When Is The Best Time To Have A Newborn Photo Session And Why | by Geneva Newborn Photographer

When I decided, that I want to switch from fine art photography and work with families, I attended a workshop about newborn photography.

I was very worried about safety of my tiny clients and wanted to be sure that I will know all the details and little tricks.

And I did not like it!

During the workshop it was constantly said, that the best time to have a newborn session is within first two weeks after the birth, because babies are quite and sleepy and you can pose them easily.

Well, yes you can really put a brand new baby into a basket and decorate her with fairy lights – but actually some babies are very alert and will scream for hours just to fall asleep for a minute, so the photographer can take a picture of her in a basket!

I already had a baby of my own at that moment and I was absolutely heart broken to see, how the photographer was trying to take a “perfect” portrait of a baby with all means.

And actually, at the end this perfect portrait had no personality at all! This could be any baby!

Clearly - I never put your baby in a basket!

BUT I do believe that the best time to have a newborn photo session is within first few days or weeks after your baby is born.

But not because your baby is sleepy and can be posed, but because the newborn photo session is about YOUR FIRST DATE WITH YOUR NEW BABY!

I often compare the importance of a newborn session with an importance of a wedding session – because both of them capture an extremely important event.

The BEGIN OF YOUR NEW LIFE.

While wedding is a formal begin of your new life, the birth of your baby is an essential begin of your new life, your baby's life and of all your family members.

And just as with a wedding photography you do not want to have a photo session after the wedding, right? It is simply impossible!

So when your baby is one, two or three months old, this “newborn” moment is over! Your baby is already a part of the family! So you cannot capture any more how you've met!

Of course you can still have a photo session, but this will not capture those incredible emotions.

This will be a family session with a baby, which is also very important, because your baby is changing SO fast!

That is why I do recommend my clients to plan their newborn session shortly after the birth and I am always willing to come to the hospital and capture the actual moment when family meets their new baby. These moments are absolutely irreplaceable.

I was very lucky to have these moments captured for me and my family! And everything I do for my clients comes deeply from my heart.

I know this sounds pathetic, but it is true!

These pictures with me meeting my first son, and my sons meeting each other are the most emotional photographs I have.