of your hands. 

They’re the smallest they’ll ever be, making it a great stage to capture in photos. And little patches of baby acne can start to creep in at around 2-4 weeks. So the 1-2 week stage is ideal for capturing that astonishingly flawless peach-fuzz skin.

And it’s a wonderful experience to look forward to. The first two weeks of your baby’s life can be so hectic. And some parents relish the opportunity to have a couple of hours set aside away from the hubbub to just bond with their baby. But childbirth is physically draining. And so for some parents, the idea of leaving the safety and comfort of your nest so soon after birth can seem a little daunting. 

If you did want a newborn shoot in the first two weeks but don’t want to leave home, maybe consider one of my in-home newborn sessions.

Newborn photography at 2-4 weeks

Childbirth is exhausting for babies as well as mothers. So they’ll spend the first couple of weeks of their life sleeping like a teenager! But after around two weeks, they’ll start to wake up a little bit more and take in the world around them.

And this makes newborn photography at this stage more full of movement and life. Because they’ll be more awake, and a lot more responsive. They’re still impossibly small and insanely cute at this stage! And we can still get those beautiful shots of them sleeping, so it’s a nice happy middle ground. But ‘less sleepy’ does mean ‘more difficult to settle’, so that’s something to consider.

As parents, this is arguably the best time to have a shoot from an experience point of view. You’re not so sore and exhausted after childbirth. And you’ve got into more of a routine with your parenting, so you’re more confident to leave the house. But it’s still soon enough after the birth that you can look forward with excitement to the little oasis of calm.

Newborn photography at 2-4+ months

In the interest of giving you a balanced view, I’m trying not to play favourites. But as a newborn photographer, this is my favourite stage! Obviously your baby will have grown and changed so much by this point. So you will have missed out on capturing that truly ‘newborn’ stage. But there’s also so many plus points to waiting that extra bit of time to have your shoot.

Infant fatness peaks between four to nine months. And so having a newborn photoshoot anywhere between the 2-4 month mark will almost guarantee you those wonderfully chubby thighs, adorably plump cheeks and podgy little arms! Baby acne has gone by then too. So they’re back to their jealousy-inducing flawless skin. 

But the best bit is that at around three months, they’ll start reacting and interacting with the world around them. They’ll start to smile, laugh, and you’ll start getting little flashes of the person they’ll one day become.

As parents, this is definitely the easiest time to book your shoot. You’ll feel like full-fledged, parenting veterans by this stage. And you’ll really look forward to having a family day out together. Your baby will be a lot more physically robust, and you’ll feel a lot more confident handling them too. So you can genuinely enjoy yourselves, relax and take in the experience without the constant worry that comes with new parenthood. 

You can check out this 4 month old baby photoshoot to see some more examples.

Looking for newborn photography in Hampshire?

There’s no bad choice here. Because whether you have a newborn photoshoot at 3 weeks or 3 months, you will cherish these photos for the rest of your lives. 

Because they’ll be photos of the new love of your life. They’ll capture an unforgettable, all-too-brief chapter in your lives and hold it safe forever. And whenever you look at them, they’ll bring you right back to that incomparable love you felt for this tiny little person as you held them in your arms.  

I offer in-home newborn photography across Hampshire and beyond, as well as studio sessions in my beautiful home studio in Southampton. If you love my work and would like to book yourself in for a newborn photography experience, I’d love to hear from you. 

Please get in touch today and let’s chat.