The “Best” Time for Newborn Photos

I get this question a lot- “Marissa, when is the best time to photograph my family/newborn?”

1. Consider their age

Sometimes a family might want to capture baby when they are still really tiny and in that case, I have found that around 9 or 10 days is a great time for photos. They’re still little, they’re sleeping soundly, and they typically haven’t developed baby acne or flaky skin. Around 2-3 weeks is sometimes when babies might develop baby acne and flaky skin and they don’t sleep as soundly. However, every baby is different! Some babies will sleep soundly regardless of age and some won’t get baby acne &/or flaky skin, so it really just depends on your baby.

Worried about baby’s skin? Your photos will be retouched. Also, even if they have something going on with their skin it is likely not going to change anytime in the next week, so keeping your photo session date is important if you’ve already scheduled it because we want to capture your baby when he or she is still little (if that is the priority).

2. How is mom doing?

I absolutely recommend getting in the frame! I cannot stress this enough. Even if you think it isn’t important to be in the photos, these photos are going to be passed down and your kids will really appreciate you being in the images when they are older.

So, if your priority is being in the images and feeling good, I would recommend waiting until you personally feel ready. It isn’t easy having a baby and then doing photos 9 days later. However, everyone is different and you might feel ready at day 3! You might also still be recovering either mentally or physically so take your time if that is the case.  Regardless of when the right time is for you, we will capture photos of your baby and they will be beautiful regardless of your baby’s age. In fact, I have actually done “newborn” photos of babies on up to 2 months old, so it’s definitely possible.

3. What about photos of baby in the hospital?

I do recommend capturing photos in the hospital as well if you can! Pre-covid, I would suggest a Fresh 48 session- hopefully we’ll be able to begin doing photos in the hospital someday soon. Babies change SO quickly, so capturing photos in the hospital will be different from photos that I capture of you and your family at home. Also, hospital photos will have that hospital look- the background will be your hospital room, and the details that you’ll capture include baby in their little cot, their name tag, hospital bracelet on their little feet, etc. If you can hire someone to capture these moments then that would be even better! I sure do miss Fresh 48 sessions!

I hope this helps you to better understand the most ideal time to photograph your newborn! Here is a review from a family that I photographed.

A Review from a lifestyle newborn client

“Marissa was absolutely amazing! Not only did she capture beautiful photos of our newborn but she helped to make the photoshoot easy and smooth for us new parents. I was especially stressed about the baby being fussy during the shoot. However, when she did start crying Marissa even jumped in to help soothe her and taught us a few tips for swaddling :). We are so happy with our photos and would recommend Marissa to our friends and family!”

Book your own lifestyle newborn session

Are you looking to capture photos of your own family/newborn?  Send me an inquiry by CLICKING HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page Or you can email marissa.hbphoto@gmail.com.