When is the best age for baby photoshoots?

If you could only have one studio photoshoot with me during your baby’s first year, when would I recommend you do it?

Newborn stage?

Some might say that the newborn stage is the one not to miss, and I’d totally agree with that. Your baby will never be so tiny again and those newborn features only last a couple of weeks at the most. It’s incredible to capture, and look back at your baby when everything was so new. It’s very magical.

Newborn sessions are very gentle and beautiful, and can be a great bonding experience between parents, with baby and each other.

The only thing with newborns is, they bring with them a certain amount of chaos. For many people it’s not easy - everything gets turned on its head, you’re dead-tired and especially first time parents don’t even think of having photos taken until it’s too late. Getting dressed let alone ready for a photoshoot, and out of the house, can feel near-impossible, and for many, there are complications after birth that delay going home, or being able to come for a session.

If the newborn stage isn’t photographed for any reason, do not despair! You can still book in a milestone session and get the magic of babyhood captured during that precious first year.

Tummy Time

A lovely age is around 3-4 months when baby is smiley and engaged and starting to roll and do fun things. It’s a great stage for grins and they are easy to keep still. I call these ‘tummy time’ sessions.

There’s not a huge amount we can do in these sessions apart from lying on their back, or tummy if they tolerate it, or even sitting in a little basket or prop. A few changes of outfits & accessories help to keep photos varied and galleries from this stage are gorgeous. Parents can play a part in the session, and it’s lovely to get beautiful photos with mum and dad. This really is a pretty great age for baby photoshoots, and if you still want to capture baby while small, this is the time.

We started by asking which age I would recommend photographing if I had to choose only one, which brings me to sitter sessions.

Sitter sessions are awesome!!

Next to newborns, I could photograph sitters all day long.

What is a sitter, you may ask? A sitter is a baby who is able to sit up unaided, but hasn’t yet begun to crawl or move about.

It’s a fairly brief window in time, and requires some nifty scheduling so that we don’t miss it. Some babies are most docile than others, so it’s always different for each one.

The beauty of a sitter session is that I can photograph them upright, lying down, on their tummy, and they are so versatile. It is also a happy time in their lives usually - finally they can see the world from their newfound upright position which probably feels pretty good. They are usually* happy, easy to engage with even though I’m a stranger, and full of personality.

These are lovely sessions for really capturing your baby’s character.

So there you have it - my favourite sessions for babies are really any time between newborn and sitting up.

If you’re wondering why I haven’t included first birthday photoshoots, I’ll tell you.

Why first birthday photoshoots are not my favourites:

It’s the most popular enquiry after newborn sessions - parents want to mark the big milestone of turning one and these can be planned months in advance sometimes.

We make all sorts of elaborate plans - celebratory sessions with decorations, special outfits, cakes, expensive accessories etc in the anticipation of a riotous good time for all involved.

Reality check - it’s hardly ever like that.

Babies become more self aware and often can hit a clingy stage around 12 months. This can mean they don’t want to be put down, and strange, new situations can increase this attachment.

A photo studio is a strange, new environment for most babies. They naturally may want to explore, but we need them to stay still - it can get stressful.

The Cake smash myth…

It’s a myth that one year olds will love to stay in one place, smash up a cake and devour it, while someone they don’t know takes photos. Occasionally they do, and it’s wonderful! Most will curiously poke the cake and quickly lose interest, though they’re generally they’re quite sweet parents feel somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t a smash up. Some are totally averse to any of it, and bawl the entire time, with every moment of the session being an ordeal.

I’m not really in the this business to try and make something happen if it’s not. In fact I don’t offer these type of shoots any more. By age 1, babies are going to be on the move to some degree, and I offer outdoor sessions instead (you can bring a cake there if you want), or at your home. The agenda is less loaded, and only then is it relaxed and fun.

One year olds are generally less predictable and easy going than they were 3-4 months prior, and because I love an easy life, I’d rather have the easy stage.

Sitter sessions win! And all the others come close second.

All ages and stages are more than welcome! I really do love them all.

Thank you to little Ezra for being such a star at all of his milestone sessions so far! He is the cutie in all the photos!

Disclaimer: all babies are different, this is based on general experiences and gross generalisation! And no matter what I always get something beautiful as there is always beauty there.

To book or enquire about a session with me, get in touch - I’d love to learn more.