Babies grow and changes so fast in the first year that you can never seem to take enough pictures. Most parents also recognize that even though they are snapping away everyday, the baby’s first year is an important time for professional baby photography that will produce beautiful artistic and archival prints to last a lifetime and more. But when are the best months to capture the baby, and how often should it be done in the first year? Here are some guidelines for what can be expected at the different stages related to professional baby and infant photography.
Newborn - The first 5 to 10 days is the best time for newborn baby photography. During this time they are less fussy and their skin will be more clear. Baby acne usually sets in around day 16 and lasts for a couple of weeks, so having the session done before this will work in your favor. Newborn sessions often involve naked baby’s laying on soft blankets or in the family’s arms. Whether the baby is awake or asleep, these pictures should not be missed as they are an incredible way to begin documenting a person’s life.
2 to 3 months - Still a newborn at this point, most babies are quite fussy at this age. They will have better head control than in the first month, and they also can smile a little by this age. But do not count on being able to capture that smile on demand until they are older. Posing for infants at this age will be similar to the newborn except that they will be able to hold their heads up a bit more when they are on their stomachs. Laying down shots, propped up shots, and being held in the family arms will be the majority of posing for this age group.
4 to 5 months - By this time most infants have really filled out and they look very different compared to their newborn images. This age is much better at smiling, but still not totally reliable. Still not able to sit up on their own, these baby’s are much better at interacting with people and toys. This is a good time to capture close up’s of facial expressions, hands and feet in mouth, and bare bottoms.
6 to 7 months - Now the baby is able to sit up, and the options for posing are more numerous. Also, the baby is able to smile and laugh at this point and usually does not fear strangers. This is a wonderful age to start going outdoors for natural light baby photography. It is also a great time to include family pets and siblings in the session as the baby is able to sit but usually is not able to move around much - yet!
8 to 10 months - Often by this age, the infant is crawling and the sessions get very active! Consider a white background session in studio for a clean, classic look - but be ready to bring toys to distract the baby to stay in the area of light and continually reset the baby to the right spot. for very active babies a better choice for professional photography may be at the home if these is plenty of natural light so that the baby can roam and the photographer can follow.
11 to 14 months - Within this age range, most babies are pulling up, standing, “cruising” along furniture and then walking. This is a great age for location sessions to give the baby more room to move around than in the studio. A One Year portrait session should be done sometime in this age range to document the milestone of turning one and starting to walk. This is another key session to document a baby’s development.
Now then - what are the best ages for professional baby and infant photography? Based on my experience as a baby photographer, I would recommend doing the newborn session (5 to 10 days old), a 4 month session (chubby baby parts), a 6 to 7 month session (sitting), a 9 month session (crawling, expressions) and then a One Year portrait session when the baby is standing and just starting to walk (12 to 14 months). The one to skip would be the fussy 2 to 3 month old. If you only do three - make sure to do the newborn, the 6 month baby portrait and the One Year Baby Portrait. When ordering prints, order professional archival prints that will last for generations. This is the best gift you can ever give this baby (they will treasure them as an adult) and your future generations.