Wow life after quarantine has been a bit hectic. After being gifted with days at home to snuggle, relax, rest and homeschool, I was then faced with one crazy busy schedule! Newborns who were born mid pandemic and mothers who were anxious to get their babies in the studio (rightfully so). Mom’s were stressing that we wouldn’t get those precious moments they see me post so often. One year old’s were celebrating their birthday’s without their cake smash photos (no worries though we rescheduled those too and they have been just as fun as if they were done on time. No difference there!) Through all of this I took some time to rethink my practices. I reassured mom’s that we would still capture their precious babes and encouraged them to snap pictures and capture moments themselves until we could safely get together and do more!

This post is mostly in regards to newborn sessions and a theory I had. As a newborn photographer we are taught to educate our clients to schedule their newborn sessions right away. Like “oh hey there, please deliver that baby as safely as you can and then pick up your phone immediately to let me know so we can schedule your session”. Why? because getting on my books should be priority number one right? Hell to the no! You soak it in and soak it in deep!!!!!

Yes, it’s true photographers prefer to get newborns in within those first two precious weeks but this is just for our ease of posing and because certain poses require a certain level of flexibility for safety purposes (as well as skin issues but we won’t get into that). I am going to be honest and say that I have done newborn sessions up until 6 weeks old (I also have done 3 month sessions pretty similar to newborn sessions for people who scheduled with me later after not being happy with newborn portraits they did elsewhere. I try to help them and recreate some precious itty bitty moments). So what is this theory I speak of? Well, new parents are busy! They are tired, they are adjusting and they are learning! The last thing I wanted was for parents to be immediately stressing about getting their babes into the studio. Yes, I still would like to know within 48 hours when baby has arrived but I am not requiring you to get into the studio by day 4, 5 or 6. I can and I will do newborn sessions up until 6 weeks comfortably. I believe that babies between 2-4 weeks are just as easy as babies who are 4 days old and that theory was proven this past week when I had two newborns in studio. One who was just about 4 weeks and one who was just about 5 weeks and you know what? They did just as good (if not better than some) than my 4 day olds!!! Our sessions were crazy awesome and the babies were so content just staring at me and checking out my big photo light haha. Mom’s were relaxed because they had a bit more time to settle into their new roles and they were happy to see their babes enjoying their sessions with wide alert eyes while exploring a new environment. Now will this be true for all older babies? No, just like it isn’t true for all younger babies but the point is I don’t want parents stressing about getting their babies to me right away. I have a job to capture your moments and I will complete that job to satisfaction no matter the age your kids are getting to me! That is something I am confident in guaranteeing! If you like my style, you like my work and you like your kids (haha) then you will absolutely love my portraits because its all about capturing your favorite little person regardless of their age!

So let’s recap:

THEORY: newborn sessions do not have to take place right away and are just as great at 4-6 weeks old as they are at 4-6 days old.
Photographer tested

CONCLUSION: mother and photographer… APPROVED!

See for yourself!