Great question, short answer: no! Baby photography existed before newborn photography became a thing. I get it, you blinked – and all of a sudden your baby is two weeks old. And everywhere you look, baby photographers say they will only take photos of your baby when they’re less than two weeks old.
Now you’re thinking, you’ve missed out on the chance to have some beautiful portraits of your new baby – another thing to add to your new parent guilt!
But the truth is, actually, you haven’t.
“It is still possible to create beautiful photographs of your baby after two weeks.”
Why do newborn photographers place emphasis on the two week window?
The real answer is that babies are still curled in the foetal position, making it the optimal time to pose your baby in newborn photography. They’re still quite calm, sleeping lots and adjusting to life outside the womb as if they were still in it. They spend more of their time in foetal position. This makes it comfortable for newborn photographers to capture them in the many different newborn poses.
After those first two weeks is when baby starts stretching their limbs, and opening their eyes for longer periods of time to take in the world around them. Not to mention, they will be more awake and alert and, therefore, less… shall we say… ‘pliable’ than if it were in the first two weeks.
This is why some photographers insist (and most others recommend) that they do photograph your baby within those first two weeks.
Can I still book photos if my baby is past two weeks?
Yes, absolutely! It is still possible to create beautiful photographs of your baby after two weeks. Older newborn photography has been around longer than newborn photography; we just called it photographing your baby 🙂
Many specialist newborn photographers only work in those first two weeks, and some won’t go beyond three or four. That’s their choice, and it suits the sleepy, curled-up poses they specialise in. I work differently. I’m happy to photograph you, baby, at any age, and most of the new parents I see aren’t ready until six weeks or later anyway. Every portrait session of mine is baby-led, so we go at your baby’s pace, with time for feeds, cuddles and nappy changes.
If you’re not sure whether now is the right time, ring me on 01279 433392 or book a quick call and we’ll work it out together.
“Babies can’t get less cute after two weeks, now can they?”
We may not be able to complete all the cute sleepy curled up poses you had in mind. We will probably have more photos of baby awake than asleep. But no matter what, the final photographs will still be beautiful – babies can’t get less cute after two weeks, now can they?
Is three months a good age for baby photos?
Three months is a wonderful age for baby photographs. At this stage, most babies are smiling or engaging with you and interacting with you as you talk to them. They’re also much more settled once you’ve passed that 12 week mark.
Even though they’re not the ‘fresh’ or sleepy baby photos that you may have hoped to send to family members or frame on your walls, three months is a really nice time to arrange a baby portrait session too.
Missed the newborn window? Here’s how I can help
Your Baby Portrait Experience includes:
- a discovery call first, so I understand what matters to you
- a relaxed, baby-led session at my studio on the Herts/Essex border
- a design appointment to choose the portraits you love
- credit towards your printed artwork.
And please don’t forget yourself. My Mother & Child Portrait Experience is for mums who have a phone full of photos of their baby and hardly any of the two of them together.
So, is your baby too old for photos?
No. Whether they’re three weeks or three months old, this stage is worth remembering properly, and it goes quickly.
If you’d like to talk it through, book a discovery call or phone the studio on 01279 433392. There’s no obligation. It’s a chance for me to hear about your baby and for you to ask anything you like.
Rather listen first? Try episode 34, “I missed out on newborn photos”.
About the photographer: Sue Kennedy runs Sue Kennedy Photography, a family portrait studio in Harlow, Essex. She helps parents of babies and young children put their love into words and make that love visible through photographs and artwork displayed in their home, so their children grow up knowing who they are, where they belong and how deeply they have always been loved. Her portrait experiences are paced to each child, so the little expressions that matter have time to show.
If you’d like to explore what this could look like for your family, you can start the conversation here →
